On Monday, the Undergraduate Assembly announced club sports teams at Penn will now receive free, professional coaching at Fox Fitness Center.
In a Sept. 7 email to undergraduate students, UA President Musab Chummun wrote that 38 participating clubs will receive 40 hours of coaching each week. The update comes seven months after the UA unanimously passed a resolution calling for increased club sports funding from Penn.
Chummun, a College senior, wrote in a statement that the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics, along with Penn’s Campus Recreation branch, were “super open to collaboration” and “heard all of our concerns.”
“I was glad to see how responsive and collaborative they were with our efforts,” Chummun wrote. “From there, Campus Rec worked over the summer to sort out the logistics.”
According to the announcement, the training will involve “sport-specific programming covering strength, conditioning, and injury prevention.” Campus Recreation will reach out to the teams directly “as the fall schedule takes shape.”
The UA previously requested that several administrative offices at Penn “support efforts to increase Club Sports funding” to alleviate equity concerns, improve performance, and allow for the formation of more club sports organizations.
In its February resolution, the organization stated that over 10% of undergraduates participate in a club sport and that Student Associations Commission budget constraints prevented teams from receiving an adequate amount of funding.
The UA argued that rising costs forced club sports organizations to increase member dues, retain old equipment, and spend more time fundraising. More University funding support, the UA stated, would alleviate financial pressure on club sports and help other organizations on campus.
Chummun announced in the same message that matriculated and part-time seniors will no longer have to pay the $50 monthly fee to access Pottruck Health and Fitness Center this spring.
Previously, those seniors were required to pay a monthly fee because part-time students “are not assessed the full student fee that funds Campus Recreation operations,” according to a Campus Recreation statement.
“That structure created a gap for graduating seniors who need fewer than a full course load to finish their degree but remain fully part of the Penn community in their last term,” the statement continued.
Seniors who are newly eligible for free access will be verified through the Office of the University Registrar. A request for comment was left with a Campus Recreation spokesperson.
Senior reporter James Wan leads administration reporting and can be reached at wan@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies communication and computer science. Follow him on X @JamesWan__.
