Sonoma State student-athletes file complaint against university
Sonoma State fights to save athletic department
Facing a $24 million budget deficit, Sonoma State University is ending all eleven of its sports programs and cutting out or rolling back other programs and people, and on Friday, meetings were held on campus where students and instructors vented their angst and anger.
ROHNERT PARK, Calif. - A grassroots organization working to preserve the athletics department of Sonoma State University has recently filed a complaint against the school over its decision to shut down the department.
Save Seawolves Athletics filed a formal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights Saturday against the college's cuts to the athletic department.
The backstory:
The university recently announced the athletics department will be shut down at the end of the 2024-25 school year to help close a $24 million deficit they face. In addition to the athletics department's closure, some education programs, including art history, dance economics, and earth and environmental sciences are being cut.
Dozens of faculty members' contracts will also not be renewed for the following school year.
The group says the university "unfairly targeted" the student-athletes.
They allege that Sonoma State's student-athletes are notably diverse and that the closure of their department would disparately impact students from underrepresented communities.
They also claim they were not provided due process and that the challenges they would face were not taken into consideration when the university decided to end their sports programs.
"We believe that the decision to eliminate athletics must be reversed, and that alternatives should be explored within the broader university budget that do not negatively impact marginalized students to such an extent," a spokesperson for Save Seawolves Athletics said. "The lack of transparency in the process—particularly the failure to involve key stakeholders like the Athletics Department and the Student Athlete Council—further underscores the need for an independent investigation."
The organization said they're calling on the university to reinstate the athletics program and to work with the community at large to find other solutions to solve the deficit.
The other side:
Interim President Emily Cutrer emailed students, saying, "I know this is difficult news for our campus community. I am keenly aware of its human impact, and how individuals, families, relationships, and communities are affected by such news."
KTVU reached out to Sonoma State University about the recent complaint filed. School officials said they were aware of the complaint and that it is being reviewed.
The Source: Previous KTVU reporting, Save Seawolves Athletics organization, Sonoma State University officials