Student vote shows support for golf team

PORTALES — Hours before the university’s homecoming king and queen were crowned, another winner of the vote was announced to the Eastern New Mexico University’s Board of Regents.

By an 87.5% vote, students who participated in the homecoming elections earlier in the week also favored adding a women’s golf team, as the college has explored over the last few months.

There are obvious asterisks attached to the vote. The 552 votes on the question, tacked onto the homecoming vote, represents less than 10% of the student body, and the question explicitly stated student fees and tuition would not rise if a golf team was added.

ENMU Chancellor and Portales Campus President Jeff Elwell said 483 voters were in favor, 33 were against and 31 were indifferent.

The earliest a Greyhound golf team could compete would be fall 2020. The Lone Star Conference offers men’s and women’s golf with the five-month season split over semesters with no meets in November, December or January. The LSC currently has seven women’s teams competing. The Greyhounds would not be required to host a meet, and would not have to build any facilities.

The school had previously mentioned beach volleyball as an option to explore, but only 13 Division II schools offer the sport and multiple courts would have to be built for practices and events.