Reinstatement of tennis at Winthrop ‘not prudent or possible,’ says school president
The Winthrop tennis programs that were cut in June will not be reinstated, Winthrop interim president George Hynd wrote in a public letter Tuesday afternoon.
In the 1 1/2-page letter, Hynd explained what had happened since the programs were cut in June and made clear a simple message: “Reinstatement of tennis at Winthrop University is not prudent or possible.”
“I am writing to confirm, with the full backing of the Board of Trustees, that Winthrop has no intention of reinstating the tennis program,” Hynd wrote. “We have many challenges ahead and need to focus on making sure we have the resources necessary to meet the needs of our students in these most pressing times.”
The Rock Hill university’s declaration effectively ends the months-long effort spearheaded by Winthrop tennis alumni to bring back the tennis programs.
The programs, which were among the most successful in the university’s history, were eliminated amid the coronavirus pandemic for a variety of reasons — including because of the unplayable condition of the Winthrop Memorial Tennis Courts, and because of the reductions of university-wide annual budgets.
“Save Winthrop Tennis,” a group of alumni formed in response to the cut, worked to raise funds and awareness in the ultimate effort to get the university to reinstate the programs. The group has been featured in several news publications and media, including The Herald, WBTV and ESPN — and it claims to have raised over $780,000 in donations and pledged monies since June.
Hynd referenced the group specifically in the letter.
“The alumni and friends of tennis have initiated fundraising and media campaigns about which the public may have heard or been approached to support,” Hynd wrote. “While we can appreciate their passion and love for the program, it is important for me to share that some of the information the group is using in its solicitations is misleading and/or lacks context.”
Hynd defended the university’s decision to cut the programs. In response to Save Winthrop Tennis members saying the decision was “allegedly due to budgetary concerns,” he wrote that “budget concerns are not an allegation; they are a continuing reality for all universities including Winthrop.”
Hynd also wrote that Save Winthrop Tennis used Winthrop’s name without the university’s permission to fundraise for a program that was eliminated because of its inherent and associated costs. He also wrote that a majority of the funds reportedly raised by Save Winthrop Tennis wasn’t actually raised by alumni alone.
“The major gift of $500,000 that the group is touting was in the works to help address the state of Memorial Tennis Courts before this summer’s decision and had a university matching component that now is financially untenable,” Hynd wrote.
Hynd also addressed the state of the tennis courts. The group obtained an estimate from a sports construction company for just under $600,000, The Herald verified with the company last month. That said, Hynd wrote, the group is “unaware of state purchasing requirements and realistic timelines for capital projects of this nature.”
Julie Busha, one of the leaders of the Save Winthrop Tennis task force, declined to comment for this story.
Winthrop athletic director Ken Halpin also declined to be interviewed for this story, saying that he fully supports Hynd’s comprehensive address of the situation.
This story was originally published August 18, 2020 at 5:28 PM.
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