Chalk dust billows in the air as Sam Gleeson slaps his hands together. He walks through the cloud as he approaches the wall, his eyes scanning the rough surface from floor to ceiling. The first hold, a "sloper," is just within reach. He inhales sharply as his finger tips press into the surface and pulls himself upward.
From the floor, Talia Karim coaches Gleeson up the wall. She cranes her neck to find the holds that he can't see and to keep him on the correct route.
"The blue one to the right--just about three inches or so from your hand," she says. "Yep, that's it. You're there."
The climbing shoes on Karim's feet are tattered and worn. As a sixth-year member of the University of Kansas Rock Climbing club (K.U.R.C.), Karim has grown accustomed to the "hand-me-down" quality of the gear. Karim, who will graduate with a Ph.D this spring, will be one of the last members to endure the aging equipment.
Sam Gleeson, Lawrence senior, prepares his rope and
harness for an ascent on Enchanted Rock in Austin, TX.
The Rock Climbing Club traveled to Austin for its spring
break trip in 2008. Will Pass, the club's president, said
that any extra money left over from the budget increase
would be dedicated to funding larger climbing trips like these.
(photo courtesy of Sam Gleeson)
Starting this fall, K.U.R.C. will receive a budget increase that triples its original allowance. Previously, the club's budget was $1,500 per year. In August, it will increase to $4,500 per year. Sharayah Stitt, club treasurer, said the money would be extremely helpful to improving the quality of the club's activities.
"It's a huge bonus for us," she said. "We've definitely had some shortages with so many more people joining this year."
Last fall, the climbing club doubled its membership from 30 members to 60 members. This surge of newcomers made K.U.R.C. the largest club on campus, and it was a major factor to qualify the club for the budget increase.
Will Pass, K.U.R.C. president, was responsible for getting more people involved. His efforts during the fall led to the drastic membership increase. Pass said that most of the advertising was spread by "word of mouth." In addition, the creation of a new website for K.U.R.C., with updated information and professional imagery, made the club more accessible to interested students.
"We kept it really chill--no pressure or anything," he said. "People would come to the climbing wall and we'd just talk to them and get them interested in going on trips and learning to climb."
Jason Krone, associate director of KU recreation services, said that the system used to distribute budget money from the university rewarded this kind of effort. The budget money, which comes from student fees ($3 per semester per student) totals to $143,000. Every March, the Sport Club Executive Board, made up of five elected student members, decides the allocated budget for each of the 33 club teams.
"This is supposed to be a student-driven, student-run, and student-led program," Krone said. "The officers that are encouraging involvement and activity will be rewarded with a higher budget range."
KU sports club budgets are determined by two factors--the number of members and the amount of money they raise on their own through fundraising, dues, and donations. Based on these credentials, the clubs are organized into four levels, with Level One having a budget range of $10-20 thousand--the highest possible range of allocated money for clubs.
The University of Kansas sports clubs are distributed into
four levels of allocated income, determined by number of
members and generated income. K.U.R.C., which has 60
members and $5,895 in generated income, is in Level 2.
K.U.R.C. will be in Level Two, which offers $3,500 to $7,000. To qualify for this level, a club must have 30 members and raise $5,000, at least. Pass said he'd hoped for more than $4,500 since his club had the most members. He said it reflected the Board's general dismissal of K.U.R.C. as a sports club.
"Just because we don't have to worry about entry fees and uniforms doesn't mean we don't have expenses," he said. "We're never going to fit in with the sports clubs because we don't do competitions. We're more into the welcoming, learning environment."
Krone said it was more likely that the board made their decision based on the lack of fund-raising by the climbing club. He said their generated income was one of the lowest of their level. In the last year, K.U.R.C. generated $5,895, compared to the swimming club--also in Level Two--which generated $8,040. In turn, the swimming club has a $6,000 budget.
"We have 33 unique clubs, all who think they are the most important club--as they should," he said. "But this gives us 33 different angles on how the system should work, and not everyone is going to be happy."
For the most part, however, the climbing club is thrilled with the "extra dough." Jake Wolf, the club's vice president, has been climbing for 15 years and has been a climbing club member for six years. He said he was grateful that the board recognized the need for an increase, since the high membership had taken a toll on the club gear. He said the new budget would allow for "much-needed" purchases, like harnesses, ropes and shoes.
K.U.R.C.'s membership doubled in 2008, leading to a
shortage of climbing gear. Jake Wolf, the club's vice
president, said the current supply of gear wouldn't last
much longer. "The stuff we do have is getting over-used
and just worn out," he said. "We need to re-supply to
accommodate everyone." (Photo from http://www.rock-
climbing-for-life.com/images/climbinggear.jpg)
"We can't provide a safe and educating atmosphere if our gear is getting too old," he said. "But we also don't want to make people spend $300 on climbing stuff. For beginners, especially, we'd rather provide that ourselves."
Pass said that the money would be dedicated, first, to buying more club gear. Any money left over would be used for renting vans so that people didn't feel pressure to drive their own cars across the country for climbing trips.
"Our club members should never be limited by lack of gear or transportation," he said. "I want everyone to have the gear to go climbing when they want to go climbing, and that's been my goal all along."
From the floor, Talia Karim coaches Gleeson up the wall. She cranes her neck to find the holds that he can't see and to keep him on the correct route.
"The blue one to the right--just about three inches or so from your hand," she says. "Yep, that's it. You're there."
The climbing shoes on Karim's feet are tattered and worn. As a sixth-year member of the University of Kansas Rock Climbing club (K.U.R.C.), Karim has grown accustomed to the "hand-me-down" quality of the gear. Karim, who will graduate with a Ph.D this spring, will be one of the last members to endure the aging equipment.
Sam Gleeson, Lawrence senior, prepares his rope and
harness for an ascent on Enchanted Rock in Austin, TX.
The Rock Climbing Club traveled to Austin for its spring
break trip in 2008. Will Pass, the club's president, said
that any extra money left over from the budget increase
would be dedicated to funding larger climbing trips like these.
(photo courtesy of Sam Gleeson)
Starting this fall, K.U.R.C. will receive a budget increase that triples its original allowance. Previously, the club's budget was $1,500 per year. In August, it will increase to $4,500 per year. Sharayah Stitt, club treasurer, said the money would be extremely helpful to improving the quality of the club's activities.
"It's a huge bonus for us," she said. "We've definitely had some shortages with so many more people joining this year."
Last fall, the climbing club doubled its membership from 30 members to 60 members. This surge of newcomers made K.U.R.C. the largest club on campus, and it was a major factor to qualify the club for the budget increase.
Will Pass, K.U.R.C. president, was responsible for getting more people involved. His efforts during the fall led to the drastic membership increase. Pass said that most of the advertising was spread by "word of mouth." In addition, the creation of a new website for K.U.R.C., with updated information and professional imagery, made the club more accessible to interested students.
"We kept it really chill--no pressure or anything," he said. "People would come to the climbing wall and we'd just talk to them and get them interested in going on trips and learning to climb."
Jason Krone, associate director of KU recreation services, said that the system used to distribute budget money from the university rewarded this kind of effort. The budget money, which comes from student fees ($3 per semester per student) totals to $143,000. Every March, the Sport Club Executive Board, made up of five elected student members, decides the allocated budget for each of the 33 club teams.
"This is supposed to be a student-driven, student-run, and student-led program," Krone said. "The officers that are encouraging involvement and activity will be rewarded with a higher budget range."
KU sports club budgets are determined by two factors--the number of members and the amount of money they raise on their own through fundraising, dues, and donations. Based on these credentials, the clubs are organized into four levels, with Level One having a budget range of $10-20 thousand--the highest possible range of allocated money for clubs.
The University of Kansas sports clubs are distributed into
four levels of allocated income, determined by number of
members and generated income. K.U.R.C., which has 60
members and $5,895 in generated income, is in Level 2.
K.U.R.C. will be in Level Two, which offers $3,500 to $7,000. To qualify for this level, a club must have 30 members and raise $5,000, at least. Pass said he'd hoped for more than $4,500 since his club had the most members. He said it reflected the Board's general dismissal of K.U.R.C. as a sports club.
"Just because we don't have to worry about entry fees and uniforms doesn't mean we don't have expenses," he said. "We're never going to fit in with the sports clubs because we don't do competitions. We're more into the welcoming, learning environment."
Krone said it was more likely that the board made their decision based on the lack of fund-raising by the climbing club. He said their generated income was one of the lowest of their level. In the last year, K.U.R.C. generated $5,895, compared to the swimming club--also in Level Two--which generated $8,040. In turn, the swimming club has a $6,000 budget.
"We have 33 unique clubs, all who think they are the most important club--as they should," he said. "But this gives us 33 different angles on how the system should work, and not everyone is going to be happy."
For the most part, however, the climbing club is thrilled with the "extra dough." Jake Wolf, the club's vice president, has been climbing for 15 years and has been a climbing club member for six years. He said he was grateful that the board recognized the need for an increase, since the high membership had taken a toll on the club gear. He said the new budget would allow for "much-needed" purchases, like harnesses, ropes and shoes.
K.U.R.C.'s membership doubled in 2008, leading to a
shortage of climbing gear. Jake Wolf, the club's vice
president, said the current supply of gear wouldn't last
much longer. "The stuff we do have is getting over-used
and just worn out," he said. "We need to re-supply to
accommodate everyone." (Photo from http://www.rock-
climbing-for-life.com/images/climbinggear.jpg)
"We can't provide a safe and educating atmosphere if our gear is getting too old," he said. "But we also don't want to make people spend $300 on climbing stuff. For beginners, especially, we'd rather provide that ourselves."
Pass said that the money would be dedicated, first, to buying more club gear. Any money left over would be used for renting vans so that people didn't feel pressure to drive their own cars across the country for climbing trips.
"Our club members should never be limited by lack of gear or transportation," he said. "I want everyone to have the gear to go climbing when they want to go climbing, and that's been my goal all along."
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