We wish to thank you for your overwhelming support since 28 June 2022 when the University announced that Men and Women’s rowing along with Men and Women’s cross country/track and Men’s golf would be downgraded to Club status.
Legacies and long-term cultures/traditions are what defines a university more so than the academics. Legacies that span generations of students over 50 years become part of the fabric of the campus culture. The fact that so many students, parents, faculty, alumni, and the local community expressed displeasure at the decision and supported the cause to reinstate varsity status speaks to the evidence that the members of the Board of Trustees were out-of-step with the “community” and culture of FIT and valued spreadsheets over the traditions that define this small university.
A single misguided decision was not allowed to erase a 54-year winning sport and its contribution to the image of FIT.
The University and Board of Trustees may have fired coaches and eliminated other sports programs in the past with little, if any, pushback. Because of your support, that was not the case for rowing that has been a legacy varsity sport with a winning tradition since it was established in 1968 as part of the future vision for FIT by the founding University President.
The community support for reinstating rowing was easily galvanized knowing we were in the right where the University’s decision-making process was wrong:
- Wrong in blindsiding the athletes, coaches, alumni and friends
- Wrong in a bait and switch to incoming athletes
- Wrong in destroying the hard work of returning athletes
- Wrong in making rowing less accessible and discriminatory
- Wrong in pulling the pending scholarship offers from two Polish sisters who gave up everything to attend Florida Tech
- Wrong in dismantling a legacy Varsity sport that has brought prestige and recognition to the University for over 50 years
- Wrong in believing sports are just an expense to be minimized
It was also wrong and an insult to the 400 or so student athletes for the University and Board of Trustees to only consider sports a cost drain to the school to be minimized as much as possible. We have come to believe that there are Board members who think all sports should only be intramural clubs or at least Division III. (Note: there are no Division III colleges in the state of Florida).
Though the Board of Directors thought the decision was final and wanted us move on, we did not.
Now that Men’s Rowing has been reinstated, we are willing and able to work with the University towards the long term sustainment of rowing at Florida Tech that would include reinstatement of Women’s rowing too Varsity. We want to increase alumni and friends support for all Varsity sports at Florida Tech. We believe it is possible with the engagement of all stakeholders to make Florida Tech athletics affordable, stronger and more competitive than ever before.
We now have a University President who we can work with.
President Nicklow has been open to listening and learning from Alumni. As a former collegiate Varsity athlete, he recognizes the value of athletics and the student athlete experience. He stated in the recent press release on the Settlement that Florida Tech recognizes the long, rich history of rowing and he looks forward to appropriately supporting rowing students in the future. And importantly, he looks forward to renewed trust with the Alumni. His statements online exhibit a true leader who listens, collaborates, empowers, and inspires. We are optimistic we can have a productive working relationship with him that will benefit rowing and the University.
We will win this race.
#PersistencePrevails
