The Student Government Association’s Allocations Committee did something fantastic this weekend. Aside from making it through the arduous process of sifting through piles upon piles of budget requests, it did something fairly unprecedented.
It gave Loyola’s Crew team nearly $20,000. That was far greater than that of any other organization on campus.
There was definitely a practical reason for providing this money to Loyola Crew.
The crew team desperately needed it in order to replace their boats that were rendered useless when they were destroyed by a fallen tree limb.
But practicality aside, I believe there is a greater issue at hand.
There is a greater message instilled in the decision to equip the team with the means to purchase new boats.
And I believe the greater message is geared towards Loyola athletics and our administration.
By choosing to fund a club sport with not one or two, but $20,000, SGA sends a very prominent message: The student body is calling out for a more established athletics department.
We are ready and receptive to the idea of an athletics department that we can once again be proud of.
We are ready to revisit our tradition of greatness and glory by providing our students with an athletics program that will inspire us to cheer on our fellow students rather than make them the butt of jokes.
I’m not saying that all of our athletics are lackluster.
Some sports have been doing rather well, such as volleyball and track, but I believe we should be striving for a more complete program, with sports and athletes that we can fully stand behind, rather than simply picking the one that isn’t doing as poorly as the others.
And where does that solution lie? This answer is easy.
That solution lies in the support from our administration and from our student body.
The student body, through SGA, has clearly made the statement, has clearly flown the banner: Loyola should recognize its promise as a competitive athletic force and foster that.
SGA has recognized Loyola’s ability to do so by providing the money and support for crew. By doing so, SGA and its Allocations Committee took a giant leap this weekend by giving crew what it needs to make itself a powerful entity on campus.
This leap can only be followed by one of equal or greater measure.
Other departments on campus must meet this charge with equal vigor and vivacity if we are to be considered a serious competitive force.
Jesuit ideals call for rigor and the development of all talents. How can an athlete’s talents be developed if there is little support from the “powers that be”?
How are they going to bring more prestige to our university and respect for themselves if they can only question what they will return home to?
Will there be at least one person in the university who knows what happened, or will there be a veritable homecoming, welcoming our fellow students with open arms and a pat on the back?
The former is, in my eyes, intolerable. We must support sports at this school to fulfill at least part of the mission of this school.
To do otherwise is to say to our athletes and coaches that their efforts are in vain.
