Cuts forthcoming at Davis

Due to a major budget shortfall this year, the UC Davis athletic department has been asked to cut $1.79 million from the department budget next year. The school has given the department control over how to cut its budget, but it's a nearly foregone conclusion that some sports will have to be cut. Davis, a DI institution, fields 27 varsity sports right now. While it will be an unfortunate situation for the cut teams and the affected student-athletes, Davis's 27-team department is far larger than its peer institutions in the Big West, which average just over 18 teams. Being forced to pare down athletic offerings because the bad economy, which has hit California schools particularly hard, is never a good situation. But even the athletic director is calling the potential cuts "right-sizing" and not downsizing. Cuts now will hopefully lead to a stronger, more fiscally responsible, department down the road.