The Student Government Association (SGA) convened in the Charles Commons Multipurpose Room on Tuesday to discuss the Hopkins Club Championship Reserve Fund and co-sponsoring a Leap Year Gala with the Residential Advisory Board (RAB). Junior Adelaide Morphett was also sworn in as a member of the Junior Class Council.
The Hopkins Club Championship Reserve Fund would guarantee that if a club earns the chance to represent Hopkins on the national level at a championship, the club will receive funds to attend. The proposed bill passed unanimously with no nays or abstentions.
Sophomore Class President Anna Du said there had been a proposal to obtain formal SGA support.
Sophomore Aaron Lawrence explained that sports clubs at Hopkins are underfunded, with only $1,300 to split among 30 clubs, which often leads to high out-of-pocket costs for members. He described how members of his water polo club team had to pay approximately $350 to play during the year. Had they made it to the national championship competition in California, they would have been unable to afford the trip.
“If any team does well enough to earn a national championship, they should not be told they can’t go because of money,” Lawrence said. “That’s not what we want to have.”
Du said that not only does this lack of funding affect sports clubs, it affects any other student organization that competes at the national level.
Limitations would include obtaining approval of attendance. The fund would be capped to prevent waste, and at any time, one club can take at most 50 percent.
An initial grant of $250 would come from the Office of Student Athletics, $250 from alumni, $2,000 from the Office of Student Life and $500 from SGA.
“There’s a big focus on varsity athletics, but club sports are where so many students get involved. I think it’s truly wrong to rob them of the ability to go to a national championship just because they succeeded, and we don’t feel like showing them the cash,” SGA Executive President Jack Bartholet said. “What I love about this proposal is that it engages all aspects of the University. It engages recreation and student life. I love the symbolism behind this. This is a one-time injection of SGA money to say that we really support your ideas, that we really support school unity.”
Du said the Office of Student Life would sustain the continuous funding of the fund and that it is important for the SGA to support the bill in order to show its commitment to student activities.
Members of the RAB executive board proposed a Leap Year Gala. It would feature swing dance lessons from the Hopkins Ballroom Dance Club, light snacks and mocktails and professional live music by the Olney Big Band.
RAB president Victorio Lorenzo said that RAB would handle advertising the event, securing room reservations and booking the band but needed financial backing from SGA.
RAB can at most provide $400 toward the event, but needs another $600 to pay for the performance of the swing band.
Senior Class Senator Max Wilde argued against contributing $600, contending that the limit should be $500.
Junior Class Senator Liam Haviv agreed.
“I think it’s a good event, but I just caution everyone to be wary that the reason for allocating funds, the reason we have so many funds, is that our funds are only going to last so long,” Haviv said. “And as long as we keep helping groups [with money], it’s not going to sustain.”
Junior Class Senator Matt Brown disagreed, saying that the use of SGA funds is to contribute to the sense of community and school spirit.
“We’re talking about school unity. I went to Yale this weekend, and everyone at that school was so united, and that’s something we struggle with at Hopkins,” Brown said. “My concern is that if we don’t want to fund events that contribute to our school community... what are we striving for?”
The bill to contribute $500 to the Leap Year Gala passed with five nays.
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