New Orleans Looks Stay Afloat

A week after students at the University of New Orleans rejected a proposal to increase fees in order to support intercollegiate athletics, UNO took the unusual step of allowing blanket permission for other institutions to contact our student-athletes.  Today, in a sign of optimism, that release was rescinded. 

By a 1,418-1,251 margin, students rejected a proposal that would have raised tuition by less than $200 to support athletics.  In turning down the proposal, the UNO has been scrambling to secure funding both via public and private sources.  New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn has taken the lead in generating $1.4 million needed to sustain operations.   The school has also lobbied the legislature to trim upcoming budget cuts. 

"Since that outcome would not be known until late June," explained UNO Athletic Director James Miller, "we felt that our first concern should be the welfare of our student-athletes."  Hence the blanket waiver. 

But now, with Shinn leading the charge, UNO's fortunes are rising. A bright spot in the UNO athletic department has been the swimming program.  Just eighteen months ago, the university reinstated men's swimming.  Since that time, head coach Randy Horner has become a model in how a team can contribute to the success of a university.  With just 4.5 men's scholarships, Horner recruited nearly two-dozen swimmers.  More telling, when combined with the women's program, the swimming team generated nearly a quarter-million in tuition revenue for the school. 

They weren't just profitable, they were good, with the men's recruiting class ranking 18th-best in the nation, both teams earning respectable 5th-place finishes in the Sun Belt and the men's team finishing 14th in the CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Poll.

While the release has been rescinded, some programs are still hopefull of doing some pirating of their own.  Its a move that could sink UNO's future.  In an effort to address this, and to prevent this, CSCAA Executive Director Phil Whitten sent out a memo calling on coaches to contact Horner directly rather than approach athletes individually.  He also asked coaches to agree to allow UNO swimmers to return should the efforts to restore the athletic department become successful.

"These are extraordinary times," Whitten said, "and extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."

The measure of support has been similarly extraordinary.  Said Miller, "We have had an outpouring of local support that we believe will lead to our ability to maintain our program." 

Shinn will be meeting with members of the media today, but in an earlier statement voiced his stance:  "We want to fight for things that can help New Orleans, and protecting an institution that strives for excellence only benefits our community. We are willing to work with UNO to make a difference in the lives of these student-athletes and write a new chapter in the rich history of UNO athletics."