Mar 23, 2017Responding to Criticism
In an article published in the Feb. 23 edition of the Yale Daily News, student-athletes voiced concerns over a lack of sufficient staffing, resources, and facilities in the sports medicine department. As a result, in early March, Yale University’s athletic department presented its proposed budget for the next academic year, which includes two new full-time athletic trainer positions.
In a March 6 article in the Yale Daily News, Tom Beckett, Yale’s Athletic Director, said the department has been understaffed for the last three or four years. Even if the budget is approved, Yale would still be under the NATA’s recommendations for the number of athletic trainers. Yale currently has 12 full-time athletic trainers.
Beckett said the money required for the new positions would come from various sources, and as such, obtaining approval for the budget would be a difficult task.
“It involves income that comes from mother Yale,” Beckett said. “It involves income that comes from endowment yield. It involves income that comes from annual fundraising. It involves funds that comes from ticket sales, sponsorships, golf course revenue, tennis center revenue, and rental of our fields and facilities.”
The Yale Student-Athlete College Council (YSACC), an organization to promote student-athletes’ interests, released a statement in support of additional athletic trainers.
“YSACC is hopeful that Yale will start to provide the appropriate level of training and physical therapy necessary for the approximately 850 varsity athletes,” the group said.
