Following the failure of former Student Government Association (SGA) presidential candidate Seth Weinfield’s (27C) proposal to pay College Council legislators a stipend, the Emory University Club Sports Council (CSC) followed suit, proposing an amendment to pay their executive board. However, unlike College Council, the CSC successfully passed the amendment.
CSC’s executive board announced in a Feb. 28 email to Club Sports officers that the legislative body passed an amendment allowing their executive board members to receive compensation if they meet specific criteria. The current criteria to receive compensation includes attendance at council meetings, carrying out the duties assigned to one’s role, compliance with deadlines and satisfactory performance evaluations, according to CSC President Jayden Davis (25B). CSC’s executive board consists of the CSC president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.
The Club Sports Budget Committee and Recreational and Wellness professional staff advisers will determine who qualifies for compensation, the stipend amount and how funds are distributed. The board is currently consulting with its advisors to determine how to execute the plan, according to Davis.
The amendment states that Student Governance Services (SGS), which works with student governing bodies to manage finances, would oversee the funds. The funds will be placed into an SGS account, according to the amendment, to ensure proper management.
Davis noted that while some compensation for the CSC executive board may come from the Student Activity Fee (SAF), a fee that all Emory students must pay each semester to support undergraduate student organizations, CSC will not be certain of the source of the funds until club sports budgets for the 2025-26 year are released.
“A portion of it may, but that hasn’t been figured out yet since we don’t know our allocations for next year,” Davis said.
In an email to The Emory Wheel, Assistant Director of University Communications Rachel Smith wrote that the CSC resolution calls for a “broader discussion with many university groups.” She also wrote that this resolution attempts to ensure “proper stewardship of Student Activity Funds.”
Davis highlighted that the amendment's central purpose was making CSC sustainable and accessible to all students. He hopes the amendment will allow students who may otherwise need to work part-time jobs to pursue leadership roles in Club Sports.
“In creating the bill, the goal was to make sure that we’re getting the most qualified and the most passionate individuals in the [CSC] executive board,” Davis said.
Davis noted that the amendment underwent a rigorous, months-long process involving feedback from multiple stakeholders, including SGA, SGS, Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions and CSC members.
“We have put quite a few hours into researching this bill,” Davis said. “We’re very proud of the way it’s turned out. We’ve given it a lot of thought. We’ve had lots of checks and balances to put in place.”
CSC Vice President Mira Gurock (26B) discussed the executive board’s process while writing the amendment, saying they sought feedback from CSC.
“We did a round of feedback where we received feedback from the council and then fine-tuned our proposal from that feedback and addressed questions and concerns every step along the way before we put it up to a vote,” Gurock said.
Emory Club Ice Hockey President Michael Varrone (23Ox, 25C) said that he initially had reservations about paying CSC executives when the executive board presented the bill on Feb. 24. He said his biggest concern was whether student leaders deserved to be paid.
Varrone supported the bill after reflecting upon his own role’s difficulty and long hours. He expressed his hope that the change would encourage initiative in CSC and take a burden off of executives.
“It’ll open up the opportunity for students who … don’t have the time to dedicate to being in that position because they need to work a job, but they really want the position,” Varrone said. “Well, now they can get paid for that work and more justify it.”
Beyond these potential impacts, Varrone was unsure what benefits Club Sports members would receive. He also said critics of the bill should note that the way SGA distributes the SAF “isn’t the greatest anyway.”
Emory Club Equestrian Team Charlotte Loomis Vice President (26B), echoed similar initial concerns about paying CSC executives, especially about possible effects on funding.
“I was hesitant because, obviously, I was thinking of where is this money coming from,” Loomis said. “Is this going to affect our budgeting?”
Similarly, Sarah Orozco (25C), co-vice president of Club Emory Gender Expansive & Women’s Ultimate Frisbee, mentioned that she was initially worried about whether the addition of the stipend would affect funding. However, after the executive board clarified that it would not change the amount of funding allocated, she felt more comfortable voting for the amendment.
“It's important to provide opportunities for more marginalized or economically disadvantaged students to be able to participate in these kinds of institutions that demand so much of your time,” Orozco said.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is an assistant news editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and East Asian Studies. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
