Some club sports at the University come with a steep price tag.
Students on the A Division of the men’s club hockey team pay about $1,900 in fees, Director of Recreation Stephan Pappas said.
“Some club members have decided that it might be too expensive to sustain so they back out, or they come to the first couple of meetings and then they find out what the dues are, and then they decide not to come back,” Pappas said.
In response, the Rutgers University Student Assembly Allocations Board is in the preliminary stages of forming a committee to address the matter and to consider the possibility of club team funding through RUSA Allocations instead of Recreation.
“There is going to be a committee created to look at [RUSA] Allocations’ guidelines and funding,” RUSA Allocations Chair Shayna Davis said.
Nothing has been decided on whether to raise the student fee, but RUSA Allocations is starting to form a committee to discuss having a campus-wide referendum to raise the student fee, Davis said.
The $71 student fee is split among the School of Arts and Sciences, professional schools, special programs, class treasuries and the RUSA Allocations Board, Associate Director for Student Centers and Programs Kerri Willson said. The student fee generates about $1.5 million.
“The Allocations Board is looking at possibly funding recreation sport clubs, but another thing too is that a lot of our student organizations have probably gotten level funding for the last five years at least … [as] costs have gone up,” Willson said.
Increasing the fee by only a few dollars could help fund not only club sports but also the increase in the number of student organizations on campus, RUSA Chair Werner Born said.
“[Club teams] are having issues with funding the way it is set up right now, and they have to put up a lot of money themselves,” Davis said. “So they want to know is there a way that they can be included under the allocations system.”
The annual funding for club teams — not including the six teams that moved from varsity to club sports — is $90,000, Pappas said.
“I’ve had a number of student groups that have come to me to start clubs, but at this moment because we’re tight on financing … we have put a hold on the number of clubs,” he said.
The ski club not only has to purchase its own equipment, but also has to pay for lift tickets to practice and other fees, Pappas said.
“Their [fees] run upwards of $300 a year,” he said.
Roller hockey is very expensive and woman’s hockey costs hundreds, Pappas said.
“[Under the Allocations Board,] it might be possible for club teams [to receive more funding],” Davis said. “That’s what has to get worked out through this committee.”
But the committee will also have to factor in that the number of student organizations is increasing, she said.
The committee could possibly include representatives from campus councils as well as a representative from the Allocations Board, Davis said.
“The committee hasn’t been formed. It hasn’t started meeting yet; it’s just a very brand-new topic of discussion,” she said.
Davis said the Allocations Board is seeking feedback from the campus councils, but changes would have to be made soon, if at all.
“If we want the changes to take effect in the fall, there needs to be a referendum in the spring semester,” she said.
The referendum would be a campus-wide process involving students on every campus, Davis said.
There are about 1,800 to 1,900 students who participate in the about 50 club sports, Pappas said. There are no tryouts, and any student can join.
The six varsity sports that were made club sports in 2007 because of cost-cutting measures are funded differently than other clubs, he said.
“But the funding is no longer going to be there in 2010 and 2011,” Pappas said.
That was the arrangement that was made when they went from varsity to club, he said. These teams are aware of the issue and are working on fundraising.
Pappas said that club teams have had a lot of success.
“Our woman’s rugby club just made it to nationals,” Pappas said.
He said playing club sports is a great experience for people who want to continue playing sports at a higher level after high school.
“Club teams really don’t have much funding,” said Winiris De Moya, president of the Livingston Campus Council. “I don’t see why we, RUSA Allocations, couldn’t provide funding for them.”
De Moya, a Rutgers College senior, said the decision should ultimately rest on what students want.
“That’s ultimately what matters,” she said.
Club sports overdue for funding change
Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, November 17, 2009
 "Photo: Kirsten Nuber")
Kirsten Nuber
University club teams, like the men’s club hockey team, pictured above, may be losing members because of expensive dues. The RUSA Allocations Board is looking into ways to increase funding for club sports and other student organizations.
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