RPI Frisbee Returns from two year suspension

In their first meeting of 2022, the Union Executive Board unanimously approved a stopgap budget for RPI Men’s and Women’s Ultimate Frisbee totaling $2,503. The club had been suspended for the past two years due to violating Rensselaer’s alcohol policy.

In November 2019, RPI Ultimate Frisbee held an alumni event at multiple off-campus residences. After the event, RPI administrators received an anonymous report that the event violated the school’s alcohol policy. In late November, club officers were informed of the report by Director of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Judicial Affairs Adrianna Bradt. The club was subsequently put on emergency suspension and prohibited from holding club activities until further notice.

During the suspension, the club was told by RPI that the investigation would conclude before the end of the Fall 2019 semester. Club officers were also informed that they may be contacted by an “Institute Hearing Officer.” The investigation was conducted privately by the Institute, and the club was not able to appeal or provide a defense until the investigation ended.

In the first week of February 2020, RPI concluded that the club violated the Institute’s alcohol policy and gave the club a chance to appeal. Due to evidence provided from the investigation, the club decided to accept the verdict as given and was officially suspended until December 31, 2021. The club was banned from practicing, attending competitions, holding club events, using club-related communications, and electing members to club positions.

After the suspension ended, RPI Ultimate Frisbee sought to rebuild their club. In their proposal, the club stressed the importance of attending competitions in order to retain new members and outlined the costs for attending these competitions. However, since the club budgeting deadline for 2022 had already passed, the club will not have a budget until the 2023 fiscal year. Therefore, the club proposed a stopgap budget to temporarily cover travel costs for the Men’s College Sectionals and Women’s College Sectionals in Ultimate Frisbee.

During the E-Board meeting, Vice President for Rules and Special Projects Matt Zapken commented that as its former club representative, he was “very happy to see [the club] coming back.” Graduate Representative Brian Anderson agreed, remarking that he is RPI Ultimate Frisbee’s current representative and facilitated the club’s transition from the suspension. The motion to approve RPI Ultimate Frisbee’s stopgap budget passed 11-0-0.

When asked about the future of the club, former president of RPI Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Tabitha Earles ‘22 said that the club wanted to focus on recruiting new members and rebuilding the women’s team. The women’s team is currently predicted to have seven members, which is the minimum amount needed to organize a roster. If the women’s team is not able to reach that number, both the men’s and women’s team would have to merge into a single mixed gender team to allow all members to compete.