Mariano: Athletics budgets same for men's, women's sports

Refuting the belief that men's athletic teams receive a higher percentage of funds than women's teams, the athletic budget shows that gender is not taken into account when determining the budget for athletic teams, according to Norwich University's athletic director.

"I'm going to give women's basketball the same budget I am going to give men's basketball because their needs are similar," said Tony Mariano, athletic director.

When it comes to budgeting, it has never been a matter of male or female but what needs those teams possess, Mariano said. In the case of basketball, both teams have the same equipment demands. They need basketballs, uniforms and shoes.

When it comes to other men's and women's teams, like lacrosse, this is not the case. Their equipment needs are different. Men's lacrosse has helmets, playing sticks and shoulder pads, women's has only goggles and playing sticks. So in this situation the funding is going to be slightly higher for men.

"We're going to provide those participants with similar funding based on what we need to run the program," said Amanda Cuiffo, associate athletic director.

However, even though the women's lacrosse team has less funding, it does not feel short changed, players said.

"I have never felt like we were treated unfairly compared to our two (lacrosse) teams," said Jill Balasco, 20, a junior criminal justice major from Barrington, R.I. "I feel that we get the same treatment."

But when breaking the money down, equipment is not the only thing that is factored into teams' budgets. Other expenses include transportation, officials, food and coaches, for which every team receives the same amount of money.

"Transportation is always the same in terms of what it would cost us, the meal money is the same $4 for breakfast, $6 for lunch, and $8 for dinner," Cuiffo said. "So it's pretty standardized and then it's just based on the number of sports participants."

But aside from the school's system of dividing the athletic budget money, there is also a document that, according to the Department of Education's website (http://ope.ed.gov/athletics), requires Title IX funded schools (schools that participate in federal student aid programs) to submit a report that states participation, staffing, and revenues and expenses. It is called the Equity Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA).This document was created to let the public see there is no discrimination within their institution. Every EADA form is the same and every school's athletic department is required to submit their information.

"We are required to complete the report and we are required to make it public," Cuiffo said.

But this document is only another aspect of how NU receives money for athletic teams. Norwich has an organization called the Maroon and Gold Athletic Association which overlooks teams' fundraising.

"We are the umbrella organization over all the teams' fundraising activities," said Mike Stackus, Maroon and Gold Coordinator at Norwich.

The organization gives money to teams to support a fundraising activity, for example, the women's lacrosse team's athletic trip to Florida.

"We helped out the women's lacrosse team. They were raffling off a TV last year to raise funds for their spring break trip," Stackus said. "We purchased the TV out of our fund so that they could profit from it. The money was returned after the raffle, but having the money there allows us to help with sales and be more flexible."

The alumni are also a big aspect within the Maroon and Gold Association. Some alumni want to donate money to certain teams while others choose to donate to athletics in general.

"There are people who want to support the team they played for, and that's great," Stackus said. "Other people just want to support all the teams."

The Maroon and Gold Athletic Association helps any team in need, no matter what that need may be.

The same goes for the Athletic Department in general. Every year the budget is reviewed and revised accordingly, to help teams be successful, according to Cuiffo.

"Every budget is reviewed every year and the athletic director is able to put in request for overall increases," Cuiffo said. "Every once in a while we will get the opportunity for bigger items, such as a team may need a new scoreboard."