Several Student Union officials have formed an unofficial committee in an effort to explore additional sources of funding for club sports on campus, Senator for the Class of 2008 Noah Haber said. The informal committee was formed in conjunction with the Student Union's complete investigation into club funding.The officials, among whom are Union Vice President Jacob Kim '06 and Union Treasurer Nick Freeman '07, are working toward a proposal that would explore alternate sources of funding for the 42 student athletic clubs that currently receive funding from the Finance Board.

But it is unclear how the proposal would plan to find the necessary funds and what procedure the proposal would need to undergo for passage, but senators say they hope to eventually have club sports funded through the athletics department.

The F-Board distributes approximately 38 percent of the Student Activities Fee, an approximately $1 million pot formed by one percent of students' tuition. SAF accounts for nearly all funding of student groups, and is distributed according to the Union constitution.

Club sports receive almost half of F-Board allocations some semesters, according to a review of F-Board requests over the past two years, but most club sports leaders agree that this amount is still insufficient to provide adequate equipment, instruction and facilities.

Haber, a member of Tron, the Ultimate Frisbee club, spearheaded the informal committee. Of the five member committee, four play on club sports teams.

"Club sports are not getting what they deserve through the sources that are available to them right now," Haber said.

But because the F-Board is responsible for funding over 200 chartered groups, it is unlikely it would be able to expand its funding of club sports.

"There's no real chance for [club sports] to get more money from the F-Board because we have no more money to give them," Finance Board member Harrison Chizik '07 said. "There could only potentially be more money coming from other sources that are not the Finance Board."

So Haber says the proposal will look to the athletics department to provide more for club sports.

But Assistant Athletics Director for Recreation/Club/Intramural Tom Rand said the department's budget is fixed, and there is little he can do for club sports.

"Club sports are not officially part of Athletics," Rand said. "We have no money in our budget allocated for club sports, so if they write a proposal under the current structure, the answer will have to be, 'We can't fund you.'"

Rand said in the current system in which clubs are funded by the Union makes it hard to do much for the groups.

"My title is misleading, because all I can really provide for them is field and facility space and information on other sports-related things. I cannot provide money for them," Rand said.

Still, Haber said club sports deserve attention from the department. He said the committee is working with Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy to form the proposal, but any increase in departmental budgets must be requested through the University Budgets office, and Eddy could not be reached for comment at press time.

"The goal is to help Athletics recognize club sports as another avenue for athletics," Haber said.

Haber, Freeman, Kim, Union Director of Social Affairs Edgar Ndjatou '06 and Massell Quad Senator Jacob Bockelman '09 make up the unofficial committee. Haber also coordinates the Club Liaison Program, which serves to foster communication between club leaders and the Union.

Though the committee is unofficial at this point and is still in the first stages of creating a proposal, members expect a draft of the proposal to be ready by the end of the semester and to meet with Athletics at the beginning of next semester.

Both Rand and Haber agree that the quality of intramural sports has increased dramatically in the past year, and that club sports seem like the next problem to address. But Rand says some problems won't go away.

"There is constantly a lack of space and groups fighting to use that space," Rand said. "The problems of space aren't going to go away. But as far as other problems for club sports, like traveling, risk management, on equipment problems, those could be alleviated with a change in the structure.