In May of 2017, CUF had an opportunity to meet with various stakeholders, who care and support D-1 Ultimate at Carleton. Attendees included representatives from Carleton AAF, Carleton Athletic Department, Current Syzygy and CUT captains, Syzygy alumni, and CUF Board members. This meeting was extremely positive. First, it was important for all stakeholders to get transparency on all the various efforts to support the teams. Through this discussion, a number of key priorities were identified – some of these were being reiterated, and some are new:
While restricted gifts or targeted gifts are welcome through either CUF or through the College, we all need to encourage support for the college via AAF or CAI. The Athletic Director’s commitment and responsibility to ensure equitable support for Syzygy and CUT. Yes, this is important for Title IX compliance, but is also in line with Carleton’s values. The current team treasurers and the Club Sports director would benefit from knowing up front, as much as possible, all the dollars that may come to the teams from various sources, so that they can plan the season’s “out of pocket” expenses better. Easier and earlier access to committed funds by the teams would also be preferable, so that individuals are not “floating” expenses with their personal accounts, while they wait for reimbursement.
Additionally, the college recognized the positive impact that an alumni organized group like CUF could have for Syzygy and CUT, and that gifts through CUF for the benefit of CUT and Syzygy are a viable avenue to support the teams directly. This new understanding of the college’s recognition for CUF has opened new opportunities to support both teams. At the CUF Annual Meeting the following day, the CUF Board publicly declared to make equitable contributions to Syzygy and CUT for the 2017-2018 Season. This commitment is predicated on the hope and belief that if the collective D1 frisbee alumni community pools our resources, we can leverage that total set of resources to support both teams. So, why give through CUF? We are working through the logistics and timing of how CUF makes the gift through the college and to the teams. But, we believe that getting most alumni giving through a common channel, the resulting transparency will address the following priorities: 1) making it easier for the Athletic department to track equity 2) Teams will be able to plan the season knowing how much support up front they will have from CUF 3) Contribution by CUF to Carleton will allow the access to funds at the right times by the teams. Additionally, giving through CUF eliminates the unknown and variability of timing of gifts to the teams.
Our request: Give to the AAF and CAI, which will support Carleton and Club Sports in general (and get credit for your class gift!). And if you want to support CUT and/or Syzygy directly, giving through CUF will show the power and uniqueness of our frisbee community!
Division-1 College Ultimate has become an expense sport to play. The average cost per player per season is over $7000 per year. The college provides some of the most support for their men’s and women’s ultimate teams, contribution 51% to cover these costs. The remaining must be covered by fundraising, alumni support, and out of players or parent’s pockets. Your gift to CUF will help make a difference!
Carleton Ultimate Fund 