On July 14th, 2006, the Rutgers Board of Governors voted to eliminate six varsity sports, including mens heavyweight and lightweight rowing.  Although this measure was presented as a budgetary necessity, even the initial review of the decision suggested there are other interests at play.  For example, though five mens sports were cut, only one small-roster womens program was eliminated, signaling either that the Athletic Department was not in compliance with Title IX before the cut, or that there are going to be serious Title IX consequences following the cut.  In addition, although mens rowing has the lowest cost per athlete of all the programs in the athletic department, it fell to this supposed budget measure, while the football program's budget was increased substantially.  Consequently, a more frank analysis of this clearly disingenuous cut is showing that it was not driven by budgetary considerations, that it was ill-advised and premature, and that it should be reconsidered immediately.  

Ever since the first Scarlet oarsmen established the program with their own money, Rutgers rowers have been fighting for the life of Rutgers crew.  Our generation, however, is faced with the most daunting challenge yet: to not only reinstate the program, but also to reorganize and re-envision Rutgers crew.  We accept this call not simply because it is the right thing to do, but because we must.  We must do it for our own memories of rowing, for all those before us who made our experience possible, and for the chance to give the same opportunities to those who follow us.  We are driven not necessarily by what the program may have been to us, but by the vision of what we all know it should be.  The challenge has been issued to all those who ever held an oar at Rutgers, to those who rowed against Rutgers oarsmen, and to anyone who has stood on the banks cheering Scarlet crews.