New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that the SUNY Geneseo swimming and diving team may not use donated funds to stay in hotels in Greensboro, NC for next week’s NCAA Division III Championships.
Last week alumni created a GoFundMe to support the Blue Wave’s travel, after the team was told it would need to stay in Virginia, over an hour from the Greensboro Aquatic Center, to comply with New York’s Executive Order 155. Executive Order 155 prohibits New York state funded travel to North Carolina in reaction to the state’s HB2 Bill (“Bathroom Bill”), passed in March 2016.
The GoFundMe effort raised nearly $7,000 in under a week, but now the alumni who created the fundraiser are offering refunds.
According to local news outlet WHEC, an Advisor to Cuomo said,
“The team is traveling to North Carolina and competing in the event, but not staying there. The limited exception is that the team gets to travel there, but not stay in North Carolina and stay in a bordering state instead. The issue is not just tax dollars, but the travel itself. Under the executive order, if you are traveling under the banner of state travel in your state capacity you would ordinarily be banned from traveling there even if there is outside funding, but we are allowing the travel there in this instance to honor their commitment to the NCAA to participate in championships.”
Being allowed to even attend the meet is already being viewed as an exception, so the team is unable to stay in North Carolina with outside funds, nor fly into the state, even though that travel is paid for by the NCAA.
SUNY Geneseo qualified 10 athletes to NCAAs while the College at Brockport has two qualifiers and SUNY Cortland has one qualifier, also facing the same travel challenges.
- 2018 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2017 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2016 NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
- 2019 WOMEN'S PSYCH SHEET
- 2019 MEN'S PSYCH SHEET
- 2019 WOMEN'S INVITED SWIMMERS BY TEAM
- 2019 MEN'S INVITED SWIMMERS BY TEAM
- 2019 WOMEN'S ALTERNATES
- 2019 MEN'S ALTERNATES
- 2019 DIVING QUALIFIERS
- 2019 WOMEN'S RESULTS
- 2019 MEN'S RESULTS
Wow. Hate that for the athletes
Thanks Cuomo you low-altitude Flyer! And to think all this fuss was started by people being confused with little boys and girls not knowing what bathroom they should use….
I bet if it was a basketball or a football team things would be different!!!!
Michele Roux Morgan , According to an article SUNY Albany ? team had to cancel their game against Duke in 2016 because of this Executive Order
They did and Marist [private school in Poughkeepsie NY took their place]. Ridiculous Order.
Sarah Banta Dzikowicz anything since 2016?
Hahaha!!!! I guess you didn’t go there. Geneseo has no football team. If it were hockey, now that would be different.
Northern supremacy much?
Partisanship over harmony?
Sad
Try again – “hate that” for the LGBTQ+ person living in North Carolina under these draconian laws. NC shouldn’t be eligible to host anything. I know we won’t attend meets in the state until the law is overturned.
You’re a moron!! This is about athletics not Politics!! Put your selfish personal feelings aside and let these kids fulfill THEIR dreams!!!
Most of the law was repealed ?
So dictator Cuomo has set his border guarders up who will check everybody’s papers. Russia, China, North Korea, the United States never thought it would happen here. So dictator Cuomo is more concerned about a bunch of queers that have no idea who they are, but they want to go onto the bathroom with your wife, daughter, grandaughter. This is what he supports over these kids. He needs to be removed from office. How is N.Y. going to survive 4 more years of this evil dictatorship?
So dictator Cuomo has set his border guarders up who will check everybody’s papers. Russia, China, North Korea, the United States never thought it would happen here. So dictator Cuomo is more concerned about a bunch of queers that have no idea who they are, but they want to go onto the bathroom with your wife, daughter, granddaughter. This is what he supports over these kids. He needs to be removed from office. How is N.Y. going to survive 4 more years of this evil dictatorship?
NY Gov is an ass. Give them the money Gov or let them use GoFundMe. Geez…Good luck SUNY!
What a jerk he is! These kids work their tails off on the pool! Give them a break
Idiotic
While I disagree with the NC Legislature’s “unfortunate” law and the NCAA awarding a Championship to Greensboro. Cuomo is acting like Carter with the Moscow Games. The athletes had no say over where the Championships were being held. They should be able to stay close to have the best chance at racing at their best.
Also Greensboro is a pretty liberal city as far as North Carolina goes.
Rob Duguay So is Charlotte. They lost out on more than Greensboro. Thankfully, it’s been repealed after considerable negotiations by all parties
Diana Rugg if the law has been repealed then that makes NY’s executive order even more asinine.
Lolo Brown! WHAAATTT???
Bruce Labarge
This man is insane. What kind of dictatorship is the governor of New York?
Richard P. Morrall Evil one !
Richard P. Morrall
Another reason to not send my daughter to a state school!
And the 1000th way student athletes are exploited by their schools. Treating these athletes as if they are “employees” of the state. They damn well better be getting full tuition paid and benefits by their employer.
It’s division III. These athletes receive no athletic scholarships.
Let’s ask a gay or lesbian SUNY GENESEO swimmer how they feel about swimming in a bigot state
I’ll bet they don’t care, it’s idiots like you who do!!
This is stupid. In championship meets, Student athletes need their sleep. An hour travel each way puts them at a disadvantage.
That’s nonsense.
I understand the political statement , but as a fellow SUNYACC Swimmer I got to say the state is doing a great Injustice to a bunch of athletes who worked incredibly hard to have this opportunity. If anything the organizations should be going out of there way to help them succeed not making it more difficult.
Rory Neal as the parent of a former SUNYACC swimmer/diver I totally agree with you! This only punishes the athletes
Not to mention that swimmers are some of the best students in any school.
Rory Neal stop voting for Liberal Democrats
What a disgrace for NY. I hate that for the athletes.
Stupid!
The governor is a dickhead anyways. Fuck him.
The students should just go. This is just plain spiteful by the biggest bully (and bigot) in NY – just because he wants perverts in the girls rooms. It’s a disgrace that NYers voted for this sorry excuse for a male.
WHO CARES WHO PAYS – LET THOSE KIDS SWIM! Please can someone help them? They’ve worked so hard & why can Cuomo say no b/c they are staying in North Carolina? If the NCAA is not batting an eye Cuomo needs to shut up and let those girls swim! #swimmom #madashell #ellentv #ellen
Ridiculous
Don’t blame Cuomo; blame our asshole, bigoted, backward-minded elected officials in NC.
Gov: You were successful in sending NC an important and timely message but let go already. You are unfairly punishing the SUC Geneseo athletes for something they did not do. Private funds is a good and fair compromise. Let them stay nearby the event.
Stuart Hanzman
1974
SUC Geneseo
Disgraceful!!! In all my years of competing and coaching I never heard of such a thing . Even as coach we fundraised for out of state competitions or championships. And from all sorts of sources. Really really sad world we live in. Smh!
This is in relationship to NC’s transgender bathroom law, right? States have banned together to try to send a message to NC- and pressure them to change the law by hitting their wallets-
They shouldn’t be allowing the championships to be held in NC in the first place-many other sports like basketball- aren’t allowing NC to have championships held there- I get why the states are doing what they are doing, unfortunately, it is going to effect specific groups like these students. It’s unfortunate that they are allowing the championships to be held in NC in the first place ?
Ess Arr Ummm… NC repealed that law LAST YEAR. That’s why the All-Star game and ACC’s are being held in Charlotte this year. Either way, the athletes don’t deserve this treatment when decisions have already been made to forgive NC and hold events there.
Ess Arr If that is true, these athletes didn’t have anything to do with a “bathroom law”. They worked so hard to reach this achievement. It’s not fair to take it away from them for a “political message!” Uggh
Diana Rugg I thought so too-I’m just trying to figure out the basis for what is going on and why-then I don’t get New York’s stance- I’m just trying to understand-
Beth Odum McGee I get that- it’s unfortunate and doesn’t make sense if, in fact NC, has repealed their weird bathroom law-
Ess Arr Me neither. That’s what’s so mind boggling. Seems like political
pandering based on outdated information.
To all you morons on your high horses, boycott an entire state so one can use the opposite bathroom? Maybe states should band together and protest something actually heinous and evil, like, say murdering babies moments before they’re born (and celebrating it).
Another genius move by Cuomo. Amazon II. How can the State control private funds?.
Prince Andrew should hope that 40 plus states do not do a turnabout fair play move by banning travel to a state that celebrates the murder of unwanted newborns.
If it’s not his $$ then he should not be able have a say.
Politics at its worst.
Syracuse will be in Charlotte for the ACC tournament this week…………….
While I totally disagree with the Governor, the reason Syracuse is not impacted is because it is a private school.
Rocky Bowers Parra And the swimmers were not using public money. What’s the difference?
Sydney Ng ??
Sara Naeem omg
No wonder so many New Yorkers are moving down here to NC.
Good luck girls . I hope it all works out. Your Governor sounds like a dick.
What is the issue ?
Tusia Komarnycky , it’s is the article and Executive Order
Sarah Banta Dzikowicz lol I didn’t want to have to read the whole thing
I honestly don’t get it. It was private money they should be able to do whatever they want with it.
These kids need to focus on swimming , not $$ , travel ect… it should be the least of their worry. Good luck to the swimmers hope you set records this week!!??❣️❣️
Hmm wait till UB basketball team get selected to NCAA March Madness next week. They might end up in North Carolina area for the first couple of rounds! Wonder how that will work for UB team which is a SUNY college team in Division 1 basketball.
It’s privately donated money. He doesn’t have any control on how it gets spent.
Thank the Liberals
non of his business
If an athlete qualifies for the nationals, does the school not pay for travel, hotel and meals ?
Interesting article: https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/albany/2019/03/07/cuomos-travel-ban-keeps-suny-swimmers-staying-north-carolina/3090812002/
Maybe other states will decide to boycott NY because of the new abortion law allowing abortion up to and including the moment of birth.
Title IX! Bring it on!
So he is infringing on their rights to make a statement about someone else’s rights being infringed? His message will get lost in this one, I’m afraid…