Even with one final major hurdle remaining, David Dunham didn't attempt to temper his excitement.
The fledgling UC Merced athletics program took a major step forward Monday night when it learned the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics had voted the Bobcats into its membership.
"It means a lot," said Dunham, who will serve as the school's athletic director. "We know there's still a big vote coming up with the student body, but the whole campus is very excited.
"No matter what happens, this puts UC Merced on the national scene for athletics. We're committed to play in the (California Pacific Conference) in fall 2011, and hopefully it will be the first of many successful years."
The Bobcats are set to participate in four sports in their inaugural season. Men's and women's cross country and women's volleyball will get under way in the fall. Men's basketball will start play in the winter.The school hopes to add women's basketball and men's or women's soccer in 2012.
The final obstacle preventing the program from becoming a reality is a referendum that will be voted on by the student body April 28.
With no alumni base to call on for donations and state funding not allowed to be allocated toward athletics, the program's primary source of revenue will have to come from student fees.
The vote will decide if students will accept a $75 tuition increase to help pay for the program.
Dunham said he and assistant athletic director David Noble have held three meetings on campus in the past three weeks to inform students about the vote and plans for the program. "The meetings have been very positive," said Dunham, who's trying to set up at least one more meeting. "All indications we have are that the kids are excited. In order for it to pass, we need 20 percent of the student body to vote. Then we need to have the majority, plus one.
"We haven't done any informal polls, but we did have a petition drive to get the referendum on the ballot, and we received over 1,000 signatures. If it gets voted down, we'll have to reassess some things and maybe try again in the fall. For now, though, we're optimistic that it will pass. Then we can begin our coaching search and start putting these programs together."
There's another Bobcat in the NAIA ranks -- the Peru, Neb., Bobcats. In 1927, according to the college's website, it got a live Bobcat. The animal was a gift from a member of the class of 1912. "Bob" lived in a cage near the auditorium until he died in 1938. He was preserved and, according to the website, has rested in the student center for years.
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