On Friday, June 24, The Board of Trustees at Florida Institute of Technology made the decision to demote the Men's/Women's Rowing team, Men's/Women's Cross Country teams, and Men's Golf team to club status. The coaches and athletes were notified of this change Tuesday, June 28, with no warning. The coaches were not involved, and did not know about the decision making process at all. They were notified of this decision less than one hour before the public statement was released. 

The academic year is fast approaching, leaving returning athletes and incoming freshmen with little time to act. The D2 transfer portal closed on June 15, and although the affected athletes have been granted an extension to access the portal, there are fewer opportunities to secure their competitive future, given that by this point most collegiate teams have their rosters filled. As a result of this, incoming Freshmen are forced to reconsider their entire college career at FIT, make a definitive decision, and scramble to act all within the six weeks before the semester begins. 

This decision has been made abruptly, and with seemingly no consideration for the best interest of the coaches or athletes affected. It has been stated that the decision was made not for financial reasons, but in order to make Florida Tech more competitive within the state. We struggle to understand how restricting teams that regularly compete at the National and Varsity level to club status is more competitive. 

This decision needs to be reversed, and action needs to be taken as soon as possible. Allowing this process to take place when the competitive season starts will prove to be detrimental to the careers of the coaches and athletes, and is an unfair change to be made with such little time to react. 

Reinstate Florida Tech Athletics. 

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