Club sport athletes flooded the Student Association Senate meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 15 to express their concerns after senators decided to approve a resolution to cap club sports budgets at $135,000, including championship funds, last week.
The new budget is an approximate 54% cut to all club sports compared to their budgets last year.
Matthew O’Donnell, vice president of SA explained after the meeting that the senate’s decision to cut funding to club sports by 54% was a final resolution. That means there is no possibility to amend the bill, be vetoed, or draft a new bill.
Nonetheless, 10 club sports teams, represented by over 50 members, dominated the public comment section of the SA meeting as they displayed great passion for their sports and explained how devastating a 54% budget cut would be for their club sport. Many expressed it would likely be the end of that club sport at Oswego State.
“Riding horses is a very expensive sport, it costs us $35 every time we want to sit on a horse just for practice,” Kelly Dolan, treasurer of the equestrian team, said. “I have probably spent over $10,000 over the course of my college career just for practices, let alone our entry fees which some we pay out of pocket, some we split with SA just to give a little buffer room for those people who cannot afford it.”
Sports like men’s club ice hockey and the equestrian team require immense funds in order to compete.
Many present club sports teams shared similar sentiments. They said they feel they pay a lot of money out of pocket already, and fear for the future of their clubs.
“Our budget right now is fit for what we do, because we do spend so much out of pocket, $31,000 a year, so if we keep the original sports budget we are almost one third of the sports budget,” Dolan said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t make cuts, because I understand it is necessary, but I am just saying our team alone is one third of that budget how can we accommodate other teams, and we already pay so much out of pocket.”
Members of the Senate responded to presenting club sports members by either asking for clarification or details about their club sport, or by trying to explain why they made their decision. SA Director of Finance Ryan Green denied additional comment.
“Our budget cuts are not against any of you here at all, but we see what each and every club are doing,” Corey Cesare, director of student life, health and safety, said. “We see all of you guys, we want you to know that it is not you guys that are the problem, we want you guys to succeed.”
A member of the club table tennis team explained that the club is very small with an average of 10 members per semester and that this past year their club did not receive funding, nearly killing the club as a whole due to members having to pay everything out of pocket.
The table tennis team along with the roller hockey team wanted to urge SA not to “neglect small clubs” because they bring a “unique culture” to the Oswego State campus, as a few of them stated they had either transferred or stayed at Oswego State in order to play the offered club sports.
Photo by Hannah Leonard | The Oswegonian
