NOTE ON DONATIONS: While we appreciate everybody trying to help us through donations, any money given through this petition is received by change.org to "increase visibility" and does not go to us or our team. We are working on a way to collect donations now and will provide updates in the future.

The recent announcement of the “Excellence in Brown Athletics Initiative” has blindsided over 100 student-athletes and their coaches across 11 teams, cutting them from the varsity athletics program at Brown University. Among those affected are the Men’s and Women’s Fencing Teams. Our athletes have been training and competing on national and international stages (most for almost a decade each) in order to compete at this NCAA Division I level. Our successes are numerous, with the majority of our team competing in NCAA Northeast Regionals each year for the past five years, and we have sent fencers to compete in the NCAA National Championships every year over the past decade. Demoting our team to the club level is ignoring our commitment to our sport and our school, and it must be reversed. 

In addition to excellence in athletics, members of the Brown Fencing Team have demonstrated excellence in academics. For the 2018-2019 school year, both men’s and women’s fencing received Academic Progress Rate (APR) recognition awards from the NCAA for being academically in the top 10% of their sport. Women’s Fencing was one of just two teams at Brown and 62 nationally that received this award for all 15 years the program has been in place.

By signing this petition, you are showing your support for the reinstatement of both Men’s and Women’s Fencing as varsity teams at Brown University. We thank you for helping us keep the community that we value so much.