The Athletics Department and Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate last week signed a new funding agreement for club sports, promising increased transparency and financial oversight.
The Club Sports Funding Agreement was signed on Sept. 27, and aims to define how to spend the annual budget, which is allocated by the Senate to the Athletics Department from the Student Activities Fee. The agreement will also give club sports athletes more access to their funds, a total of $53,000 for fiscal year 2012.
"It's going to help improve communication and [Athletics'] relationship with Senate and the students," Assistant Director of Athletics Branwen Smith?King said. "Moving forward, it's clear as to what's expected."
A lack of communication between the Athletics Department and the Senate prompted the agreement.
Last year, $10,000 allocated to club sports was left unspent due to a lack of communication about spending procedures and regulations.
Following the incident, the Senate authored a resolution calling for an athletics business manager in an effort to combat the lack of transparency and subsequent financial oversight.
"We came to an understanding that there was no communication [before] and worked through it in a very consistent way," then TCU Treasurer Kate de Klerk said. "It will set a great precedent for working with the Senate."
DeKlerk last semester submitted the Senate resolution and worked with administrators to craft the Club Sports Funding Agreement.
"It builds a sense of trust and teamwork," Athletics Director Bill Gehling said. "[The agreement] ensures that funds are being used for what they're intended for: to provide a high quality experience to club sports athletes," he said. "It will pay dividends in years to come."
Transparency of club sports funds will be improved by a new identification system that allows club sports athletes to access their accounts, according to Smith?King.
"Students can check how much money is in their accounts or if a deposit cleared on a regular basis," she said.
The agreement also gives the Senate access to statements for all club sports accounts. "Before, we had no access," de Klerk said. "Now we can see where every penny goes. Now we have oversight."
The Athletics Department and the Senate in the past had no clear agreement as to what the funds would be used for, according to de Klerk.
"[Miscommunication] is really combated with this agreement," de Klerk said. "It ensures a dialogue."
The agreement stipulates that the TCU Treasurer will determine the amount of funds from the Student Activities Fee given to club sports each year, and will be budgeted into three categories, including individual Tier I accounts, a general Tier II operations account and a general buffer fund account.
It further states that funds should only be used toward payments to part?time Athletics Department workers in extraordinary circumstances.
"That's very important because it's not appropriate and it's not in the sentiment of the Student Activities Fee [to fund a salary]," de Klerk said.
The agreement also outlines the relationship between the Athletics Department and the Senate, as well as the use of club sports funds, for each TCU administration to follow in the future, according to Gehling.
"Now, there's no guesswork," Smith?King said. "We have something in writing that will improve consistency for the future on how things will operate," she added.
The Athletics Department is currently undergoing discussions with the Tufts administration to create a new position in the Athletics Department to oversee the finances of club sports, among other duties, according to Gehling.
"The decision has been made. Now we're in the process of fully defining the job," Gehling said.
Smith?King currently oversees club sports finances, according to Gehling.
Both Gehling and Smith?King praised de Klerk, who began working on an agreement following last year's resolution, for pushing the Athletic Department to undergo reforms.
"Kate deserves a lot of credit for her initiative and her perseverance. We are very grateful," Gehling said.
