At the Oct. 12 Board of Governors meeting, a representative for the Truman State University wrestling team gave a speech about the decision to drop funding for the program.
The wrestling team had their funding cut last year because of reductions to state appropriations. The team needed to fundraise $75,000 to compete this year, a goal they met at the beginning of October.
Justin Naumovitz, a 1995 alum of Truman and the wrestling program, said he cares a lot about the University, the wrestling program and the direction they take in the future. He said the decision last year to cut the program felt personal, and was a loss for Truman and future generations of students. Naumovitz made his decision to attend Truman because of its wrestling program and fine academics.
Naumovitz asked the Board of Governors how the decision to cut the program was made and questioned the prioritization of different programs at Truman. He said the University has enough funding for wrestling, and the program costs less per student athlete than any other athletic program.
Naumovitz also emphasized the wrestling program’s successes over their time in action.
He said the University’s decision to require the team to raise an additional $2 million to continue competing after this season is not right. Naumovitz also questioned why other athletic programs are not required to do the same fundraising to continue playing.
Naumovitz gave a similar speech to the Board of Governors when the wrestling program was cut in 1994. The program was also cut in the late 1980s.
It is the Board of Governors’ policy to not respond to public comments.