The University of Calgary Ski Club has been having some fun lately–perhaps a little too much–putting the club in danger of being unsanctioned if they break the rules next year.
In October they violated university policy by holding a pub crawl for students, and recently took a Gauntlet feud public when they wrote “Fuck the Gauntlet” on the rock in front of MacEwan Student Centre. The possible consequences for their behaviour include community service, a loss of office space and even being unsanctioned.
Ski Club junior executive Dylan Heerema wasn’t too worried.
“They keep saying that we’re on our last legs, that we’re this close to getting [un]sanctioned–we’ve been that way all year,” said Heerema.
The Ski Club executives have already performed community service for the Students’ Union by dressing up in rabbit and turtle costumes and handing out pens to promote the SU general election in February.
The typical punishment for an infraction like the pub crawl is suspension of privileges, but due to a previous blanket suspension over all clubs, an alternative was needed, said SU clubs committee chair Dan Nixon.
“I can speculate that they won’t get an office next year because they’ve been such a pain in the butt, but there’s no way of guaranteeing that,” said Nixon, noting next year’s returning SU staff will influence the decision because they have experience with the clubs’ behaviour.
No additional action will be taken this year.
“It’s the last week and I don’t really care anymore,” said Nixon, regarding the message on the rock. “I don’t want to have to deal with it.”
According to Ski Club VP events Tom McCullam, the Ski Club planned an event and they wanted to advertise for it in the Gauntlet. They were refused because of an outstanding debt for previous advertising.
“So then someone said, ‘Screw the Gauntlet, this is better publicity,’ but then we ran out of room so we just wrote ‘Fuck the Gauntlet,’” explained McCullam.
Nixon said he hopes the club will keep its nose clean next year.
“They’ve had their problems, but a lot of it’s due to administration and staff at the start of the year,” said Nixon. “A lot of the clubs didn’t get properly oriented.”
Nixon noted there was poor attendance at the survival seminars put on by the clubs committee in September, which meant many clubs didn’t know the SU’s basic rules. Pub crawls are prohibited by the university, not the SU, because of a bus policy placed in effect after damages to Cascade Hall, said Nixon.
Since painting the rock, the Ski Club has paid their three-year outstanding debt to the Gauntlet.
Snowboard Club communications executive Jenna Rogers said their club has many dedicated skiers and would gladly allow others to join and come on their trips, should anything happen to the Ski Club.