This spring, some at SUNY New Paltz students became used to the poor weather conditions that plagued the area during April. But on March 16 and 17, these conditions saw the destruction of one of the school athletic fields.
According to the Advisor to Club Sports Joe Deck, the fields were left in bad shape after a tournament that the school’s Ultimate Frisbee Club Team held on campus. It had been raining the night before and the field was not in good condition to play on.
Council of Organizations Chair Shayna Bentley said that due to the cleats that the Ultimate Frisbee players wear during matches, the muddy field was more prone to being torn up and left for damage over the course of the weekend.
Both Deck and Bentley are looking to improve communications between departments and to ensure that something like this will not happen again. The two have been talking about improving communication between all clubs on campus.
“Shayna and I have talked about having joint meetings/workshops to better educate club presidents so they can more effectively run their clubs,” said Deck. “We are looking to make sure that both the Athletics, Wellness and Recreation Department and SA are always on the same page.”
According to Bentley, these club meetings will include herself, Deck, Student Association (SA) Vice President of Finance Youssouf Kouyo and “possibly” Director of Student Activities and Union Services Mike Patterson.
“The meetings will be monthly,” said Bentley. “We want to have these meetings just to kind of keep in touch with all of the clubs, you know? It isn’t just for a certain group.”
The communication between Bentley and Deck has focused on making sure that groups stay in good standing and that different organizations can stay in better contact with one another. Bentley said that club sports usually don’t use the Student Union and that having Joe Deck will encompass all clubs on campus.
“With the four of us, we can have all groups on campus and we’re not just targeting club sports,” said Bentley. “We’re doing this so that everyone can know what is going on.”
Deck said these meetings will improve communications between departments so that nobody can benefit from the mishaps of a club that is not within the department.
“If a club is in bad standing with either department both departments are aware of this and will not be able to reap the benefits of the other,” said Deck.
Deck also said, in reference to club sports, this type of communication would improve all aspects including, “travel and safety, fundraising, conflict resolutions, transition of leadership, marketing, recruitment and retention and a few more.”
Bentley and Deck said they are planning to start these meetings next year, and are hoping these communications between the two of them will improve all clubs on campus for years to come. Bentley said these communications will bring all clubs closer and make them able to benefit from one another.