Hockey Budget Falls Through the Ice

The cuts the hockey team will face in its budget next year may have repercussions for members in the years to come.

Hockey is an extremely expensive sport. A lot of money goes into maintaining the equipment and rink, but it was the issue of transportation costs (around $10,000) that caused contention among SGA members.

While the club asks for at least $30,000 a year, around 25 percent of the SGA's budget, the way it's used seems to be the problem for SGA members.

The team's advisor, Associate Dean Jonathan Davis, explained that the transportation issue isn't one that can be easily resolved. The proposed issue of using school buses is seemingly an unsolvable one, since all local schools have fully-booked schedules with their own sports teams in the winter.

Moreover, using the school vans presents a safety issue considering the fact that the team often travels as late as 2 a.m. in bad weather, and would have to have a student driver. According to Davis, the price for a chartered bus isn't significantly more than for a school bus and is more accessible, making it a preferred option despite the price.

This isn't to say that the club as a whole doesn't understand the budget cuts. Davis and senior player Andrew Saltarella both acknowledged their understanding about the difficulty with club financing, although Saltarella voiced his concern over the fact that alternate modes of transportation weren't more researched before being brought up.

SGA President Nick Russo made clear that the cuts weren't some sort of personal vendetta, and were less about the SGA's financial resources and more about concern over the transportation issue.

Saltarella, despite the fact that he will be graduating this year, has some concerns about the future of the club. With the proposed cuts, the $250 dues paid each season by members would rise to twice as much, or more, per season.

"Some players who could afford the two-fifty won't be able to afford five or seven hundred," he said.

Each competitive player on the team pays for his own equipment, which amounts to hundreds of dollars in gear and $100-200 for each stick, as well as $250 in dues each season and any food or other expenses incurred while traveling.