Caltech Penalized By NCAA

[xiggi]

This is at a school where we got new gloves for our intramural softball league for the first time in over five years (many of our old ones had the stitching coming out of the webbing so if you tried to catch a fly ball properly you'd lose an eye). In exchange our season had to be shortened from eight games to seven.

Are there rules that preclude athletes to purchase their INDIVIDUAL equipment? Aren't gloves like shoes for soccer players?

Call me naive, but I do not think that many schools cover soccer shoes for their intramural playing students, or softball gloves.

[Erin's Dad]

I totally missed that was intramurals before. Intramural sports participants should be outfitted by themselves. They're not representing the college.

[joszacem]

^ if its part of student life and it encourages physical activity and physical fitness it should be supported by the college. Interhouse athletics are a huge part of their house system that encourage friendly competition between the houses. I see nothing wrong with the college purchasing new gloves for softball or a set of frisbies for a game of Ultimate or a new basketball hoop every so often.

[soccerguy315]

I totally missed that was intramurals before. Intramural sports participants should be outfitted by themselves. They're not representing the college.

just like only the students in art history should have their money go to supporting the art history department, right?

[Erin's Dad]

^ Is that the best comparison you can make? Intramurals are NOT part of college graduation requirements. Colleges fund NCAA sports programs. At the next level down some colleges fund club sports programs while others do not. Intramurals are below that. If a college chooses to fund intramurals, they can do that with their money. But in my mind you need to buy your own intramural gear.

[eireann]

Not all NCAA division 1 teams get everything paid for by the college. I'm surprised intramural sports would expect to, to be honest.

[joszacem]

^ I don't think RR said they expected the school to purchase them anything he said it was nice they got new gloves. I also think that anyone complaining has two matters of recourse; don't send your kids to Caltech and don't donate them any money (I guess a third is to complain about a place you have never been to and know little about). They are a private institution that has the option of spending their endowment how they want. (I am personally going to send a donation with a note that I would like it to go towards interhouse/intramural athletics.)

Perhaps more schools need to support intramural athletics, god knows we are not exactly skinny as a nation.

Considering how many kids are clamoring to get in I think they will survive this 'scandal'.

[soccerguy315]

^ Is that the best comparison you can make? Intramurals are NOT part of college graduation requirements. Colleges fund NCAA sports programs. At the next level down some colleges fund club sports programs while others do not. Intramurals are below that. If a college chooses to fund intramurals, they can do that with their money. But in my mind you need to buy your own intramural gear.

that's fine, but colleges fund lots of things that aren't part of the graduation requirement... and if you only want students to pay for what they use, that is fine as well, but then it should apply to academics also. That's all I'm saying.

[RacinReaver]

I actually like the idea that schools shouldn't fund IM sports, yet they should build million-dollar stadiums, climbing walls, and other extravagant amenities for athletics otherwise.

As a note, the equipment used for IM sports are, I believe, also used for the athletic classes offered by the school. Physical education classes are a requirement for graduation, so if you want to only spend money on graduation requirements, then you do have that.