This week University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Athletics Director David Blackburn informed Head Coach Bill Gautier and the members of his Men's team news from their worst nightmares. Both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field would be cut after this semester. Cross Country itself would only continue with limited participation.

UTC is rapidly approaching the end of a 5-year recovery period where Title IX compliance issues were supposed to have been resolved. No action has been taken by the university to rectify female:male proportionality issues until these cuts. A key statement made by administration for rationale in choosing the Indoor and Outdoor Track programs was that it affected the least amount of individuals.

We are calling all UTC students, alumni, fans, and general supporters of running programs everywhere to rally together and show the administration that they couldn't have been more wrong. The consequences of this action extend far deeper than the current student athletes losing their chance to compete; these cuts hurt the Chattanooga community and all those who enjoy running to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

By signing this petition we can show UTC administration that we want to keep alive the tradition of excellence set in place by Bill Gautier. GO MOCS!