A lack of adequate resources has left the fate of a proposed women's club volleyball team up in the air.
Tessa Churchill '11, who submitted the club's constitution and 20 signatures of interested students to the Department of Athletics last spring, said her request was rejected due to a lack of funds, resources and court space.
Assistant Director of Athletics Matthew Tsimikas said his department's responsibility is to meet the needs of existing clubs before accommodating new ones.
"It would not be fair or responsible to our current club sports to take on new ones," Tsimikas said of the reason behind the rejection, citing concerns about providing transportation, health and safety measures and adequate oversight for the new team.
He said though the University has the third-largest sports program in the country, it has limited facilities and only one volleyball court.
Tsimikas said he did not know whether the women's club volleyball team will be established, but added that he intends to meet with other administrators this semester to discuss the department's ability to support emerging club sports.
Churchill, who played volleyball throughout high school, said she has been trying to start the club since her first semester
at Brown.
She said she wanted to continue playing at a level more competitive than intramural, without the pressures of a varsity sport.
After coordinating and discussing possible competitive leagues with other players, Churchill said she drafted a constitution detailing the club's needs. She calculated the costs of entering three tournaments, travel logistics and necessary equipment. Though her budget amounted to $1,560, she said she considered adjusting the cost to account for fundraising efforts and equipment she would be able to provide, which brought the number to $820.
But Churchill said the athletics department told her the club could not rely on her equipment because her equipment would not support the group after her graduation.
Though her initial efforts to start the team were not successful, Churchill said she is determined to try again.
Currently, she plays on two intramural volleyball teams, one of which she started herself. The teams allow her to play the sport she loves and find other players interested in the club team, she said.
She said she hasn't worked on starting the team this year because of the University's financial woes, but intends to submit her request again soon.
"It would definitely be nice to have some sort of support for the team," Churchill said.
