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Show THE FORUM - OCTOBER 15 19, 2011 Westminster Scholarship Money by Team 2010 the athletic department, all the way to the finance office, everyone is doing what they can to make athletics work. This raises a new question: are athletics a priority at Westminster? Both Ryan and Wyatt agree on the main reason that Westminster has athletics. Athletics provide a sense of srtooo i ibooco I i r nf- $$QM0 $40 000 - i 41 fatal Scfcoun Ararat oy lumbar of community and presents a way for students to get involved. It brings students to the school, ptayor Ryan said. $20,000 Athletics have been great for enrollment and has exposed the school to people from all over the world, said Wyatt. It adds to campus life, brings energy to the campus, and is positive for the student experience. On top of that Wyatt said Academic success for the athletes is high, in fact the average athletic GPA of 3.1 is slightly higher than the average of the general student body. sentiment However, the is less opstudent athletes among $iooj& i $ucct Wonvent VoJhjyba Woman askittiaA M t nxt Man utt Women i Woman - - As the clouds settle low on the horizon over Dumke Field at the womens soccer game versus Marymount, most of the spectators are huddled close in the stands, their bated breath appear- ing in litde clouds between sips of coffee and coco. Not Jaxon Ben- nion. He usual, as close to the as the referee will allow him. With his signature purple and gold cape and die Westminster W fluttering in the crisp fall breeze behind him, he pauses to join the rest of the crowd for collective sigh of relief, as his mom clears the ball out of danger the end of Dumke field. Unfortunately the feeling of 0 win doesnt keep Brinna Bennion above the problems of for very long. I spend as much time with Jaxon as I can, but its hard be- tween my job, school, and soccer, I just cant afford day care with the way things are right now, and with 20 hours a week of soccer and travel its been a rough year for us, said Bennion. When I was an undergrad 3-- is, as Country Mens the aid I got wasnt very much, only a little over a thousand over a semester, but at least it was some- ' thing, she said. Claire Gentile, a junior who from the department of educa- - came to Westminster for the op- tion, . Westminster College of-- portunity to be a part of the hew fered a grand total of $329,261 in snowboarding team, found her- self in a similar situation. athletically related student aid. This number might seem large Its hard being so excited at first, but when compared to" about coming to live the dream some of Westminsters . biggest that so many people have in high rivals in the- conference, West- - . school being a college athlete minsters getting blown out of and then realizing that because of the water. this or that reason youre not go- For example, look at West- - ing to get any scholarship mon- minsters three biggest confer- - ey, said Gentile. ence rivals: Rocky Mountain The feeling is one that is College, University of Great Falls shared by many of the student- and Carroll College. athletes. Curtis Roberts, a member of Rocky Mountain offered a . total of $2,113,999 in athletically the mens lacrosse team, remem- related student aid. Great Falls bers how things were in the ear- followed up a scholarship her days of the program. Over the past few years we budget of $1,921,961, and Car- roll provided $1,452,425. all had to buy a helmet, sweats, In fact, Westminster finished sticks, etc. It ended up being dead last out of the eleven teams about $400 out of pocket just to that make up the conference. get started, said Roberts. Athletes Pay the Price CrjR Athletics Department in the same boat Athletic Director ' Shay Wyatt reclines in his chair and rubs his tired eyes, offering a better view of his enormous desk. The surface is hardly visible under the dense piles of documents, catalogues, and files: its more than enough to be the work of several people. Our program has grown dra-fie- ld matically over the last few years, We went from just under 100 athletes six years ago, to over 250 this season alone. Weve added Cam Country Woman t bringing out talent and managing the money they get. Even though we lacrosse arent a sanctioned NAIA sport, they still find ways to bring out good players, get us . where we heed to be, and get the job done on the field, said Rob- erts. Curtis Ryan, Westmin- - president of finance, explained the situation: Our athletic programs are self-suporting. We dont get the ticket sales; donors, and resources of a NCAA division one ' school Everything that goes to the teams is part of the schools overarching sters. vice- p- budget. This means that like every other department, the vitality of the athletics department is at the whim of Westminsters extensive and bureaucratic budgeting pro- cess.' Teams put in a budget re- quest every year, which is then lumped into the schools overall budget proposal for the next year. This goes to the president and the budget committee and the allocation of funds is determined from there, said Ryan. Athletics is no different than any other department, cuts are made and the teams do what they can with what they are given, he said. - at Westminster? There is no doubt that from the students, to the coaches, to Lacrosse player Curtis Roberts she will be closer to the $24,000 zone. I can work with the student loans, its something that almost every student has to deal with, Bennion said. The thing that gets to me on the bus rides, or when Im sitting in a hotel room hundreds of miles away from my son, is that had I accepted the scholarship offers player Katy Waldie. limitless. Westminster can only offer them 'a litde money it makes them much more likely to choose another school," said Sadie Young, a sophomore womens soccer player. The teams could use a decent amount of money to help the program build. We spend a lot of time doing what we do, and it would do a lot to make the future of the programs much brighter. Everyone is working as hard as they can, and with a. little more from the school we could take the programs to the next level, said Young. Its Despite her hard work Bennion has accrued $18,000 in student loans. She projects that by the time she finishes her degree that I had discouraging to go head to head against the other teams in our conference when they are so much more money to do the same exact thing were doing here, said senior volleyball When we have the opportunity to get a good player and A Brighter Future Are Athletics a Priority - r gotten at some other schools, I might have been able to get us back on our feet quicker after I graduate, she said. The grandeur of the schools Alonzo W. Watson Jr. Board Room is a stark' contrast to the blood, sweat, and tears that almost every Westminster athlete has left on the courts and fields of the school The- cars that the president, board members, and executive members of the school drive may be more comfortable than the buses Westminster athletes spend most of their weekends on, but when it comes down to it they re all on the same team, Although on paper the schol- -. arships mayjust look like another rt line item on a budget, its thing that means so much more to so many different people, Westminsters athletic teams have long upheld a tradition of excellence both on the field and on the classroom without the nandal support they need but the possibilities of what they could do with more funding are timistic. - s'A - some-suppo- For now, thoughts of scholarships and funding are just a dream to most student athletes, but for some like Bennion its one worth holding on to. Frontier Conference Athletically Related Student Aid Rankings 2010 teams, facilities, programs, and coaches on a budget that is sig-- a nificantly lower than any top 25 program in the NAIA, said Wy-fro- m att. The difference at Westmin-- a ster is that we get a great return on our investment, he contin-reali- ty ued, with the same swagger in his voice as a proud parent. For instance, most of our coaches are part-tim- e employees, but they go above and beyond because they love what they do, Wyatt said, The athletes are quick to agree with Wyatts diagnosis: Our coaches do an amazing job of I Montana State UnerKy Northern Umvmrty A Montana Wettern Montane tech Souttrern Oregon Untruty UfttaKHty Eastern CXtfoa Unery WtMtmmtfer Cottage O' |