The following document is meant to provide the
guidelines for the transition of the current Men's Varsity Crew Team to Club
Varsity status. The following topics will be covered:
- Team Management/Operations
- Fundraising
- Coaching Staff
- Team Roster Goals
- Rowing Facilities and
Equipment
- University Facilities and
Services
- Nature of the Team
Team Management and Operations
To successfully manage the team the Club Varsity
Crew Team Steering Committee will be established. The committee will be
comprised of five alumni (men and women), a member of the administrative staff
of the Bucknell Athletic Department, Head Men's Crew Coach, Head Women's Crew
Coach, student President and team Captain of both the men's and women's crew
programs, and a faculty member.
This committee will meet quarterly and will be directly responsible for
the fundraising efforts and oversight of the team operations. The committee will report to Bucknell
administration with any significant issues as well as with reports on the
team's progress. The committee
will be responsible for personnel decisions and approval for capital
expenditures for the club varsity program.
Fundraising
As outlined in the Club
Varsity Proposal the fundraising efforts will be accomplished through a
three-phased approach.
Phase 1
- The team will annually raise
$50,000 for the coaching salary/benefits and for team operating expenses. The salary/operating budget will
be reviewed annually on July 1 and the operating plan will be adjusted to
suit the budget. The funds
will be raised through the following mechanisms:
a.
Members
of the men's team will be required to pay $500 per year due at the end of
October. This allows students to
row the fall season and determine their desire to commit to the sport for the
spring season. The spring is the premiere season for collegiate rowing. With a
roster goal of 50 rowers the dues would raise $25,000 annually towards the
team's salary/operating budget.
b.
Members
of the team will lead fundraising efforts on campus and within the community.
Examples include:
ß
Rent-A-Rower
o
Fall
($2,000)
o
Spring
($1,000)
o
Summer
($500)
ß
Home
Events
o
Fall
Invitational ($500)
o
Erg
Armageddon ($2,000)
o
Spring
Invitational ($500)
ß
Bucknell
Crew Paraphernalia Sales:
o
T/Sweat-shirts
($1,000)
o
Banners
($250)
o
Boathouse
Bricks ($150 a piece)
c. Additional
funds will be raised through donations to the salary/operating budget.
2. A
campaign for a men's crew endowment will begin and will be led by the Club
Varsity Crew Steering Committee in conjunction with the Bison Club and
University Relations. The endowment goals will be:
a.
$1 Million within 5 years to endow the men's head coaching
position.
b. A
total endowment of $3 Million within 10 years to endow the men's head coaching
position and the operating expenses of the team.
Phase 2
1. The
$1 Million endowment will fund the Head Coach's position.
2. The
team's operating expenses will need to be raised through team fundraisers
and/or athlete dues.
Phase 3
1. With
the establishment of the $3 Million endowment, the student dues system will be
eliminated and annual team fundraisers will be conducted on an as needed basis.
The endowment will provide $100,000 a year for the team's operation.
a. Full-time
head coach: $40,000 salary with $10,000 benefits package
b. Operating
budget: $35,000
c. Annual
upgrades on equipment: $15, 000
Coaching Staff
As outlined in the Club Varsity Proposal the
athletic department funding will no longer be allocated for a men's coaching
position, starting in Fall 2002. The steering committee will be charged with
conducting a national search for a coach.
The search will follow all university search and hiring guidelines. The
coach's position is best described by the following parameters:
- Coach will be solely
responsible for the men's novice and upper class rowers.
- The men's coach will work
closely with the women's coach to coordinate the operation of both teams.
This coordination includes such things as practice schedules,
transportation to and from the river and races, equipment purchases that
would benefit both teams, and joint expenditures.
- The coach's compensation:
- A salary of approximately
$25,000 to $30,000
- A medical benefits package purchased
through Bucknell with the university standard employee contribution
rates.
- The coach's performance will
be reviewed on an annual basis by the steering committee.
Team Roster Goals
The roster
goals for the team's first year as Club Varity will be 50 rowers (30 novice and
20 upper class rowers). Before roster caps were placed on the men's program the
team regularly kept a roster of 50 rowers. A roster of this size will be important to develop a competitive
program and to help sustain the team with the athletes' work on
fundraisers.
Rowing Facilities and
Equipment
The following items are owned by Bucknell University
and used by the Bucknell Crew Team.
- Boat house with two bays
(shared with Susquehanna University)
- 2 equipment sheds
- A ramp and dock
- Rowing shells
- 5 Eights
- 1 Four
- 4 Doubles
- 1 Single
- 5 sets of sweep oars
- 6 Cox Boxes (amplification
system for the rowing shells)
- 3 coaching launches
- 3 outboard engines
- 1 trailer for rowing shells
- 1 trailer for coaching launch
- 1 pickup truck
- 23 ergometers (indoor rowing
machine)
- Uniforms (gender specific)
- Miscellaneous equipment
(megaphones, life preservers, gas tanks, team pop-up tent, variety of
spare parts for rowing equipment)
The equipment will continue to be shared by both the
men's and women's programs until the club varsity endowment is raised and
sufficient funds allow for the men's team to purchase its own equipment. When
the endowment goals are reached the current team equipment will be equally
divided.
It will be
the responsibility of the men's coach to coordinate with the women's coach to
determine mutually agreeable scheduling for the use of the equipment and
facilities. The expenses accrued for upgrading and maintenance of the equipment
and facilities will be shared by the two teams.
University Facilities and Services
As laid out in the Club Varsity Proposal the
Bucknell Club Varsity Crew Team will have full access to the locker room,
university issue clothing, and university trainers. The athletic department is also asked to provide a coach's
office with a telephone and computer (with access to Bucknell network
services).
It will be
critical for the program to work closely with various athletic and university
organizations. As noted above, the team and steering committee with work collaboratively
with the Bison Club and University Relations to assist with the fundraising
efforts. The team also seeks support from Sports Information by including the
men's club varsity program as part of the athletics website, and including it
in athletics newsletters. The club varsity program will also coordinate with
university administration to be covered as part of the university's insurance
policy.
In terms of individual recognition of athletes we
ask for the athletic department to continue to recognize male rowers in their
Bucknell sponsored scholar-athlete awards and honor roles. Bucknell crew has celebrated many years
of being at the top of the scholar-athlete awards and it will be important for
the men's program to continue to be recognized for their success both on the
water and in the classroom.
Nature of the team
The men's
and women's teams have been a combined entity since crew began operating at
Bucknell. It has been a successful
mutual experience that has allowed for the teams to motivate each other to
reach their respective goals. With
the change in status for the men's program it will be vital to retain and
continue to develop the current relationship between the men' s club varsity
program and the women's varsity program.
Though the teams will have their own coaches and accounts there are
various components of the programs that will naturally be able to remain
connected. It will be to Bucknell's advantage to foster a team spirit that
strives to maintain a united squad that feels like one team, rather than two
distinct organizations.
- The Bucknell Crew Name:
ß
In
all national and intercollegiate regattas the Bucknell Women's Varsity Crew
Team and the Bucknell Men's Club Varsity Crew Team will continue to race under
the single name Bucknell Crew.
2.
Team Celebrations and Gatherings
ß
The
men's and women's teams will continue to celebrate their accomplishments as a
united group. The annual banquet,
crew reunions, anniversaries, and the team's presence at regattas will continue
to be one that includes both men and women.
