2025 hasn’t been kind to CSU wrestling. After the news that the Vikings’ wrestling program was on the chopping block, the protests against and support for the program have not been enough to reverse the decision. The college had already revived the wrestling program after cutting it once in 2015. Do the Vikings have another Hail Mary in them? The recent athletic fee alteration may offer a definitive hint.

Towards the closing of January, a piece of rather sad news was looming for the CSU wrestling fans. And to put it simply, CSU’s financial struggles were no longer in the dark. By 2029, the University is aiming to close the $40 million deficit, and it was on January 29 that the Board of Trustees passed the difficult notice, which was to cut three programs- wrestling Division 1, softball, and women’s golf- at the end of the 202425 academic year.

Athletic Director Kelsie Gory Harkey, in a statement issued on January 23, said, “The student-athletes and coaches in the impacted programs have been an important part of the Cleveland State community, and the decision today is not a reflection of the commitment or passion they, our staff, or our alumni have to our program. It is a tough day for Cleveland State Athletics.” They have even offered help to the student-athletes in honoring scholarships during their transition phase to other schools.

Talk about the exceptional ache that the wrestling team is under! Wrestling has been an integral part of the university since its revival in 1962 by legendary coach Richard Bonacci. But is there something that can still save the program? Well, something like that did happen in 2015.

The athletic fee was one of the very things keeping the program going for so long. It was an initiative that saw an increase in the tuition fees. That is, every credit hour of study would incur a $3 addition to students’ tuition. An addition that was specifically for the wrestling program. However, the university administration has quietly gone on to change the fee, removing the wrestling requirement from its terms.

In 2015, the student body proposed the fee in a bid to save the wrestling program. The students themselves voted on increasing their tuition to keep the program alive. More importantly, the students were specific in their demands. The administration was to use the generated funds for the wrestling program and to create a women’s program in any sport, according to the original agreement.

By changing the athletic fee unannounced, the university has in essence reneged on the original agreement. There is also a lack of transparency because the website doesn’t mention exactly where the funds will go now. These events further suggest that the university is committed to axing the wrestling program. It’s the students who started the initiative, and therefore it should be their right to alter it too, if needed.

What do the students want?

The 2015 vote was non-binding, meaning the university could have ignored the results easily. But they didn’t. Instead, they honored their students’ wishes to keep the program afloat. It’s come as a surprise that they would walk back something the students themselves agreed on, after a lot of effort. Not to mention, some former students have also written to express their support of the wrestling program.

As reported by Andrew Gasber of Drew Blogs Media, the president and vice president of the CSU student government association in 2015 disapproved of the administration’s latest move. They sent a letter to CSU, reminding them of what exactly the student body had voted on. As per the letter dated 4 February 2025, “The Cleveland State student body approved the Athletic Fee by a vote of 975 to 650. We believe it is important that the University maintain its commitment to the Wrestling program, especially in light of the popular support from the student body.”

“To the extent that the Athletic Fee is still collected as part of the General Fee, those funds should be earmarked and allocated to the Wrestling program and the newly created women’s track and field team. On behalf of the SGA administration accountable to the student body at the time of the April 2015 referendum, we respectfully submit this letter in support of a continued Cleveland State University Wrestling program,” the letter read.

The student body and the CSU student government association have not proposed any movement to reallocate the funds or to put an end to the athletic fee since 2015. In other words, over the past 10 years, the students have implicitly agreed to keep supporting this initiative.

The movement to keep Vikings wrestling alive has received high-profile support, including from 2-time heavyweight UFC champion and CSU alum Stipe Miocic, who took to X and wrote, “I hope there’s still time to make a difference and save this incredible program.”

But despite the support from students past and present, the CSU wrestling community might be in for heartbreak as the college is no stranger to cutting programs. After all, they cut the baseball program in 2011. Furthermore, the GoFundMe to support the wrestlers has not even reached the halfway mark after close to a fortnight. However, it’s not over till it’s over, and as pressure mounts against the administration, we may yet see a repeat of 2015.