Editorial: Pitt and club sports should communicate better

Not all sports teams are created equal — at least according to Pitt. Not all sports teams are created equal — at least according to Pitt.

The Pitt News has previously reported that the University will not allow club sports teams to compete on varsity athletic fields. But even worse? It won’t specifically state the reason for its refusal.

Pitt claims the “varsity-use only” rule was established before the Petersen Sports Complex — the home of the new baseball, softball and soccer fields — broke ground, but that’s all it has divulged. We’d like to know a little bit more. Who proposed and agreed upon these terms, and why does the University take this particular stance?

The real acidic part of this situation is the sheer lack of communication between the University and its students. We just want to know why Pitt’s facilities are restricted, and we want students’ questions to be answered. A discussion between club representatives and the Athletic Department is supposedly in the works, and we think that conversation needs to happen sooner rather than later.

As we’ve said before, Pitt could afford to be a little more transparent. It should at least respect its students — who pay to be here — enough to give them fair and honest answers.

Students pay to keep club sports afloat. The Student Activity Fee, a mandatory charge for all non-College of General Studies students, goes to the Student Government Board, which often allocates that same — read: students’ — money for club sports’ transportation. This needlessly depletes funds and is essentially a preventable expense, considering the teams have fields on campus they could use at virtually no cost.

It’s unlikely that maintenance would become an issue, considering club sports’ requests for infrequent use of the fields. It just makes sense to give club teams the resources that sit right in front of them, at least with proper negotiation and organization. We think varsity teams should get precedence over club teams, but we also think the fields should get as much use as possible. Pitt’s facilities are for its students after all, right?

And if the club sports teams are asking too much, the University needs to articulate why, simply and coherently.