Hillsdale College boasts a diverse array of unfunded club sports.
These athletic groups serve as more than just avenues for physical fitness. They also serve as crucibles for instilling core values like teamwork, leadership, and discipline in the student body. The need to ensure the continued flourishing of these club sports becomes evident in the need for financial backing from the Student Federation.
The Student Federation’s mission statement says it exists to “allocate student fees for the purpose of improving campus life; to approve of and regulate student clubs, organizations, and honoraries.” If that’s the case, why are many of the club sports on the campus lacking student federation funding? From equipment to uniforms, these teams need a lot of money, and they need to function properly for their purpose to be fulfilled.
Club sports serve as training grounds for the cultivation of essential leadership and teamwork skills. Students who embrace leadership roles as captains or club presidents are bestowed with invaluable abilities that will undoubtedly prove instrumental in their future careers. Moreover, the collaborative environment of team sports imparts critical aptitudes like communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, nurturing well-rounded individuals primed for success in various endeavors.
In addition, participating in club sports presents students with a unique opportunity to strengthen both their physical and mental well-being, effectively harmonizing with their academic pursuits. Engaging in these sporting activities not only equips students with stress management skills but also fosters a robust and health-conscious lifestyle, laying the foundation for lifelong fitness habits.
Furthermore, when students represent Hillsdale College in competitive events, it imbues them with a profound sense of accomplishment and pride. This, in turn, bolsters the college’s reputation, exemplifying its unwavering dedication to excellence that transcends the confines of academics.
Last semester, a feature in The New Yorker demonstrated the ever-growing interest in the college as a source of inspiration for revitalization of conservative educational institutions. For better or for worse, Hillsdale College is getting more and more well-known. The college and its students should be most interested in building up connections with students at other schools, students who will become their coworkers, friends, and rivals.
What better way to build and strengthen connections with peers than over sports? Sports provide students with a neutral ground upon which they can compete and form friendships free from the politicization which can surround the image of Hillsdale. This provides a whole other dimension to the general public’s view of Hillsdale.
The Student Federation ought to financially back club sports as the most concrete way to advance the mission of their organization and the college as a whole is to support these students competing in club sports, both to improve the campus itself and to swell the image of the college aiding in the enrichment of the careers and lives of post-gradu
