The Board of Trustee’s approved the end of men’strack at SMU Friday. That decision was made even as the men’strack team prepares for WAC championships this weekend.

Citing budget constraints and compliance with Title IX, athleticdirector Jim Copeland confirmed the board’s decision at apress conference Friday afternoon.

“Our budgets have become very thin, so it was verydifficult because it was in my mind a conflict in values,”Copeland said.

SMU President R. Gerald Turner confirmed that the money would befunneled to the teams who generate the most fan support.

“Our point is to try to focus on those programs that areimportant to us,” Turner said, citing those that draw themost interest, including football and men’s and women’sbasketball.

Football and basketball shape public opinion, said Turner, andhe hopes that those teams’ records will improve over the nextfew years.

“We need to set up the program to where we are not havingto constantly cut those budgets. When there’s only so muchthere, you make decision about what your priorities are,”Turner said.

Athletic department officials estimate cutting men’s trackwill save $5.4 million over the next four years. Copeland said thatsince 1996, the men’s operation budgets have decreased 0.9percent each year.

Copeland said that cutting the men’s track team”gets us where we need to be.”

The decision affects 19 members on the men’s track team.The university will honor their scholarships if they still chooseto graduate from SMU.

“We still expect our coaches to win, and we can’tcontinue to operate in that way,” Copeland said of thecontinuing reduction of spending on men’s sports.

Factors officials considered when looking at what sports wouldbe kept included fan base, alumni support, participation and rostersize.

In regard to criticism that the athletic department should havesought outside funding, Copeland said that the department did notask for alumni financial support because making this decision anopen forum would have put pressure on coaches concerningrecruitment and would have lowered the athletic department’smorale.

Copeland said the department needs to generate more revenue andto start to think about the move to Conference USA.

“No one likes the decision; it’s in the bestinterest long term in the program,” Turner said.

Title IX states that universities must provide opportunities formale and female athletes in proportion to male and femaleundergraduate enrollment.

SMU has added four women’s sports since 1996, includingequestrian and rowing.