The NIU Bowling Club policies underwent investigation Tuesday by the Office of Campus Recreation and the club will not be suspended.

The Student Association Finance Committee tabled the club’s budget request Saturday after they suspected the club of violating an OCR policy which does not permit exclusionary practices with tryouts and cuts.

Denise Thompson, coordinator of Club Sports and Student Employment, said, “It is the philosophy of club sports for all to participate in club sports. We try to keep club sports of a recreational nature.”

The investigation revealed that “in the end, everyone gets a chance to play,” she said.

Bowling Club Adviser Dan Swan said the tryouts are “to let the students know bowling takes a lot of time.” He said it shows them the level of competition they will be facing. There are no cuts after tryouts, he added.

Bowling Club Treasurer Judy Genovese said the purpose of tryouts is to see who the best bowlers are, who has the best attitude and who works the hardest.

Finance Committee member Gary Hattendorf asked Bowling Club President Tim Worland if the team would allow playing time to an average bowler who works hard rather than someone with a good average who does not attend practice on the team. Worland said he would rather have a hard worker on his team than a lazy bowler.

He said the purpose of the bowling club is “to improve a person’s bowling skill.”

Thompson said during the investigation, conducted by Todd Lokken, Student Association Recreation Committee adviser and members of the committee, some things were explained more clearly than at Saturday’s meeting.

Swan said the SA believes the bowling club was going to tournaments to win scholarships.

Genovese said members do not get scholarships every time they go to a tournament. She said the tournaments provide competition with varsity sports even though they are “just a club.”

Swan said, “There are chances of receiving scholarships if they participate in (some) tournaments.” He receives information about those tournaments, and the students pay to participate in those tournaments “out of their own pockets.”

He said the students cannot earn money from tournaments. They can earn scholarships from tournaments which would go directly to NIU.

The Bowling Club is requesting $3,046 from the SA which would be applied to traveling expenses to the Central Illinois and Midwest Intercollegiate Bowling Conferences and entry fees into various tournaments.

The men’s intercollegiate traveling squad of 12 or 13 members is leading the six-team Central Illinois Bowling Conference, and the women’s traveling squad of eight members is second in their five-team conference, Swan said.

“I do want more people participating in the club,” Swan said. There is a shortage of girls because not all of them can attend the matches, he said.