LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana University is bracing for impact after the Big Ten announced the fall sports season would be postponed.
The school announced Friday that all athletic department staff will be forced to take at least a two-week unpaid furlough between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021. In addition, some that have had their schedules more impacted by the shut down this fall will reduce hours by 50% or, in some cases, 100%.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, IU Athletics has not participated in an intercollegiate athletic event in five and a half months, which necessitated tough decisions regarding our staff,” athletic director Scott Dolson said. “Throughout this process, we have prioritized our staff, and the decision to ask everyone to share the burden was made to minimize the number of employees who would be impacted to a much more significant degree.
“With that said, this remains a very difficult day for our entire IU Athletics family, who devote their time, efforts and energies to supporting our students and representing our department and Indiana University in a first-class way.”
Indiana's athletic department has already gone through a series of cuts. Earlier this summer, a 10% budget cut was announced to save approximately $11.8 million. Head basketball coach Archie Miller, head football coach Tom Allen and Dolson all took voluntary 10% cuts for the 2020-21 seasons.
On top of that the department announced the following measures:
- Freeze on discretionary bonuses
- Hiring freeze (other than for countable coaches)
- Freeze on training trips
- Travel ban
- Curtailing overtime
- Freeze on all non-essential facility maintenance and construction
- University’s cell phone stipend elimination
- Reduction in outside contracts with vendors
- Other targeted cuts at the Department and program levels
Indiana's football season is, at best, postponed. Reports have circulated about playing an abbreviated season starting after Thanksgiving or sometime in January. The school is also suffering from a loss of revenue due to the NCAA basketball tournament being cancelled in March.
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