City College News

My name is Steven MacDonald Froemming. I have been involved with the Minneapolis Community and Technical College men's basketball team for ten seasons.

I want to give you my thoughts on the program closing down. This program has been a roadway to success for many students. Doors to opportunities of a 4-year bachelor's degree have been opened, doors that would not likely have been opened if not for the MCTC basketball program. Where would these students be today, if not for this program? At least some of them would likely be in the same situation they were before they experienced success with this program and realized that individual success was possible.

Many studies have been conducted on the benefits of intercollegiate athletics and the impact they have on individual players, institutions, and the community at large. Benefits cited in such studies include: shaping of individual virtues, experiencing success and failure and the emotions of each, academic performance, scholarship opportunities for continued academic advancement, image of an institution and its reputation, increased student enrollment, and alumni support.

Each of these benefits is present in the program at MCTC, and would potentially be lost if this program is allowed to be shut down. Like many players and associates of the basketball program, I remain a dedicated fan and supporter of this program. I believe that there is not another program at MCTC that maintains the support of the faculty and alumni as well as this one. Every week, former players, parents of former players, current and former students, current and former faculty, parents, and children all become one voice, one heart, and one family.

Please help us find a way to save this valuable program!

It is rumored that the reasons for cutting this program are not of a financial nature. I have heard that even if the program were able to independently raise enough funds to maintain it, the decision to shut it down would not be overturned. This program is valuable to the students, institution and city of Minneapolis and should not be allowed to be shut down.

As Chancellor of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, I believe that you have a responsibility to the students and community at MCTC to look into the circumstances of this decision, evaluate the behind the scenes manipulation that is rumored to have occurred, re-evaluate the decision to shut the most successful program at MCTC down and ultimately reverse this decision.

As a manager for this team I can personally tell you that every time that I am around the basketball team there is a sense of pride. Basketball dose not only provide skills on the court it also provides life lessons off the court. Basketball at MCTC also brings the community together. As I looked around in the crowd on a recent game at MCTC there were people from all different walks of life can show up for two hours and watch basketball. We have created a culture around basketball.

I respectfully request that you to come to the aid of this program. How many young people will fall through the cracks if this program is allowed to shut down? Where in Minneapolis can these young people go to find the same opportunity that they can today at MCTC? This program has positively represented the city of Minneapolis for many years and has experienced 20 years of successive winning seasons; don't let this be the last one.

Please, help save Maverick Basketball!

Steven MacDonald Froemming
stevenmgr@hotmail.com
Steven's Sports Report

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