The Senate’s recent approval of the men’s ice hockey team’s request of approximately $4,500 for helmets, gloves, and pants should be applauded.
Hockey players themselves provide for all of the other necessary equipment such as skates and sticks out of pocket, and deserve at least partial funding, being a club sport at UR.
It is also an issue of safety, and for this money should not be withheld. The Students’ Association made a fair decision in allowing the team at least the necessary safety gear for the game to be played.
At the same time, Senate should be cautious about how it allocates Students’ Association funds. This request is a very large sum coming early in the academic year. As a result, when the year draws to a close many groups will find themselves in the red and needing additional funding. Consequently, with the limited SA budget being distributed in large lump quantities, there may be nothing left. Both the supplemental and the equipment fund exist for additional unforeseen needs by SA organizations.
With constant stretches of the supplemental pool and relatively comfortable amounts remaining for the equipment fund, the Students Association Appropriations Committee should perhaps devote attention to where funds are needed most, and where they can best supply clubs with needed extra money if and when situations arise. A part of the issue can also be solved if Senate amends their current procedures for recognizing new clubs as well. The current volume of new clubs has lead to a noticeable redundancy. It may make more fiscal sense if those groups were consolidated and the resulting extra funding placed back into the general group funds.
Overall, the issue of Senate appropriations must be approached with diligence and prudence. The limited funding must be redistributed in measured amounts, insuring fair monetary support of each and every group.
