Colleges in the United States may only admit muggles, but that doesn't mean that students can't get their wizard on from time to time. Since 2005, a real−world adaption of Quidditch, the famous school sport of the Harry Potter books, has been taken up by 400 collegiate teams nationwide, represented by the International Quidditch Association.
At Tufts, however, Quidditch will need to work its magic if it is to stay afloat through the coming year.
The one−year−old Tufts Quidditch team is running into financial problems because the Tufts Community Union Senate (TCU) has declined to provide it with sufficient funding for equipment, tournament fees and travelling expenses.
According to team co−president Carly Boxer, a sophomore, Quidditch has been denied funding from the TCU because it is only considered an activity within the Harry Potter Society, which itself falls under the umbrella of the officially established Beyond the Light: Sci−Fi and Fantasy (BTL) Club.
This year, the BTL allotted $517 to the Harry Potter Society, according to the treasury budget report. Boxer said that only a small portion of that sum is given to the team, and equipment alone outweighs its allocated budget.
According to TCU Treasurer and junior Kate de Klerk, one of the reasons the Harry Potter Society was allotted such little funding is because they did not include Quidditch in their reported budget. Thus, the TCU supplemented the club's original budget with a mid-semester funding grant, which was used last year to purchase the team's broomsticks.
De Klerk added that the Quidditch team's predicament is a singular situation, and the club differs from other clubs and organizations, which, in contrast, are funded through a regular budgeting process.
"If groups are coming in with new events, then we try to get estimates from them, and we try to allocate funds according to those estimates," De Klerk said. "If they say a certain amount is going to cost this much, then we take their word for it. ... If during budgeting, there are costs they can't estimate, they submit buffer funding requests for unforeseen expenses during the next fiscal year."
The Quidditch team, however, is not the only sub−group that has run into financial problems. Activities under the Leonard Carmichael Society and the Asian Student Union have requested budgets that were rejected by the Treasury.
Besides funding, Boxer said, the TCU does not recognize Quidditch as an official club under its control due to Quidditch's status as a physically violent sport, which could be a liability.
"[I] suggested that Quidditch go to club sports because they are funded in a completely different way," De Klerk said. "We have strict procedures for yearly purchases, and the same goes for tournaments. We have a lot of procedures that limit the flexibility of funding that clubs use to pay for lodging and transport."
With regard to Quidditch posing a potential liability, De Klerk believes that the athletics department has more appropriate procedures for insurance and consent forms than does TCU, making it a better place for the Quidditch team. Boxer, however, disagrees, stating that Quidditch has been rejected by the Athletics Department as well - and not to Boxer's surprise.
"We probably don't get recognized because there is a lack of professionalism in [Quidditch]," Boxer said. "It looks like we're a bunch of kids playing around."
While the the Quidditch team did not apply for team status as a club sport within the Athletics Department, it was advised by members of the department not to, as it would likely be denied not only because of the team's unconventional nature, but also because the department has simply stopped adding to its list of club sports.
"Our budget is really tight; we have a lot of limitations here," Smith−King said. "We can't give [Quidditch] money because they are a non−traditional activity."
The Quidditch team's only other option is to join the Tier II club sport group, which allows an activity to bear the official Tufts name and utilize some Tufts facilities but does not allot any funding or allow the team to reserve facilities. So far, the Tier II level has housed many sports in recent years, such as tennis, soccer and ice hockey.
If Quidditch were to pursue Tier II status, it would no longer have any funds to replace broken brooms or purchase extra ones for new players.
"We are at that point where we need [players] to pay for their own entrance fees and their own equipment for tournaments," Co−President and sophomore Howie Levine said. "Because of that, we have to reduce the number of players on the field at one time."
On top of financial woes, the increased interest in the team is not all good news for Boxer and Levine. At least 50 more players are signed up to join their upcoming practice this Sunday, compared to a regular 25 to 30 members show−up during the past year, they said.
They will also need a significantly larger amount of money if they are to participate in the upcoming Quidditch World Cup on Nov. 13th in New York City. Entrance fees alone are $200, Levine said, and that does not include two−way transportation or lodging for the players.
Still, the team is hopeful.
"There will be at least 50 teams there, so we definitely want to go no matter what," Boxer said.
To raise extra money, the team has held T−shirt and bake sales. Although they were fairly successful, Boxer admitted that the funds are not enough to finance expenses, let alone equipment. Their brooms, for example, run from $10 to $15, and they have had to spend $100 for Quidditch goals made of PVC pipes from hardware stores.
In comparison, Harvard University, Middlebury College and Emerson Colleges have their own intramural Quidditch leagues with official regulation brooms (which cost $40) and jersey uniforms, all financed by their respective schools, Boxer said.
Looking forward, Levine and Boxer have high hopes for the team. They will continue to work to get funding despite its difficulties.
"Hopefully, Harry Potter Society will get more money, and hopefully we can find a way to stay and operate under TCU," Boxer said. "But either way, we'll do the best we can for the team."
