According to UFB chairman Amienne Spencer-Blume ’23, the faculty finance committee passed a budget on Sept. 16 to fully cover the costs of club sports, with club sports members determined by the athletics department. Removed the prior requirement to donate a percentage of the budget.
An October 5th community email from the Undergraduate Student Council announced changes to the funding structure. Intramural and club sports manager Susan Murphy was responsible for disseminating this information to club sports his team leaders, according to UCS president Ricky Zhong ’23.
According to UFB Vice President Arjun Krishna Chopra ’25, some club sports teams will continue to receive external funding through fundraisers and a portion of university donations that support specific club sports. He added that clubs receiving external funding can continue to receive funding from UFB.
Chong, who initially had thoughts of removing the funding requirement, said he worked with Chopra and Spencer Bloom over the summer to determine how UFB’s budget would cover the club’s sports expenses.
A review of UFB’s allocations found that UFB provided $100,000 in funding to departments that had little involvement in student activities. Chopra and Spencer-Bloom met with Senior Associate Joy Steele, her Dean and Director of Student Activities, and her Vice President of Campus Life, Eric Estes, to discuss transferring the money to the club’s athletics. rice field.
Chopra said the transfer of funds was an “excellent way” to get rid of expired budget allocations.
“Everyone should have a say in how[student activity fees]are allocated, and essentially no part of the campus should be financially inaccessible to anyone. We have to make sure,” Chopra said. Student activity fees paid by students are allocated by UFB.
Spencer-Blume described the change as part of a larger shift away from UFB being the “gatekeeper” of funds.
“I think for the first time, UFB really embraced the idea that we can help the group thrive, not just exist out of necessity,” she said.
“This really changes the culture of club sports in terms of what is possible and allows you to separate effort and energy from very time-consuming fundraising,” said Spencer-Blume.
Chopra added that the change is essential because no other club on campus needs funding.
Sofia Soldira GS, Treasurer of Ultimate Women’s and Genderless Frisbee, described the change in the club’s sports budget as a “very welcome surprise”.
Previously, colleges paid for tournaments and members didn’t have to pay dues, but uniforms and gear weren’t covered, Soldira said. This year, the team will set aside funds to purchase gear such as uniforms and cleats for team members in need.
“This[change]is really helpful in that if someone needs financial help, it doesn’t have to be crowdsourced from the team, it can actually come from the university,” Sordilla said.
The increased distribution of funds has made club sports teams “more accessible to anyone who wants to participate,” Soldira said.
“I’ve always had the idea that fundraising together builds community, but I think it was just a way to look on the bright side,” Zhong said. “It is very ideal that students do not have to spend time raising funds and can instead focus on the club sports themselves.”
Get The Herald delivered to your inbox every day.
Comments
Post a Comment