Colleges across the country are losing or are in danger of losing sports teams because of financial cuts, but Auburn is in the clear. Even though Auburn has had to cut the budget in some areas, no sport is in danger of being lost.
Terry Windle, senior associate athletic director, said Auburn is dealing with the tight financial situation.
"We have tried to be more efficient," Windle said. "One of the things we did was meet with the department to discuss cost-cutting ideas. We came up with kind of a plan of priority order. We have instituted some of those items, and some of those we hope we won't have to."
One of the items that has been instituted is cutting travel cost. Windle said they are asking sports teams to keep their schedules closer to home. If games are less than five hours away, the team will go by bus instead of by plane. And if a team does fly, the department requires flights be booked 21 days in advance.
The department has also reduced professional travel, limiting it only to when it is required.
"We had a goal of reducing budgets by 5 percent, and most of them did reduce their cost," Windle said. "A lot of operating costs are increasing, so a sport may look like they aren't decreasing their cost when they actually are."
One place that Auburn is careful to cut costs is in recruiting.
"We are certainly trying to more efficient in recruiting travel cost, but recruiting is the lifeblood of the program, so we have to be very careful reducing that," Windle said.
Despite all the cuts Auburn has made over the past two years, Auburn is not being affected as much as other schools in the U.S.
"We have seen a small reduction in ticket sales and in donor contributions, but it is not as much as other schools," Windle said. "Auburn alumni are very dedicated alumni."
Anna Benson, a senior in elementary education, said she is not surprised that Auburn has managed to stay on top because its fans are so loyal.
"No other school in the nation has the kind of fans that we do here at Auburn," Benson said. "Our alumni love staying a part of the Auburn family after they graduate, and supporting the athletic department is one way they can do that."
Windle said that Auburn has seen a slight decrease in revenue and in donations, but one reason revenue has not dropped significantly is because of Auburn's ticketing priority program.
"Auburn fans and Auburn donors are very dedicated and we have strong base of ticket holders and donors," Windle said.
Harrison Bain, a senior in Building Science, wants to continue to support Auburn athletics post graduation.
"I plan on being a season ticket holder in my years after graduation," Bain said. "I want to support Auburn in any way I can, even if it means doing something as small as buying a season's worth of football tickets."
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