ASUA increases university sport club funding

Arizona Daily Wildcat Mary O'Mahoney

ASUA President Gilbert Davidson and Executive Vice President Casey Cuny met with sport clubs coordinator Mary O'Mahoney on Tuesday to discuss the sport club's financial situation.

ASUA offered a $12,000 allocation to campus sport clubs, and the Student Recreation Center hopes to contribute an additional $8,000.

Davidson said the funding will come from the recently approved $80,871 budget designated to support the more than 300 clubs on campus.

O'Mahoney said she is happy with the agreement and credits Cuny and Davidson with taking a step in the right direction.

"This is definitely a move of good faith by ASUA," she said. "Gilbert and Casey seem to be pro club sports."

The agreement has not yet been approved by the ASUA Senate but Cuny anticipates having the proposal ready for the next Senate meeting.

Last year's ASUA sport clubs funding was reduced to $10,000 due to a lack of funds resulting from the separation between ASUA and the Graduate and Professional Student Council, Davidson said.

The Rec Center was unable to contribute any additional money last year because lowered university enrollment left them with fewer dollars, said Juliette Moore, Student Recreation Center director.

Clubs were left to rely almost entirely on their own fund raising efforts, O'Mahoney said.

The department's final approval is at the discretion of the Rec Center Student Advisory Council, Moore said.

"I hope to have a meeting with the advisory council soon so we can work on the approval," Moore said.

Once approved, sport clubs will be required to attend a Sept. 11 club assembly and begin the process of becoming a recognized club with the university.

All clubs will also be able to sign up for an initial funding interview, where club representatives are interviewed by members of the Appropriations Board, club advocates and the ASUA Senate.

Decisions will be rendered on the first Appropriations Board meeting, Sept. 29.

Initial funding allows clubs to receive money for startup costs, such as advertising and registration fees.

After the initial funding period, all clubs must submit a funding request to the Appropriations Board, which will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

However, Davidson said the about 30 sport clubs will be a special case since the money will already be appropriated.

Sport clubs will have a separate funding request form for the year. Davidson said the plan is to have sport clubs fax their requests to ASUA and receive decisions by the Appropriations Board immediately. Once the request is approved, officials at the Rec Center will be able to give the money to the club.

Previously, O'Mahoney handled money allocation according to her own formula, which factored in previous years' activity, total travel and expenditures, and how active they were in fund raising on their own.

O'Mahoney said she would continue to provide information for the Appropriations Board to base their decisions on, and felt it was better for ASUA to handle the money.

"It's really a good idea (for ASUA to retain control), that way it's students giving students money," she said.

Cycling club member Jesse Pleger, a civil engineering senior, said the news of increased funding was good to hear.

"I think it's great that they recognized club sports a little more," Pleger said. "It was frustrating last year to see other groups get more money when we were cut."

Pleger, a two-year veteran of the cycling club, said the extra money can be used to send riders to National Championships and help subsidize costs for newer riders.