Thread by @JoshRyanSports, A thread upon reading this article and the comments of @UofA

A thread upon reading this article and the comments of @UofA_AugVikings and @BearsandPandas AD Ian Reade.

For transparency: I'm an alumni of the MVB program and my father was the AD prior to this past season./1 https://edmontonsun.com/sports/other-sports/vikings-volleyballers-raise-concerns-over-future-of-augustana-athletics/

Vikings volleyballers raise concerns over future of Augustana athletics

Golden Bears and Pandas Athletics weren’t the only post-secondary programs impacted by the University of Alberta’s decision last week to skip the upcoming school season.

https://edmontonsun.com/sports/other-sports/vikings-volleyballers-raise-concerns-over-future-of-augustana-athletics/

Before typing out this small novel, I've either talked to or have read the responses of several athletes, coaches, alumni and community members, to learn more about the situation. So while I certainly have my own views, this isn't based on a gut reaction./2

For some background:

The school followed the main campus decision to withdraw from CAN West play by withdrawing from @ACAC_Sport competition for the 2020/21 season./3 http://www.govikings.ca/general/2019-20/releases/vikings20-21cancellation

Vikings athletics league-based sports season cancellation

Vikings athletics has made the deeply difficult decision to withdraw from ACAC/CCAA participation in men’s hockey, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s volleyball for...

http://www.govikings.ca/general/2019-20/releases/vikings20-21cancellation

What's not visible in this announcement, but is mentioned in the Sun article, is that they are not bringing back three coaches, WVB, WBB and Soccer. Each of them were in the process of figuring out their contractual situation ahead of July./4

Another factor worth noting is that this decision was made prior to the ACAC's meeting on how to proceed, which I believe is today. Made without consultation from coaches, athletes and alumni./5

So, here's a couple of items.
“What I tell everybody that asks me is that if Augustana was going to cut their programs, they’d cut their programs,”

Augustana cancelled the 2020 futsal season without warning, just prior to the ACAC meeting during winter break./6

The school still had to pay for membership costs (basically a fine) because of how late the decision came and the impact was only diluted because of the Futsal championship being cancelled at the start of the pandemic.

Additionally, the hockey program has been on life support./7

Alumni rallied together to try to save the team, just prior to the start of the pandemic, but the future of the program is still up in the air.

Augustana certainly has a right to cut any team they wish.../8

But when that kind of decision affects hundreds of people, including students, some consultation and explanation is warranted. You can understand why some are nervous about the future of Vikings athletics based on the past year./9

"As for the coaches, in two cases, their contracts simply ran out at the end of the season, said Reade."

“I know they did speak to those coaches with the intent to bring them back once there is a little more certainty about what the work would look like.”

Not exactly./10

Previous history would have suggested that these coaches should've been rehired shortly after the season, or at least been given the announcement that a search for a new coach was underway.

Instead, they were given an announcement just before this ACAC meeting./11

That's not just a case of contracts running out.

For those athletes and coaches, why would they have any certainty about the potential for reinstatement? Even given the circumstances of the pandemic, there's nothing normal about the way this was handled./12

"But Reade said while the decision to pull the Bears and Pandas from competitive play this year was a financial one, the impetus behind having the Vikings follow suit has more to do with COVID-19 and any of its complications that can arise in the meantime"

ugh.../13

Well, I'm not sure that's accurate, because several athletes have posted on social media and have stated they were told the decision was mostly due to budgetary restraints. Either it is or it isn't financially motivated./14
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1033997427002611&set=pcb.1033999163669104&type=3&theater

“I mean, they’re not even there at Camrose right now so I don’t know why they’re so worried about whether somebody’s going to be there to train them,” (this was the final paragraph)

Lots to unpack here.../15

First, most high level coaches are quite involved with offseason training, via checkins, workout plans, etc. Throughout the pandemic, you can ask just about any ACAC player and they've been having bi-weekly zoom sessions with teammates and staff./16

Further more, having someone who recruited them, mentored them and knows their goals is very different than waiting in the wings to see who's next. Had there been an announcement earlier of a search or a situation where coaches could return, you reduce some concerns./17

Instead, athletes have no idea what's going to happen and one rumour floating around is that supervising the training of athletes during the school year will be left to the coaches still under contract. So, potentially, a vball player looking to a bball coach for advice./18

Here's one more nugget regarding the situation. At this ACAC meeting, Vikings athletics will be in a situation where they are pulling out of the league and likely declaring a case of manifest hardship. They will need a majority vote from other members./19

Upon that vote, they will still be required to pay a 1000 dollar reinstatement fee, plus need a 3/4 vote. It's on page 205 of the Operating Code on the ACAC website./20
https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.net/u/p/u3af5mavyg50lu/Operating_Code_-_2020_05.pdf

If this is a budgetary issue, then how does setting fundraising and recruitment back help that issue when you would have to pay upwards of a grand just to rejoin?/21

In conclusion:

All of this is concerning if you are a current student-athlete or an alumni. And it doesn't help communication when one of the individuals responsible for making the decision is on vacation immediately following last week's decision./22

If Augustana truly is focused on student-athlete development, then they owe these student-athletes an explanation as to why they are going into the year with no competition and no coach, with no known game plan moving forward
Rant over../23

So, a couple things to add to the thread.

I was sent a screent shot of information made available on the @ACAC_Sport which covers a couple of things, but notably manifest hardship./24

This appear to indicate that if @UofA_AugVikings drop all team participation this season, then the standard financial penalties would not be in play. Which still doesn't solve the issue of programs being gutted, but does save the institution money and could ease coming back./25

The pessimistic view would be it's only going to become savings, but that will be confirmed or deterred in the following weeks and months.

I also heard from a parent that an email sent to the athlete used the word layoffs. I suppose that means this was financially motivated?/26

Also, check this instagram post from Dani Brockman of the WVB team, who has some audio from Philip Miheso, ASA president 2019/2020, who says that he heard members of @UofA_Augustana administration mention the idea of removing the athletics department./27

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtElO_lRX6/?igshid=2rl4dlil1w1p

This doesn't confirm anything concrete, but it does mean those who've had suspicions of this possibility weren't peddling conspiracy theories.

I can say from my experience on campus, a sort of 'anti-athlete' sentiment did exist amongst several faculty members./28

I didn't experience that on the administration end, though I've heard stories, from a fairly wide group of people.

It's also worth noting, in fairness, that there's several faculty and admin people who did support athletics, ardently in fact./29

Even prior to his kids playing basketball here, Stacey Lorenz would come out to basketball and hockey games. Pysch professor Tim Parker hardly ever missed a hockey game. And there's several others in the past that came out in support of various teams./30

I also had only positive interactions with former Dean Allen Berger, who was not only present for plenty of events but actually took the time to talk to student-athletes throughout the year./31

The last couple tweets are simply to say that there's been support of athletics from many individuals, even if the institution as a whole is failing them, at least in my opinion./32

I'm going to keep this thread going, by adding the responses of alumni and current Vikkngs athletes.

@TheGanj10: MVB/33

@UofA_AugVikings
@BearsandPandas

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10163767562970254&id=571300253

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