Friday, June, 2nd 2023 Portland State University's athletic department sent out an email stating the following.
"Spirit Squad Members,
I hope the final term of the academic year is going well. We appreciate your patience and understanding it's been a difficult postseason with the coaching staff stepping down. We recognize and appreciate the dedication and hard work that you and your team have put into the cheer program. The positive impact of the cheer program on the school community has been significant, and we sincerely thank you for your contributions.
 After careful consideration and evaluation, we have had to make the very difficult decision to pause the cheer program for the 2023-2024 season.
 
I understand that this news comes as a disappointment to the members of the cheer team. Please know that this decision was not made lightly and was based on a variety of factors, including budget constraints due to significant cuts to athletics. We are hopeful we can restart the program during the 2024-2025 academic year. Our Hope is to establish a program focused on increasing the fan engagement and in-game atmosphere at our home competitions. We have reached out to URec on campus inquiring about the process to create an official student club sport similar to other programs such as Ultimate Frisbee, LaCross, and etc. Those are student-run and can receive funding from campus through student organizations processes.
 
If you would like to schedule a time to discuss this, please feel free to reach out.
Sincerely,
Leah Thyne
Associate Athletic Director"
 

Portland State University's cheer program had an incredible year. At USA Nationals we won 1st place in College Band Chant, 2nd place in College Situational Cheer, And 3rd in 4-year University Small Co-Ed Show Cheer. For the last couple of years we have consistently placed in the top 3. This is on top of supporting Football, men's and women's basketball, as well as a campaign to support our ranking volleyball team.

Our coaching staff made the decision to step down as a result of a lack of funding and support by Portland State Athletics. The position was never posted despite numerous athletes having had sent Portland State recommendations for the position.(It is also important to note Track and Cross Country are going through a similar situation and Portland State has started a nationwide search for a new coach for their program.)

The Viking Cheer Program has always fundraised each year to fund their season which includes our transportation and fees to attend USA Nationals in California. Our uniforms are turned in at the end of every year and reused from season to season. Athletes paid out of pocket for cheer shoes, camps, transportation to games, and food at games and competitions. The money given to the program by PSU was used to pay some coaching staff. (The rest were working as volunteer coaches due to lack of budget.)

Portland State has also not made a statement regarding this decision on the main Portland State Instagram page @portlandstate or on the athletic Instagram page @psuviks.

We want to show the university how much this program means to so many people and that stopping the momentum we have already gained would be a mistake. Portland State Cheer never wanted anything other than respect and equitable treatment and I hope this message reflects that. Please make your voices heard and sign our petition!