Nine De Anza College sports teams were designated for viability review by the IPBT (Instructional Budget & Planning Team) during a meeting on May 15.

Programs selected for viability are reviewed by the IPBT to decide their future at De Anza. The teams selected are football, men’s & women’s basketball, men’s & women’s water polo, men’s & women’s tennis, badminton and baseball.

De Anza’s Lifetime Fitness & Wellness Center, which recently reopened for student memberships, is also in jeopardy of being sent to viability. IPBT members cited the fitness center “not being self-sustaining” as reason for the consideration.

The viability process begins when the IPBT gets data from a program that they find concerning. Data that could trigger the start of the process includes retention rates, enrollment and applicability of the program to the workforce.

The team discusses the future of the program at meetings, and if they recommend changes to the program, they send the program to the VAT (Viability Advisory Team).

After the VAT meeta to discuss the program, they recommend a course of action to be taken by the team. The program can either be temporarily suspended, permanently discontinued, or left alone by the school.

The recommendation then goes back to the IPBT for further reviewed, after which it goes to the College Council for any additions to the draft. The council presents the decision to the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees for final approval the action. After the decision is made, program faculty is notified of the decision by the president’s office.

The first viability meeting of programs will take place on May 23; school programs that go through the viability process are not guaranteed to be changed by De Anza.