The Whitworthian

Issue date: 11/13/07 Last Updated: 11/16/07

The George Whitworth Rugby Football Club may have played its last game of the season Nov. 3, but it will continue to strive to seek university affiliation, said senior Josef Bookert, president of the men's rugby team.

Currently, the rugby club has no official affiliation with the university and therefore cannot practice on school grounds, Bookert said.

The club features both a men's and women's team. Bookert said the men's team has an average of 14 regular players, while the women's team has eight.

The Nov. 3 game against Gonzaga's men's club was Whitworth's last of the season, Bookert said. The women did not play any games this season.

Gonzaga's rugby clubs are affiliated with Pacific Northwest Rugby Union.

Freshman Katie Anderson, president of the women's team, said both teams plan to resume practice in the spring when the weather improves.

Practices and games will likely begin in March, Bookert said.

Since the teams cannot practice on campus, the players must go to Holmberg Park to train, which can create problems since the field is often full, Bookert said.

"It's an unreliable place to practice, and it's not as well-manicured, which makes the risk of injury higher," Bookert said.

Anderson said practicing at Holmberg also creates problems for students who have class at a certain time, which is a deterrent for some potential players.

"Some girls can't make it because they have class right afterwards, and it's too far a distance to be practical," Anderson said. "When a player has to leave early from a practice that generally only lasts about an hour-and-a-half, it's just not worth it."

Bookert said the group has formed a committee to look into the requirements of becoming a Whitworth-affiliated club.

"Hopefully we'll pave the way for either next semester or next year's club, although it's more likely we won't be affiliated until at least next year," Bookert said.

Director of student activities Dayna Coleman-Jones said the high-risk of rugby is a leading factor in the consideration of making the club official.

"There are a lot of risk management items the university would have to put into play before the team could be a chartered ASWU organization," Coleman-Jones said.

According to the Oct. 17 ASWU meeting minutes, Coleman-Jones said in order to support the rugby team, the university would have to hire certified trainers and a coach.

Coleman-Jones said Whitworth does not have sufficient funds for this, according to the meeting minutes.

Bookert said the team currently has liability insurance through USA Rugby, the official union for all American rugby teams.

"The plan requires that each member already has a minimum of $100,000 in [health insurance]," Bookert said.

According to the meeting minutes, Bookert and a few other members from the men's rugby team made a presentation to ASWU asking for support.

Bookert said the team had been told the insurance coverage was not enough, according to the meeting minutes.

Vice president for finance and administration Brian Benzel said the issue involves more than just insurance.

Benzel said in order for the university to consider adding the rugby club, the costs and risks of such a club must be assessed first.

"We don't want to go in and start doing something and then not have the proper management, the proper facilities, the training, or equipment," Benzel said.

Benzel said the university has to be responsible with its resources.

"This is about being responsible to students, their families and non-participants in rugby," Benzel said. "It's not about saying we don't want to have any risk, because there's always risk in life. You assume risk when you get up, or when you open a door."

In a society that is fond of lawsuits, the university is forced to take precautions to minimize the impact of possible litigation, Benzel said.

"We need to consider how prepared we are to have an administrator problem-solving if there's an accident," Benzel said. "The litigation involved with these things is very time-consuming and expensive, so we want to try to minimize this."

If an accident were to happen on the rugby team, the university's insurance company would most likely pay the settlements, but the costs would be reflected in an increase in the premium, Benzel said.

"We don't want to have the financial resources of the university to be used in such a way," Benzel said. "We want to spend our money on teaching and learning, not on high insurance."

It's also a matter of making choices, Benzel said.

"There's a lot of things we'd like to do, but we just can't do everything," Benzel said. "There are limits to how much we can take on at any given point in time."

Junior Cameron Keirnes, captain of the men's rugby team and temporary coach for the women's team, said the university has been respectful in its dealings with the issue.

"I think that if we work together with Whitworth, one day we can have a successful rugby club with good participation," Keirnes said.

Benzel said the issue will continue to be examined.

"It's just not the right time now," Benzel said. "I think there will be future consideration of these issues and decisions made about them."

Contact Morgan Feddes at morgan.feddes@whitworthian.com.

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