Clackamas Print
Sports 9
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
UNDING: Student athletes
»itch in to help finances
Continued from FUNDING, Page 1
Fundraising now plays a vital role in the upkeep
and very survival of the athletic department.
“There is nothing beneath us,” Jackson said,
installment currently derives funds from student “We have done everything. We’ve sold Gold
.'that a re divided up. Each student
C coupon books. The wrestling
team chopped wood and sold it.
arged a student fee of $5 per credit
Most people see the teams stand
e $5 is divided among several dif-
ing in front of the bookstore the
“Are you OK
orgfemzations. The student tech-
first few days of the term helping
* Student athletes make up 10 •
paying another
y fee is $3. This helps buy all com-
them out. We do almost anything
nArrAnf
idAnf hnriv
r equipment used for or by students.
anyone on campus asks us to do,
dollar in order
percent nf
of fhA
the student
body.
I emaining $2 is a general student fee
such
as
physical
labor.
for
the
athletic
s split Amongst athletics, Associated
“Twice, we have rechipped
department to
In the*2007-2008 school year, the col
’.nt Government and a computer
the jogging trails - the wrestling
□logy fund that goes toward the
team did that. The college has
get
more
firm
lege
received approximately $305,953
|^Ke of Streeter Lab.
them do things like that because
footing?”
in tuition from student athletes. That
t of the $2, athletics receives 53 per-
it costs* much less than hiring
which is approximately $161,000 a
Courtney Wilton
someone from outside to do it
doesn’t include the $300,000 that the
and it supports the teams. We
Vice President of
college receives from the state for stu
have even done letter campaigns
lirice ¡1992, the number of students
College Services
ayed fairly level, which means that
when athletes will write to Aunt
dent athletes.
ore student fees are coming in,”
Betty and Uncle Bob and ask for
a donation to the team.”
an said. “The only problem with
the cost of things like lodging, food and equip-
Many may view the circumstances as a mis
In a survey of student athletes, an over
gone up, and we have no way to make up the management of resources, but Jackson is quick to
whelming majority said they would not
point out otherwise.
ence except for fundraising.”
attend a college that did not have ath
. “If there is one thing I could stress ... is that we
Fundraising for survival
aren’t extravagant; just, the cost has gone up,” he
letics. They also estimated that at least
said. “Athletics give up a lot because we can’t be
one other person attended Clackamas
;e purpose of the money from student fees is to pay extravagant. We don’t sleep in the best hotels, and
^^^Kpenses.
we don’t eat at the best restaurants.”
because the student athlete did so.
he fee hinds operate the teams,” Jackson said. “It
Possible
solutions
-for mileage when we have to travel. It pays for
v when the athletes have to eat on the road. It pays
The resolution for this problem isn’t an easy
itry fees in tournaments. It pays for lodging when
that is partially because it deals with students and it is a
ive to stay somewhere overnight, and it pays for one, but there are several ideas as to an answer.
“It’s a proposal that the students have to accept,” sensitive issup.”
equipment that we have to have or replace every
In an e-mail dated Dec. 27 of last year, Wilton men
Jackson said, “and it is what helped solve the problem in
forttttely, with inflation, the consistent income the first place. Student fees (are) currently $5 per credit tioned the possibility of “shifting some of the $2 general
has been coming in to the atheletic department has hour. If we added $1 to that and dedicated it to athletics, student fee from computer tech, to athletics.” Right now,
-nsujKient.
we would receive approximately $150,000 and solve the athletics receives $161,000 in a fiscal year.
-ie athletic director has to pay for things like athletic budget problem in athletics.
“Athletics continues to get squeezed, as their fee share
“Will it last forever? No. In 12 years, we will be back hasn’t kept up with inflation, the end result being more
ms, student insurance and the cost of officials, all
(ch has gone up exponentially,” Jackson said. “A to the same problem because inflation will continue to and more of their basic activities have to be fundraised,”
11 bat in 1995 cost around $50, and now they cost rise. I don’t want to tack on anything. I realize that tuition Wilton stated in the e-mail. The computer technology
1 $300. They are better bats - no question about is going up, and I certainly don’t want to gouge students, department no longer needs as much money as allotted;
it if we aren’t receiving more money, then we just but I don’t see another solution.”
the fees are now considered to be one source of funds for
So will the student fee be raised $1, as Jackson sug athletics.
up short.”
gests, to make up for the deficit?
i original purpose of fundraising was to raise
While the situation continues to worsen, the athletic
“Not in the immediate future,” Wilton said. “That department continues to look other places for financial
v for “special items.”
; finances are “usually used for additional things would be something to talk about next year in the budget assistance. The question is: Is this becoming a fiscal
•chasing items not in the budget,” Jackson said, plan. We will want to talk to the board and the students, emergency in the department?
lai items - like, if the softball team wanted new and ask them, ‘Are you OK paying another dollar in order
“This has been a crisis for a very long time, in our
i, that would be a special item that fundraising for the athletic department to get more firm footing?’
eyes,” Jackson said.
“We haven’t been aggressive with the student fee, and
pay for.”
Why not eliminate
athletics altogether?
I
S
iseball team off to a great start, hopes set high
5 were losses.
Green River has a record of 2-
5, while Clackamas is 8-2 going
into the next set of games.
“We’re working real hard on
hitting and pitching,” Robinson
said.
The four starting sophomore
la E. Bashaw
pitchers were 2-0, which was the
lackamas Print
reason for the eight wins. The
freshmen starters didn’t do as
well, which accounts for the two
figs are looking good for losses of last week.
rs’ baseball.
Sophomores Jeff Bjorklund,
Sr winning eight of their Russell Lundy, Nate Reif and
mes, the
Bryan Roby had out
looks
standing
pitching
d to a
records.
Isful sea-
This early, it is hard
“We’re work
’mingi to
to tell where the sea
ing real hard
me the
son will go; however,
River
on hitting and
it is a good start for the
n unity
fairly balanced team of
pitching.
”
*3 Gatprs
15 sophomores and 14
Robin Robinson
ch 15.
freshmen. At this point,
Clackamas Head
have
the team must keep up
Baseball Coach
playing
the improvements and
well,”
dedication in order to
Head
keep up with the win
Robin
ning.
on. B“Our next opponent
“I feel like we are playing
our toughest so far.”
really well,” Robinson said, “but
1 Marbh 2 games against we still haven’t had a total game:
Tlarbpr started the season hit well, pitch, well, run the bases,
th two big wins, but the play good defense.”
against Linfield on March
:essful baseball
? still has room
mprovement
TOP: Jeramey Probert, 11,
from Centralia College,
swings his bat toward the
ball as Clackamas catcher
Ben Janal, 12, reaches for it
from behind.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Nate Reif,
17, from Clackamas in the
middle of pitching the ball.
Photos by Robert Crawford Clackamas Print