Ever since the University of Minnesota men’s gymnastics team was forced out of their home gym in Cooke Hall, head coach Mike Burns and his crew started advocating.

Burns, gymnasts and parents sent several emails to the University’s Board of Regents. The men’s gymnastics team submitted a video to the Board for their June 14 meeting which was not reviewed or discussed publicly, but Regent Farnsworth said the Board surveyed it.

According to Regent Mary Turner, the emails, videos and requests to local media to share their story was a vastly different approach than the multitude of students who protested the University’s handling of the war in Gaza, which involved camping out on the Northrop lawn.

Few people outside the men’s gymnastics community were as vocal as Turner, who was the only regent to stand alongside them at their booth when the team explained their situation at the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show.

“All they needed was to be heard,” Turner said. “It would have been closure.” 

Turner, with tears in her eyes, told rising junior gymnast Justin Lancisi how proud she was of the team in their respectful approach to the Board.

“You guys did everything right,” Turner said. “You didn’t camp out, you went through (Regent Chair) Janie Mayeron to ask permission, you did everything respectfully and they just showed you’re just going to be a student that gets brushed under the rug.” 

Turner said people associated with Israel and Palestine student groups are getting bi-weekly meetings with administrators, yet the gymnasts have had no in-person contact with the board. 

Turner told Lancisi the team should consider taking a more vocal approach, similar to the Israel and Palestine protesters, and create a “ruckus” by barging into a board meeting to speak to them directly.

“Maybe the people in tents have the right idea?” Turner said. “I know they do when you’re not being heard.”

The Minnesota Daily requested a statement from Mayeron via an email sent to University Spokesperson Jake Ricker on June 26. 

The Daily was met with a response from Ricker the next day including a statement, over two months old, in which Mayeron declined to speak with the team.

Burns said those who saw the booth were shocked at the Board’s handling of the situation. Several emails from parents to the Board were ignored. The few responses explained the Board’s procedures on virtual forum comments. 

Three years ago, the Minnesota men’s gymnastics team was dropped as a Division I program and as of June 29, 95% of the team’s gym equipment is stored in a trailer, while the rest is stored in the Bell Museum, according to Burns. 

Lancisi is not entirely sure what the future will look like for the team. 

“It’s going to be very hard to maintain championship status,” Lancisi said. “One of the biggest ways we could sell the program was you could walk five minutes from your class to practice.”

Despite the Board’s refusal to listen, others have. On June 23, Inside Gymnastics Magazine ranked it as the No. 4 item getting the gymnastics community “buzzing.”

Joey Ray was part of the team from 1981 to 1984. He was awarded membership to the University’s letterwinner organization — M Club — in 2015. During his time with the Gophers men’s gymnastics team, he won six individual Big Ten titles. 

Now, he does not feel like a Gopher. 

“I can’t even wear my letterman jacket to rake leaves,” Ray said. 

One gymnast parent Sheri Taylor said the consensus among the parents is that they want their boys to be heard, even if nothing changes. Taylor said the goal of attending the trade show was to get the word out and garner support to help the team find a new home. 

Dennis Ryan, the parent of the team’s co-captain Kellen Ryan, confirmed Taylor’s view. 

“If they get up there and speak for five minutes, whether that is going to change anything … they deserve a chance to tell their side of the story,” Ryan said. 

Ryan is frustrated that the board “won’t answer any questions.” 

He sent a list of questions to the Board which include:

• Was there a consideration to repurpose Peik Hall for the GymACT and Club teams (rather than tear it down) after the Women’s NCAA team moves into their brand new $16 million facility?
• Was there a consideration to convert Peik into a dryland diving facility so Cooke 302 could remain as the GymACT and Club team’s training facility?
• Was there a consideration to incorporate dryland diving equipment into the new women’s gym?

There have been no answers to these questions as of July 8. 

The team’s efforts at the National Congress and Trade Show meant Burns missed out on watching his former athlete Shane Wiskus earn a spot on Team USA as an alternate gymnast.