ASUCD President Jack Zwald recently vetoed a potential ballot initiative that would give undergraduate representatives the final say in the school’s intercollegiate athletic (ICA) spending.
The initiative was proposed by Zachary Hansen, a former member of the recently cut men’s swimming and diving team. If approved, it would have created an 11-member committee, which would determine if the administration was allocating athletic funds in the students’ best interest.
Zwald made the right decision. Currently, the Campus Unions and Recreation Board (CURB), an eight-member group composed of undergraduates and graduates, meets monthly to oversee ICA spending – essentially the same thing the committee in the initiative would have done. There is no need to increase the already redundant budget-making system.
However, there needs to be a louder student voice when it comes to ICA spending.
Part of the school’s ICA funds comes from student fees, so there should be a group of students that have a part in the budget-making process. This committee should not, however, have the final vote. This concluding decision should lie in the hands of those whose job it is to oversee UC Davis athletics.
Evidenced by the elimination of four sports last spring, there are important ICA issues students should have a say in. CURB can be that voice.
Rather than creating another committee with similar intentions to that of CURB – as the vetoed initiative would have done – ASUCD should allocate its resources to ensure that CURB’s voice is as loud as it can be.
