Back on May 19 Hobart Football HC Kevin DeWall '00 notified the extended Statesmen family of some staff changes, which we learned from last week's Finger Lakes Times article, is because HWS is facing a significant budget deficit due to impacts from the COVID-19 epidemic.
The end result is that "Aaron Backhaus ’00 and Art Garvey ’13 will no longer be serving as full-time coaches for our program. John Manley and Walt Bennett ’05 will not be returning as part-time assistants."
In his address, Coach DeWall further stated:
"We are very grateful for the service and commitment of these four men. Words cannot accurately describe my appreciation for their years of investment into our football family. All are great men who deeply care for our student-athletes, their development, and overall well-being. Aaron, Walt, and Art were all great student-athletes during their careers at Hobart, serving as captains and important members of past championship teams. Coach Manley brought significant perspective as our most experienced coach on staff. Their impact has been substantial, and their departures will leave large voids. As I work trying to fill these positions, we will plan to assemble the best staff we can moving forward."
HWS is certainly not the only college or university having to make cuts. Liberty League foes RPI and Rochester have taken similar measures over the past several weeks. While HWS has not yet released any plans regarding the fall semester, neighbors such as Syracuse University do intend to have students back on campus. All of this is preliminary, however, as plans could change depending on how things progress (or regress).
I remain hopeful that HWS will determine a plan and communicate the same in the near future. In the meantime, we just have to wait and see.
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