As Funding at Columbia University prepares to determine how to allocate funds among the five governing boards, it must ensure that the fee every undergraduates pays for campus life benefits all students equally. One of the governing boards in particular, Club Sports Governing Board, must make sure lower-income students are not put at a disadvantage.
The Club Sports Governing Board is responsible for funding intramural athletics at the University. Its budget is the second-highest among governing boards, coming in at nearly $200,000. Because its program is such a large beneficiary of student-life fees, it is only right that those who pay the fees—the students—all have equal access to the organization’s opportunities. Due to the high expenses of many club sports, the revenues from the student-life fee only cover 40 percent of the expenses on average. As a result, students wishing to participate are expected to provide the rest out of their own pockets. With steep dues and expensive equipment to buy, many of the University’s lower-income students are unable to participate in the activities that they, along with every other Columbia student, subsidize.
CSGB must address the unequal access to club sports as it prepares to submit its budget proposals to F@CU. The student-life fee should not pay for the activities of higher-income students that others Columbians cannot afford. The board should find a solution by which these high, out-of-pocket expenses are either waived or heavily subsidized by the school for those students who wish to participate in a club sport but are financially unable to do so. Some clubs already assist low-income students through special dues arrangements or by providing low-cost rentals for equipment. Although these are steps in the right direction, CSGB should standardize such procedures across all club sports.
Intramural sports are popular at Columbia and constitute an integral part of many students’ undergraduate experience. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to participate, and CSGB must ensure that every student can afford to do so.
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