Group Petitioning Angle, Blackburn Not To Cut UTC Track And Field

Monday, February 2, 2015

A group of former UTC track and field athletes and fans are waging a campaign to try to get administrators to reverse a decision to cut the sport.

Here is a sample of letters and emails sent to Dr. Steve Angle and Athletic Director David Blackburn:

Dr. Angle & Mr. Blackburn:

As an alumnus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a remarkably proud past performer on the Cross Country and Track & Field teams, it saddened me to hear the news about the decision regarding the Men’s Track & Field program. As I’ve taken the night to digest some of the content in the emails that were streaming across my desk, I’ve come to the realization that this is more than just our program getting cut, Coach Gautier losing everything he has worked for, or these students missing out on an opportunity. Cuts like this in today’s world are not something that are rare. In fact, in our field, the field of higher education and in a society that is constantly evolving within and with a very complex world around us, these types of things are happening every day. All those in the profession, a profession that is rooted in a desire to better society, have been affected in one way or another by the reality and necessity of fiscal responsibility. With these efforts towards a fiscal focus, I’ve seen countless colleagues across North America grow and adapt with the changing system. In my opinion, this is good. It forces ingenuity and collaboration and challenges us all to find more efficient ways of doing what we do, reflecting on whether or not what we’re doing is actually still necessary, and pushes us all to be better.

That being said, there is another side. There are those in the profession that have accepted cuts may be coming their way but instead of preparing themselves or their respective units for the possibility of renewed sustenance, positive growth or healthy change, they have seemed to begin leaning towards not just an acceptance that cuts could happen in their given unit, but an expectation that there is no other way.

As an educator, this saddens me. As a citizen of our world, this terrifies me.

I’ve been wrestling with my morale compass for years now as I’ve been associated with situations just like this, again and again. The ripple effect and responsibility associated with making decisions like this are immeasurable. I don’t envy the position the people in these decision making parties are in. In fact I empathize with them, I empathize with you.

Again and again, throughout the course of history, pendulums swing from one side to another, and I could sit here for hours citing a limitless list of such examples during the advancement of human development. Right now, right here, in the world of higher education, the pendulum has clearly swung to one side; fiscal responsibility. What worries me, is that a growing trend when dealing with fiscal responsibility, is a glacially powerful short sightedness.

I’m a person that believes in getting back to the basics and I’m a firm believer in trusting my instincts. At the workplace, as we each receive our given directives, we have to do what we are told to do, or at the end of the day, we find ourselves without a job. Bottom line. Bills need to be paid. Mouths need to be fed, families need to be cared for. Environmental conditioning tells me there is a great deal of truth to that. My instincts tell me there has to be more.

For a moment I want to go back to the basics. I ask each of you to do the same.

We each work in higher education. This is an environment focused on learning and more importantly, developing young men and women for the future of our world. We are there for and because of the students.

For and because of the students.

We have a responsibility for their development, which in turn means we have a responsibility to find a way. That’s the bottom line. It’s not money. Money is a factor but there is always money, we just have to find a way. To find a way to show a young man or woman how to handle stressful situations. How to effectively manage their emotions and their time. How to interact with peers, supervisors or colleagues. How to problem solve with a finely tuned critical thought process. How to love and how to take care of our neighbours. How to take care, in a very real and effective sense, of ourselves. We have to find a way to teach them empathy, resilience, determination, and a will that can move us into the future with remarkable progress. We have to find a way to help them see that within each of them is an ability to engage and execute tasks and teams with razor like precision.

We all have our given roles in higher education, with different tasks associated, but at the end of the day, it’s about the development of the students. It’s with an overwhelming honour and an infinite amount of pride, that I state when it comes to the development of the student, there has never been and never will be anyone that I’ll cross paths with, like Coach Gautier.

Over his years in coaching, his impact at a very real level, with seas and seas of student athletes, has left a dent in the universe. Under his tutelage, our communities have benefited from young men and women that embody everything I indicated above. He has done so with a passion that I’ve yet to see matched by any in the industry and he’s done it consistently, year after year. There are teachers, educators, coaches and then there is Coach Gautier. When it comes to being short sighted or near sighted, I ask you to please take a step back and truly try to assess this impact. The importance of what people like Coach Gautier bring to our world can never truly be summed up with any one or collection of statistics or figures. You can’t run the numbers. It’s just too overwhelming.

I, like so many others, have had major factors associated with my development, and in most cases it’s our parents then there is coach. In my case in particular there was a very loving and influential uncle and then it’s nearly all coach. He helped take a young man who lost his father when he was twelve and a stepmother that wrestled with a basket of personal demons, and gave him an endless list of life lessons and enriching experiences. He helped me gain an undergraduate degree in education and then a graduate degree, but most importantly he helped guide me during my development of the personal principles I apply to everything I do today. It’s for this that I’m eternally grateful for Coach. He has helped give me a way to live life that I’m proud of; tremendously proud. This style of living is a fashion that he believed in; a fashion in which no matter what I’m doing in life, so long as I’m trying to do good in this world, it is my responsibility to find a way.

For the student. Find a way. A simple, basic lesson…… but sure is powerful.

Respectfully,

Curtis

Curtis J. Gadula, BSc, MSc
Manager, Off Campus Living & Neighbourhood Relations

& First Year Experience Transition Programs

Brock University | Student Life and Community Experience

Niagara Region | 500 Glenridge Ave. | St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1
brocku.ca | T 905 688 5550 x5280 | F 905 688 0797

Mssrs. Blackburn and Angle,

I am a UTC alum and a proud Moc. I attended on a track scholarship at your fine school and am lucky enough to have run for Bill Gautier for 5 years (including a red shirt) and scraped by with a BSc in Accounting and an MBA (Finance). Coach Gautier always pushed me very hard, and taught me a lot of the lessons I still use now as a boss, colleague, Dad, Husband, and friend. I have a picture of us celebrating winning the mens and womans conference championship in a frame in my office at home, and many amazing memories of my times in Chattanooga (along with most of the people cc'd).

My favorite race every year was going to run at the indoor track at the University of Indiana. I ran many PBs there. Absent Coach Gautier and UTC's track program I wouldn't be where I am today. That's not saying much, but it really helped.

I currently live in Toronto, Ontario with my wife and Daughter. When people ask me about college I regularly correct them that while I went to the University of Tennessee, I'm not a Vol, I'm a Moc, and yes I was there when Terrell Owens was, and also when we went to the Sweet 16 in Basketball. I was also there when the Mens cross country team went undefeated and went to the NCAAs in Lawrence Kansas (that was a tough day).

I understand you've made a decision around the mens program relating to Title IX. I imagine that was a hard decision. If there is anything we can do to help or change this direction, we'd be happy to. This program meant the world to me in a time I really needed it. Please don't cancel it. All the kids like me, and all the people cc'd can benefit so much from it. I'd love the chance to talk about this. Kyle (416 454 4911)

Kyle McLean
Vice President, National Accounts
TD Commercial Banking
100 Wellington St West, 26th Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M5K 1A2
T 416-983-1707
F 416-308-3733
C 416-454-4911
kyle.mclean@td.com

Mr Blackburn and Mr Angle,

I write to you with the heaviest of hearts upon hearing the news that the Men's Track & Field and Cross Country programs would be cut from the UTC Athletic Department. I was one of the first two Canadian student-athletes to commit to run for Coach Bill Gautier and I can't tell you how much that decision has changed my life.

Coach Gautier not only brought an incredible intense competitive spirit to UTC he also brought countless number of great citizens who came and wore the 'C' proudly not only on the track or cross country course but also on many different student-athlete committee's, in the classroom and beyond UTC. Coach Gautier surrounded himself with good people FIRST because in the end he thought that was going to be the best representation of the university and himself. Who would ever have thought that the many, many great young people that he worked hard for would witness it go away just like that.

I learned a great deal about myself, about giving back to others with the countless community outreach events we did in the Chattanooga area, without fanfare or recognition. I have two HEAVY influences in my life as a man and as a father and as a coach. My own father raised me to head off to college and do the right thing and Coach Gautier raised me in another way that I can't ever pay back.

I am who I am today because of what UTC has done for me in terms of my education, the opportunity to work as a graduate assistant and the opportunity to work as an assistant coach for many years under Coach Gautier.

I hope that the University will go to great lengths to make sure and recognize all that one of your longest t

Dear Steven and Dave,

With a heavy heart I am writing to you today about hearing that the UTC mens track program is being cut. I am sure that this decision was not made lightly, and I was wondering if I could take a minute of your day to tell you my story and what this program meant to me personally.

I grew up in South Africa, and first attended the University of Memphis. After three semesters there, I never wanted to run agin and was intent on moving back to South Africa, with little or no future ahead of me. Coach Gautier convinced me to come to Chattanooga. He took a chance with me, and while it started out less smoothly than both of us wanted, I became a two time Southern conference champion, All region cross country performer, set personal bests in all events, and achieved the highest grades in my life.

Coach Gautier was able to bring the best to of me, and taught me how to be the person I am today. The awesome lief at that I have has so much to do with this program, university and town. The day I had there, I will never forget. It is sad that this opportunity will be lost to a handful of young men in the future, many who need a strong influence in their lives.

I realize that you have certain constraints in which programs you can run at UTC, but I appeal to you understand that its not just cutting of a mens track program. We as a community, country and humanity are potentially losing the ability to positively shape young mens’ lives. The number may be small, but sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest impact. The UTC track program has a strong and passionate alumnus group who would easily give there support in anyway to change the decision.

Thank you for your time, and the opportunity provided to me at UTC.

Always a proud MOC,

Michael Mentz

Mr Blackburn and Mr Angle,

I hope that the University will go to great lengths to make sure and recognize all that one of your longest tenured coaches has brought to our great university. The amount of lives that he has touched and great successes he has had have been chronicled on many different different levels from the 1998 Cross Country Team to All-American athletes who have come from an already modestly funded program and UTC Hall of Fame athletes who have been inducted over the past ten years - to the perennial team GPA accolades that was ALWAYS a constant focus in his message to his student-athletes.

Mr Blackburn and Mr Angle, I write to you not only to say how disappointed I am but at the same time let you know that I understand this is not something you would ever want to do. My only regret about this is that you don't have any connection to this program. You don't know the faces and the families and lives it has touched and molded and affected on many different levels. I was part of the UTC Athletic Department for 10 + years as a student-athlete and a staff member and I never met you, but you should know - the program that you just cut is one that will be greatly missed and there are many young men who are deeply saddened and affected by this decision.

I wish you the best of luck of moving forward, I know (and hope!) this is not an easy thing for you to do.

Very Respectfully,

Damian Walsh
Assistant Director of Athletics
Director of Track and Field
Director of Summer Programs

McGuire Dorm Head
Episcopal High School
Alexandria, Virginia
703 933-4043

Dr. Angle,

Thank you so much for your quick response, and I apologize for address you as Mr. Angle in my prior email I know you worked long and hard for your Ph D and I meant no disrespect. To give you a little more background on me personally. After graduating from UTC I have gone on to start several businesses and have purchased many underperforming companies and turned them into extremely profitable businesses. One of the ventures I was able to go into several years was in Athlete Management. In venturing into the world of athletics I obtained advance certificates in Sports Management and Athlete Management. I have spent the last several years working in sports, predominately in the New York Mets organization, as well as running a successful Financial Advising office. I feel like I have a great understanding of what it takes to start, maintain, and sustain a successful program. I have seen in several emails and news reports that, “all avenues were exhausted”, and in your prior email you stated ’ As we looked at our athletics budget, fundraising success, and potential for future fundraising adding a sport based on gift funding was not a business model that made any sense.’ If these numbers where discussed during a public meeting, as I image they were, I would like to see a copy of the minutes and figures in starting a Lacrosse, Bowling, Equestrian, Sand Volleyball or whatever programs were discussed. I know you have a phenomenal team behind you and helping you with these projections, and I would like you to keep in mind that same team putting these figures together are likely many of the same people who trained me, taught me, and sent me out into the world. Lastly, in my research into Title IX it seems that starting a new team or adding women to current teams fulfills the same requirement. It seems to me it could be more cost effective to see where we could more woman into current programs. Especially since, as has been reported many times, the goal is simply get closer to compliance. We all know cutting the Track program does not get the University into compliance, and in my opinion going from 14%-10% doesn’t seem like much of step in the right direction if that was at the expense of one of the Universities most successful programs.

Dr. Angle, we are all on the same team here, me and my fellow alum have bled blue and gold for years! We have left blood, sweat, tears on the track and in the classroom, we were pushed to our mental and physical limits, and we all are better people because of UTC and Coach Gautier. As you well know, Coach Gautier is as much an advocate for academics as athletics. I’ll leave you with a quick personal story. In my freshman year of college, my professors turned in progress reports during the semester and I got a call from Coach. My grades were not bad in the eyes of most, but they were not as good as Coach Gautier knew they could be, and he not only demanded and encouraged that I do better, but he pushed and helped me to be better. In our day and age of getting by, people like Coach Gautier are essential in forming our next generation of business leaders, teachers, doctors, etc. Because he does not settle for just getting by, or maintaining the status quo, he demands excellence. The influence he could be on young men is immeasurable in your calculations of keeping or cutting programs. I know you have heard all this before and I’ll leave it at that.

I look forward to seeing some of the meeting notes and your projections and thoughts, I want to reaffirm my offer to drive down to Chattanooga anytime discuss this further. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Bradford Jones