Gang,     Attached is the letter that I sent to Binghamton University President Lois DeFleur regarding the termination of the varsity wrestling program.       I NEED YOUR HELP!!!     Please write a letter or email expressing your love for the sport, what it means to you, and/or the ways in which you and thousands of others benefit from the great sport of wrestling.     It doesn't have to be long, just a few paragraphs. To make it easier, you can use my letter as a template.       THIS DECISION IS NOT FINAL! This is a recommendation of the Athletic Director Joel Thirer.  President DeFleur  has announced that she is taking this recommendation under advisement and my contacts inside the university lead me to believe that she is leaning in the direction of termination.  She has announced the Athletic Director's recommendation publicly to quote "float a trial balloon" and see what type of reaction this decision receives.       LET'S LET HER KNOW! This program costs the university only $160,000 annually while the overall Athletic Department  budget exceeds $6 million dollars.  That consititutes less than 3 percent of the Athletic Department budget annually.      * If you are an alumni, include that in your letter/email.    * If you are a wrestler, include that in your letter/email.  * If you have endowed the University, include that in your letter.  * If you are an NCAA All American, include that in your letter.  * If you are an Olympian, Olympic or World Medalist, include that in your letter.     As you know, Title IX has decimated the ranks of College Wrestling. If Binghamton is terminated, we will now have the number of Division I wrestling programs reduced from 220 plus to just over 80 programs nationally.       Wrestling needs your help.  Please take the time to help reverse this decision and save the wrestling program at Binghamton University.  We have to stop the bleeding!      For those of you not familiar with the program, my letter may serve as a guide to provide you with some of the details.       THIS IS A TIME SENSITIVE ISSUE!  I'M TOLD THE PRESIDENT WILL MAKE THIS DECISION FINAL IN THE NEXT MONTH.  WE NEED TO MAKE SURE SHE HEARS FROM ALL OF US IN THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO.  AGAIN, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME.      If you have prominent contacts in your email database or anywhere else, please forward this information to them, and encourage them to take action too.      SECRETARY OF DEFENSE RUMSFELD AND HOUSE SPEAKER HASTERT HAVE ALREADY  AGREED TO WEIGH IN ( NO PUN INTENDED) ON THIS TOPIC WITH PRESIDENT DeFLEUR.       Thank you for your help.  Please don't wait to take action.  We can't afford to lose another program.  E-mail me at bsquared212@yahoo.com with any questions or comments.       Billy Baldwin     ----------------------------------------------------------    President Lois De Fleur                                                                                             Binghamton University  P. O. Box 6000  Binghamton, N.Y. 13902-6000  ldefleur@binghamton.edu     Dear Lois,    I was extremely surprised and dismayed upon learning of the recent recommendation of Director Thirer to you to discontinue the thirty-three year varsity wrestling program at Binghamton.  As you know first hand from our conversations and interactions, my love, caring and loyalty for the University runs deep, and those emotions are integrally entwined with the wrestling program.  I owe much to the education I received at Binghamton and it has certainly played a big part in the success in my career. A great deal of that education was garnered as a member of the wrestling team, and it is for this reason that it is difficult to express the extent of my disappointment.    Understanding that New York State, the University, and the athletic programs are experiencing a fiscal downturn, and means must be found to deal with that reality, I cannot believe that dropping a program that has had such a successful history and rich tradition is a prudent or smart recommendation. If this recommendation is adopted, there will be hundreds of Binghamton alumni upset and angry, as well as others from across NYS and the nation. I urge you to consider the cost vs. benefit to the University of this potential action (especially considering that this accounts for less than 3% of the overall athletic department budget.)    New York State is a national hotbed for high school wrestling. There are 556 high schools in NY sponsoring varsity wrestling programs, more than any other state in the nation. With only six public four-year colleges in the State currently sponsoring this sport, Binghamton enjoys a strong market position in competing with schools such as Cornell and Buffalo for the best and brightest of these young people. Despite the fact that the America East Conference does not sponsor wrestling, the opportunity is there for Binghamton to have a nationally prominent Division I wrestling program, the money to be saved by moving forward with Director Thirer's recommendation does not represent a good business decision.    As you know, I have always answered the call when asked to be a spokesperson, representative or fundraiser for Binghamton University. Most recently, I was asked to serve on a committee of alumni from NYC to lead a fund raising effort for the new Events Center. I cannot imagine this venue without varsity wrestling. It is a sport with a great and noble history; one that has been decimated by Title IX over the past two decades. We cannot afford to lose another program!     Wrestling is one of the few sports that instill the values of work ethic, mental toughness and discipline. All of these gifts that have transcended the sport and have served me well throughout my life, my career and, most importantly, in my role as a husband and father.      Lois, I know this decision is not final. I hope you will reconsider and allow this program, which has done so much for so many young men, to continue. I am in California but will be back in New York next week. I will give you a call. I hope we can discuss this further.       Warmest personal regards,       William Baldwin     cc: Tom Kelly  Joel Thirer  Marcia Craner  Eileen Orringer  Mike Fusilli