The discrepancy in funding between men’s and women’s club sports on the Oswego State is a blatant error on behalf of the Student Association.
For club sports that have both men’s and women’s teams, there is a huge gap between how the funds are allocated and it reflects poorly on SA. There is a lack of explanation for why women’s teams benefit less than men’s teams in terms of the difference in funding.
In 2018, the men’s club ice hockey team was given $37,500 for their program while their female counterparts were only slotted for $7,200 in the budget, which is an 80.8 percent difference. Though the difference could potentially be explained by the amount of members each club has or something similar, a difference of over $30,000 is egregious.
If there is a difference in the amount of money allocated to each program, it should be based on the amount of people in each specific program. If certain men’s programs are given funding for certain trips or tournaments, there should be an equal amount given to women’s teams for similar expenses.
There are different levels to the issue beyond the extreme gap in funding, the main one being that these are club sports. These are club activities and should be joined by students who are looking for a chance to still be competitive athletes during their college careers. Whether these students are men or women, their experiences should not be impacted by what SA allows them to have.
A potential solution for this would be to allocate funds to each program based on the amount of members they have, so each team has equal opportunity to travel for different games and tournaments. Their experiences should not be limited by the amount of money each team is given.
SA should begin by giving a base of equal funds depending on the sport, regardless of gender, then allocating the rest of the remaining money to whoever needs it regarding their status for traveling or tournament entry.
A reasonable explanation as to why men are allowed a significantly larger amount should be provided by SA, or they should change the way they fund club athletics immediately. It is time for club sports to be treated equally and the pool of funds to be allocated based on needs for each individual organization.
