The lower price of oil, celebrated by so many consumers in recent months, has claimed another unlikely economic victim.
North Dakota University announced Tuesday that it will eliminate men’s golf
after the spring season. The university cited falling oil and commodity
prices and lower revenue forecasts as the reason for cutting the golf
program, which dates to 1929, and baseball.
“There are realities to the amount of funding the state can provide,”
Edward T. Schafer, the university’s interim president, said in a
statement released on UNDsports.com. “In fact, all of our revenue
sources will be under pressure for the foreseeable future. This requires
us to focus, to prioritize, to plan and to make the tough decisions.”
On March 24, Tulsa University announced that it would cut men’s golf after the
spring season, pointing to lower state revenues resulting from the drop
in oil prices.
North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison, who said he met with the
golf and baseball coaches and players Tuesday afternoon, called it “the
hardest decision we’ve had to make as a department and that I’ve ever
had to make in my career.” Existing scholarships will be honoured, UND
said.