The AU men's rugby team won its appeal against the Recreational Sports and Fitness Department Sunday night and can now keep its school sponsorship, according to rugby team Vice President Nick DiPietro.
The team filed an appeal last week after learning it would lose its school sponsorship due to citations of inconsistencies in paperwork and a probation violation for holding social events.
The decision came after the club sports' Presidents' Council deliberated and voted on whether the team should keep its funding, DiPietro said.
At the meeting, all in attendance got copies of the team's letter of appeal and letters of support from members of the campus community. The Presidents' Council read the charges against the team, and team members had the opportunity to present a defense, DiPietro said. The Presidents' Council had the opportunity to ask questions of the team before it deliberated on the team's future.
Men's rugby will remain on probation until January 2009, according to Dave Stone, rugby team president and The Eagle's managing editor for photography.
Because this story broke late last night, The Eagle was unable to contact the Recreational Sports and Fitness Department.
Not all members of the Presidents' Council were fully in favor of the team's win. Ashley Spiro, president of the gymnastics team, said she was one of the most rigid people in the room.
"I didn't agree with what the Presidents' Council did at all," Spiro said. "It really doesn't make a good example."
Seth Pfeifer, president of the men's ice hockey team, said it was good to see the appeal go through.
"I'm glad the rugby team is still on campus," Pfeifer said.
However, he said this ruling does not necessarily mean that he feels his team has more protection in the future.
"If there is another situation [of appeal] in the future, it would have to be under the exact same circumstances as the rugby team," Pfeifer said.
The decision was very positive for the team's relations with the administration, Stone said.
"This aspect of club sports is a good example for the rest of the AU community," he said.
Men's rugby's new executive board will be helpful in establishing a better relationship with the university. The team will write a constitution with the help of the women's rugby team, Stone said. The team is already getting back on track with its past-due paperwork, he said.
"We worked very hard on this appeal and it consumed a lot of time, but it all worked out," Stone said.
