Club sport athletes react to fee decision

Redstorm, the IU women’s club rugby team, had a season of firsts. \nIt moved to Division I this year, defeating every opponent in an attention-grabbing 11-0 season. They’re headed to New Mexico in April for the national women’s rugby playoffs – the first time the club has made it that far. \nAnd last week, the IU Athletics department delivered another first. The department said Redstorm, along with the rest of IU’s club sports teams, will now have to pay to use varsity practice facilities, including John Mellencamp Pavilion. Previously, athletics offered Club Sports this space free of charge.\nBut now, Club Sports will likely have to pay $500 per week so eight teams can practice at the Mellencamp Pavilion between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, said Stacey L. Hall, \nprogram director for intramural sports, club sports and student development.\n“There’s so little time for us to digest this,” said April Scheuerell, president of the Club Sports Federation and a Redstorm rugby player. “We’d just like to have our questions answered to find out why this happening and where this is going to go.”\nJ.D. Campbell, IU Athletics director of media relations, said athletics officials were not available for interviews Tuesday. He said the department is discussing the issue internally and did not have any additional comment at this time. \nThe Club Sports Federation, the governing body of the 46 club sports teams, said it will use an emergency fund to pay for the fees this year. But clubs are now scratching their heads, wondering how they will afford the fees on their own next year, without the emergency funds. \n“I could easily see us spending more time per week raising money than practicing,” said Scheuerell. \nClubs receive some money from IU, but get most of their funding from member dues and fundraisers. \nAndrea Gitelson, the women’s lacrosse club coach and adviser, said teams already raise money to pay for everything from jerseys to tournament fees, busses, hotels rooms and equipment. \nThe cost of practice space would add yet another financial burden to the team, she said, stressing club athletes who join the club largely to escape the demands of college life. \n “A lot of these players, they basically use this as an outlet for them,” she said. “It’s a social outlet, it’s a stress-relieving outlet. They’re doing something they love, they’re choosing to participate, they’re paying to participate.” \nLaura Jones, the president and captain of the women’s ultimate club frisbee team, said her team has started talking with club members about new fundraisers for next year. \nBut she said she’s upset by athletics’ decision because her team already has a working relationship with them. \nUltimate frisbee team members sell parking tickets before IU men’s basketball games, and athletics pays them about $150 to $200 per game.\n“We’re the people standing outside in the cold selling tickets,” Jones said. “We help them out, we help their sports, we go to their games. For them to charge us, we feel it’s just turning their back on us.”