SGA increases funding for fields

The Student Activities Budget Committee voted on Sept. 26, to officially allot one percent of all student fees to go towards intramural field maintenance. The one percent figure set aside will produce approximately $10,000 annually in revenue to fund the maintenance of those fields.

The student activities fee accrues one million dollars in revenue annually. The SABC deposits 10 percent of that money into a savings account and disperses 45 percent of those funds to Campus Life, six percent to the Give Center, eight percent  to SGA, six percent  to the Campus Activities Board, one percent to intramural field maintenance, and the remaining 24 percent is to be shared amongst various registered student organizations (RSO’s) on campus.

In the past there were no funds set aside for the upkeep of the intramural fields. Zach Mullins, SGA President, said any money that was previously used to maintain the fields was taken out of the Campus Life budget.

“What we decided to do was to remove the burden of maintaining those fields from that budget in campus life and create (the intramural fields) their own budget,” Mullins said. “So that’s that one percent, equates about $10,000 dollars annually to fund the maintenance of those fields, which is very realistic and conservative for what needs to be done to those fields.”

Eighty games are played on each of the four fields every month, which has caused obvious wear and tear to the field surfaces.

There is a noticeable lack of grass, exposed rocks and boulders and plastic netting, which was previously laid down below the sod, surfacing.

Bert Rosenberger, coordinator of recreational sports, said he is thankful for the money SGA has provided them for field maintenance.

“(It) is going to help the condition of the fields, but its not going to be what we would like it to be,” Rosenberger said. “As long as we’re playing as much as we’re playing on the fields, they’re not going to be able to be at the level that we want. We can get them up to a safer level, but you know as far as walking out to the fields and feeling like your on Turner Field it’s just not going to be there.”

Susan Daniels, grounds superintendent, says that the money that has been set forth is a good start to improve the conditions of the fields.

“Ten thousand is not a lot of money, believe me, not for that kind of space,” Daniels said. “It’s a start, I think it’s a good start, you have to start somewhere. Every penny we will stretch to the maximum to get as much for our money and the ground department does that really well, stretching our money and trying to do it right.”

Posted by Lauren Davidson on Nov 11 2010. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.