A new entity, the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation, released a statement Wednesday evening introducing itself and proclaiming its intentions to bring back the Robert Morris men’s and women’s college hockey teams.
Both teams were cut by the university in May, citing a “series of strategic initiatives.” Following that announcement, RMU men’s coach Derek Schooley said the school’s decision was “affecting people’s families.”
The full statement from foundation president Dan Russell to media members is as follows:
A month ago today Robert Morris University announced that it was cutting the Men’s & Women’s D1 hockey programs, effective immediately.
The decision affects 55 athletes, seven staff members and countless alumni, program supporters and the community that surrounds it.
Two days after that decision a large group of Alumni met on a video call to discuss what we could do. The result is the newly created Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation.
The goal is quite simple; to right this wrong and bring D1 College Hockey back to Pittsburgh.
We are actively soliciting donations from the public through our GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-rmu-hockey.
We will also be seeking out larger donations from individuals and corporations as well as supporting any efforts that will help to bring D1 Hockey back to RMU.
We are working on receiving expedited approval for tax exempt status from the IRS so that all donations can be tax deductible.
I would like to thank you for all of the support you have shown this cause in your coverage thus far! Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere!
If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or thoughts of support please feel free to email me!
Thank you,
Dan Russell
President, the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation
[email protected]
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