Outlook Brighter for UCI Programs : Anteaters: Decision on reinstatement of men’s track and cross-country will be announced by Friday.

Although fund-raising goals to revive the UC Irvine men’s cross-country and track programs haven’t been met, UC Irvine officials are guardedly optimistic the programs still can be saved.

A decision on whether the university will continue fielding the teams, in limbo since budget cuts in May, will be announced by Friday, said Horace Mitchell, UCI’s vice chancellor of student affairs.

“We very much want the programs back, so we are trying to do anything we can to make it happen,” Mitchell said. “We will be supportive and as flexible as we can possibly be, while still being responsible managers.”

The university originally agreed to reinstate the programs for the 1992-93 season if supporters raised $70,000 by Aug. 3. The deadline since has been extended until Friday, and the target figure has been lowered by approximately half.

Vince O’Boyle, director of track and cross-country, said he has $10,000 to $15,000 cash in hand and pledges for about $10,000 more. A $25,000 budget would fund a bare-bones operation without money for a coach or scholarships, O’Boyle said.

“We may not have the quality of athlete we’ve had in the past, but at least we won’t be dead like San Jose State,” O’Boyle said. “Once the program is dead, it’s hard for me to imagine it coming back.”

The decision on whether it will be back this year rests with Mitchell and Barbara Camp, the acting athletic director. The two met Monday to discuss the situation and plan to meet with supporters of the program Thursday or Friday for further information.

Mitchell said he believes about $35,000--including $10,000 for a part-time coach--will be necessary to sustain the programs this year. Mitchell said reinstating the programs would probably come down to a judgment call: whether he and Camp believe such funds can be raised.

“We can’t put the university in a situation where we are guaranteeing something where resources aren’t available,” he said.

Camp was optimistic about the situation.

“It’s sounding more and more to me--from the figures Vince has been giving me--that it can be done and that’s important for the administration to hear,” she said.

O’Boyle said response to the fund-raising campaign has been positive and that money continues to trickle in. He said the program received checks for $200 Monday and last week received two checks of $500 apiece.

A dinner at a Fountain Valley restaurant raised $1,500 and a significant undisclosed sum has been pledged by the Newport Beach Dukes, who recently held an auction partly on UCI’s behalf. O’Boyle said Dukes’ owner Fred Lieberman has also agreed to donate a percentage of the income from the advertising signage at the tennis exhibition between Michael Chang and Pete Sampras on Oct. 1 at the Bren Center.

But O’Boyle said he has friends in local business who are holding out. He believes they are hesitant because they aren’t sure whether the effort is worth it.

“They want to see the commitment to athletics from UCI,” he said. “I think there is a commitment and, hopefully, it will show in the next few years--or maybe even now.”