As Student Government begins allocating funds for the spring semester, club sports are anticipating new budgets and planning ahead for athletic events throughout the semester. Traditionally, club sports receive a considerable portion of Student Government funding.
Unlike Lafayette’s 23 Division I sports, which are funded by the NCAA and sponsored by the college, the club sports at Lafayette are not paid for by the college. Instead, sports clubs are primarily funded by student activity fees, member dues and some gifts from local organizations. Many of the decisions to fund sports are based on how competitive and active the teams are.
According to Student Government PR & Marketing director Trebor Maitin ‘24, “club sports take up about half if not more of the total budget.”
This has raised questions about who should be responsible for club sports funding.
“There is a lot of discussion of whether it’s student government’s place to fund club sports – what role should Rec Services play in that? What role should the Athletics Department play in that?” Maitin said.
Matwos Tadesse ‘24, the president of student government, said that funding these sports teams is decided once the budget requests are sent in. The deadline for budget requests is usually in the second week of the semester, which allows club sports to plan ahead and take their time.
Student Government Treasurer Areeb Atheeque ’25 declined to comment.
Among some of the more successful teams such as club crew, ultimate frisbee and volleyball, funds were expected to be high in order to plan for larger tournaments throughout the spring semester. The ultimate frisbee team plans to travel to Hilton Head, S.C. for a tournament during spring break, while crew is prepping for many regattas across the Eastern Seaboard.
“We are very appreciative of the Student Government who realizes it takes a lot to make a team of our size function at a highly competitive level,” crew president Kendall Lamm ‘24 said. “This funding contributes to our travel, competition, equipment purchases and maintenance of our boathouse.” The crew team required a higher amount of funding as they also plan to travel over Spring Break.
Similarly, club volleyball was satisfied with how much they could spend during the fall semester.
“[Student Government] was really nice last year with funds especially since we were just starting up,” president of men’s club volleyball Blake Hyatt ‘25 said.
While Student Government is the primary source of club sports funding, many other sources from the Easton community along with alumni are essential in helping club programs thrive.
“We receive money from a few different sources,” Lamm said. “On top of Student Government, we are fortunate to receive generous gifts from supportive alumni and private donors, who wish to see us remain a highly competitive crew program. Our school-based contribution is relatively small, which forces us as a team to put on many fundraisers.”
The next few weeks will be an important time for club sports, especially as more athletic events are scheduled and training ramps up throughout Kirby Sports Center.
