Oswego State Student Association voted to approve next year’s budget for clubs April 18, but with a major change to the funding for club sports teams: the men’s and women’s teams of the same sport will receive the same amount.
Men’s club sports teams have historically been funded more than their counterparts, resulting in the Equal Pay for Equal Play movement, which demands equal opportunities for women in athletics and in general.
This year’s budget granted $37,500 to men’s club ice hockey and $7,200 to women’s club ice hockey, which is a difference of $30,300. The change in the budget took the funding from this year for both teams, added them together and then split the funds in half to dole out to both teams.
This caused the men’s club ice hockey team to lose $8,500 and an increase of $22,199 for women’s club ice hockey from the amount they received this year. Both teams will now receive $29,399 for next year, which is $19,601 less than what the men’s team had requested for next year.
Men’s club ice hockey head coach Christopher Timmons expressed concern with the cut in the budget. Timmons said the players for his Div. I team already pay dues, and this will cause them to have to pay more out of pocket to cover for officials and ice time.
“We don’t want to take anything away from women’s club hockey at all; we would love to see them keep growing as an organization,” Timmons said. “We are behind [gender and pay equality] 100 percent, but when it comes to club sports, we felt as if it should be based more on the investment of the club and its members within it.”
The team must follow standards set by the league it is part of, which costs more than not being part of a league. Timmons said although they have adjusted their budget, he sees the budget cut as an injustice.
“We believe that the prior evaluation of club sports was pretty accurate, based on the size of the club, how much was invested into certain clubs,” Timmons said. “For us, it’s kind of eye-opening because other clubs don’t charge player dues.”
Kimberly Hirsch, the current co-treasurer for women’s club ice hockey and president for next year, said Div. II team will now be able to join a league and afford to go to two tournaments per year. With the current funding, the team scraped together funds through a can and bottle drive, and fundraising through Fajita Grill and YoBerry, to attend tournaments.
“My freshman year, we were part of a league,” Hirsch said. “Then, for the past two years, we have not been. Unfortunately, that was just something we couldn’t afford. For this upcoming season with our budget increase, we’ve been accepted into the ACHA Div. II league.”
It was generally understood the unequal funding between men’s and women’s club sports teams does not violate Title IX. However, a SUNY legal representative recently readdressed the federal civil rights law in relation to Student Association and deemed that the funding was indeed in violation.
“Title IX requires institutions to provide equal access and equal opportunity in terms of funding and facilities to club sports and not to fund on the basis of history or other traditions that might result in inequitable funding for women’s club sports,” said Jerri Howland, associate vice president for student affairs, dean of students and advisor to SA.
Each year, the proposed budget must be signed by President Deborah Stanley before it is moved on to SUNY in Albany. Posed with the legal issues of Title IX being violated, Stanley would not sign the budget until a major change such as this was made. Without her approval, there would be no budget, and therefore, no funding for clubs.
“This isn’t the most ideal position we wanted to be in, but it was make this kind of big change or not have a budget for next year,” said Student Association Director of Finance Miranda Kryskow. “Someone was going to be unhappy either way, but at least in this way, we are no longer liable to the law. It’s not the best situation; we understand that, but for this year, it was the best situation we could create for us to have funding for next year.”
However, this is not a long-term solution. SA is currently speaking to Campus Rec about handing it the overall funding for club sports and placing the responsibility of distributing it through Campus Rec members.
Emily Stasko, who is public relations coordinator for Student Association, is both on the women’s rugby team and involved in the Equal Pay for Equal Play movement. Given her involvement in these three organizations, she said she has multiple perspectives on the equal funding of men’s and women’s club sports teams.
“From a women’s rugby perspective, I am happy with the change in getting more funding, but from my position in the movement, I don’t know that this is the best course of action,” Stasko said.
She said where she can see the frustration expressed by Timmons, but talks of equal opportunities for the women’s club sports teams were no secret. There was an open forum about the topic, and she said that no one had initially put up much opposition. Equal Pay for Equal Play did not have a hand in deciding the solution in SA, just in setting the discussion into motion. Stasko said, as a member of Equal Pay for Equal Play and of women’s rugby, this was not the best solution. She said it is important for women in athletics to first achieve equity and then equality. She also said the solution to have Campus Rec handle the funds should help to achieve equity.
Women’s rugby was one of the club sports teams that felt the inequality of funding. The team had asked for a new scrum machine, but had only received half of the money necessary to replace the needed piece of equipment. This year, the women’s rugby team was given $7,300 in funding, where their counterparts got $18,950. Both teams will be receiving $13,775.
“Equality is the end goal,” Stasko said. “Right now, we need to be equitable.”
While the co-ed sports clubs teams were not as affected, every single club and organization funded by Student Association took a budget cut of at least five to 10 percent. The reason for this is that for several years, SA has been dipping further into the reserves. To remedy this, club funding was cut, the SA fee is increasing by $3 per semester for each student, and the SA president, vice president, directors and other paid students had their salaries sliced in half.
Jack Tofallos, president of roller hockey, expressed his support of the men’s club sports teams. The roller hockey team, though it welcomes every student, consists of all men.
“I believe all clubs deserve to be given equal opportunity, and as pointed out by Chris Timmons, this does not mean equal funding,” Tofallos said. “With the new budget proposal, teams are not receiving equal opportunity, as this is in favor of women’s club sports teams.”
Before SA voted to pass the budget bill April 18, clubs had the ability to attend the meeting and appeal their budget. However, the sports clubs teams who had their funding made equal to their counterparts could not appeal.
Graphic: Kassadee Paulo
