CU Boulder Alpine club e mail

Sent to: jamfan2@yahoo.com at the CU Boulder Alpine CLub

Hey Jeff,
I was wondering if you could pass this on to anyone in your club that may be able to answer/help(....or maybe you yourself could) on the issue of administrative control.

My name is Jessica Logan, I am the outgoing President of the Syracuse University Outing Club (SUOC). We are a completely student run club and have been around since 1935...the second oldest outing club in the country after Dartmouth I believe (student leaders, student help positions, trips just for the students). The relationships that are built within our club are life long and we hold strong ties with our alumni. Activities within SUOC include horizontal and vertical caving, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountain biking, back packing, bonsai sledding, white water kaying and canoeing, flatwater canoeing, x-c skiing and of the occasional mo-fo family camping trip.

In the 70 years that this club has been around there has only been a few deaths (the last in the 60's), very few injuries and absolutely no legal issues. As with many other outing clubs around the country we have also had our run-ins with the university administration. It first happened in the 70's when they tried to move us around and push us into other groups. About 5 years ago a new head of the school's Recreation Services locked our Equipment Room (and changed the keys) on us without letting us know. (We have approximately $200,000 worth of gear accumulated from over the years). Within the past year an Outdoor Education program has been started under Rec Services and suddenly we were told that we should move from being under the "control" of the Student Association and move to be a club sport under Rec Services. Of course this made us all weary that this was the first step in being sucked into their outdoor ed program and ultimately be lost forever.

2 weeks ago, the Student Association was allocating all the funding for the past year. SUOC is in the top 4 funded groups on campus. When our bill came up (we were being allocated $29,000 for the year....the most we have ever gotten) the Dean of Student Affairs motioned to put our bill on the table as we should be a club sport and not under the Student Association....apparently it was already in the working, without us knowing at all. First of all, as an administrator, he does not have a right to make a motion in the student government, second of all, his motion was shot down and our budget was passed anyway.

So, we have since met numerous times with the administration, rec services and held personal club meetings discussing this. From what started as a fear of a Rec Services "take-over" has since turned into a fight for our rights as students. We are given vague answers for this move; primarily because of Risk Managment of course, but at the same time, we are told that risk management would be the same where-ever we are placed. We were also told that ultimately, SUOC and the student body would not have a say in the decisions that affect a strong student run club that has managed fine under the "rule' of the student government for as long as it has been around.

So where this brings you guys in....I was just wondering what kind of structure your club has and if you have had any problems with the administration like this. When looking for grad schools last summer I came across your page and instantly fell in love with your club because it looked like something that could possibly resemble the amazing structure that we have spent so long forming here in Syracuse. But I also noticed such things like the picture of Steve Southard drinking what looks like a bottle of good-ol' whiskey or something delicous along those lines. Granted the lable isn't showing, and the university cant prove anything, but administrators can be dicks if they want to and still make a deal out of it...of course I also noticed CU Boulder also has a "legalize it" club or somethign like that.....ha, maybe New York is just too uptight!

Wow, I realize that this is a really long e mail and that there is a lot of information, even though I feel like there is a lot more that i could give you to make the picture more clear. Ultimately, I just wanted to see if you have run into any of the same problems, or know of other clubs that have. The relationships, leadership skills and memories are what has made my college days what they are. I wouldnt be anything near the person I am today if it werent for the things I learned in the past 4 years in SUOC. We cant let the administration take the students voices away from them and tell them how to run their student clubs.

Thank you so much for your time. Again, sorry this was so long!
Jessica Logan
SU Outing Club President