Noticing how little surplus money the ASUO has at this point in the year, ASUO Sen. Lyzi Diamond wants Senate to make a decision as to Club Sports’ financial fate before it’s all gone.
At Wednesday’s Senate meeting, Diamond will recommend setting aside $55,000 of the roughly $175,000 Senate has in surplus money — a lower amount than usual — for various Club Sports teams that are expected to compete at the national level.
Diamond pointed out that Club Sports raises about two-thirds of its budget on its own but comes to the ASUO for the additional funding, which she believes makes it an exemplary program.
“They’re a model program,” Diamond said. “These are the types of programs we should be helping out with this fund.”
Diamond met with Director of Club Sports Sandy Vaughn last week to discuss the situation and forecast the teams expected to need money to compete at the national level.
Vaughn said she appreciated the gesture.
“It’s wonderful to hear ASUO senators having such support for our program,” Vaughn said. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that the student government and those that have this responsibility of being accountable for student fees has our program in mind.”
She said she anticipates men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s ultimate frisbee, women’s water polo and men’s baseball to seek the funds for national competitions. She estimates that $55,000 will be needed to send these five teams to nationals.
Discussion of adding these costs into the Club Sports budget was brought up at past Senate meetings, but both Vaughn and Diamond agree that it may not be the best way to deal with this fluctuating need for money. Teams’ needs for money fluctuates from year to year, and no one knows in advance which teams will advance to national competitions.
“It’s not something predictable,” Vaughn said. “Last year we fully anticipated both men’s ultimate frisbee and baseball teams to go to nationals, and they didn’t. That could be a difference of $20,000 to $25,000.”
A problem Vaughn points out with the current system is that spring sports are at a disadvantage because the surplus money is allocated once a year for the entire school year.
“Because the system currently works first-come-first-served, baseball could potentially every year not get funding,” Vaughn said, which happened one year.
Another point brought up during the meeting was the growth Club Sports has seen and its request for an additional classified staff member.
Vaughn said the operations of the program would go much more smoothly if the request is granted.
“Our staffing is just not meeting the needs of our system. Right now, we scramble to keep up with needs with programs that have increased substantially,” she said.
Currently, Club Sports has two paid positions, which has been the structure throughout its growth.
“We’ve probably tripled, almost quadrupled, in size,” Vaughn said.
Max Boomer, budget committee chair for the EMU Board, is responsible for maintaining the Club Sports budget and said the discussion of this budget increase is in the preliminary stages. Consideration of the request will be compared to requests from other programs that the EMU Board funds. Senate already approved Club Sports’ request for a 5.45 percent goal for budget growth.
“From what I know from the limited research I’ve done thus far, (Club Sports) has been growing a lot in past five years,” Boomer said. “They have more teams, more participants, and I don’t see that stopping, especially with record high enrollment.”
Boomer said the request is “definitely on our radar.”
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Club sports may receive $55,000 windfall
Daily Emerald
November 28, 2009
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