(Ames, IA) -- Iowa State University is considering cutting high-risk clubs on campus. The proposal was prompted by a Crew Club accident a year ago, in which two students died. I-S-U says sport clubs that engage in high-risk activities will have to meet additional guidelines and training. If a sport club cannot meet requirments, the club would be classified as an enthusiast student organization. That means they could meet, but not engage in high-risk activities. Those groups could, however, explore the activities thru established local, state, regional, or national clubs.
The university will be working with Student Government, the Sport Club Council and sport club participants to gather student feedback on the proposed recommendations before adopting an operations plan for sport clubs. Iowa State established a Sport Clubs Review Committee last fall following the release of two independent reviews of the deadly Crew Club accident in 2021.
Based on the findings and recommendations from those reviews, the committee is proposing several changes to assure that sport clubs have appropriate safety measures in place based on the risk level for club activities.
The university is in the process of arranging meetings with Student Government, the Sport Club Council and sport club participants to discuss the proposed recommendations. Faculty and staff will also have an opportunity to provide feedback.
ISU expects to have a new policy in place by this fall.