“Half of it is Gone”: UND Students React to Program Cuts on Campus

Many students said that hockey is the reason why they came to UND in the first place

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — News of the women’s hockey team getting cut at UND has shocked students on campus.

Many players on the women’s hockey team have expressed disappointment and sadness about the decision on social media.

The feeling seems to be mutual among the student body.

“You think hockey, you think UND,” said student Robert Koop. “Now, half of that is gone.”

Being a college athlete is an accomplishment many strive for.

“Now they have nothing,” said Walker Romens, who went to many of the women’s hockey games.

Playing hockey for UND is reaching a whole new level.

“They are one of the top teams I would say in the country,” said student Nicholas Farris. “They produce athletes beyond college. They have some of the best talent that I’ve seen in women’s hockey.”

Students are not only shocked that the women’s hockey program is cut, but they’re disappointed in how it was announced.

The information was leaked while many of the women were practicing.

“The fact that they had to tell the whole entire campus, that they were cutting it, and then tell the program that they were getting cut,” said Farris.

“It’s kind of a joke,” added Romens. “Like who does that? It’s childish.”

The university also cut men’s and women’s swimming and diving, causing some students to show concern about women’s athletics in general.

The UND Title 9 Coordinator says that with any program, equal opportunity is considered before any decision is made.

“We would want somewhere close of 50 percent of our student athlete’s participation to be 50 for men and 50 percent for women,” said Donna Smith, UND’s Title 9 Coordinator.

Some students said the cut will impact more than just the hockey team.

It will affect everyone who’s ever dreamed of skating on the ice at the Ralph Engelsted Arena.

“This also deters young women who live in the Grand Forks area to play hockey,” said Romens. “I know a lot of them aspire to come play here and now it’s cut.”

“Now that we are like ‘oh we only have one hockey team now’, it kind of defeats the purpose of why many people enjoy this campus as much as they do,” added Farris.

Smith said there are more women’s athletic teams at the university than men’s.

The equal opportunity is tracked by participation and the football team’s large roster counts for a big part of the men’s ratio.