Sophomore accountancy major David Hansell swims as a way to clear his head.

He gets in the pool, does a few laps and suddenly his mind is at ease.

Hansell joined the NIU Swim Club last year and, before this semester, he took over as club president. Little did he know that just weeks into the semester the club would be on life support.

“The whole point of me joining the club was for a de-stressor,” Hansell said. “It’s been far more of a stressor than any stress that can be relieved in the water.”

Last week, Hansell had to make the unfortunate decision to suspend Swim Club activities because of a lack of funds.

Last year, the Club was told it would need lifeguards, which the Club could provide in-house, on deck at practices. This year, the Club found out it must pay for lifeguards from Recreation Services.

“We had no money,” Hansell said. “They told me they wouldn’t be able to pay for the guards and we couldn’t supply our own guards. I applied for supplemental funding.”

Supplemental funding is money allocated by the Senate for SA-funded organizations in emergency situations.

“Organizations can apply for funding for new initiatives or unexpected costs that could not have been anticipated and planned for in the regular funding process,” said Student Association Treasurer Patrick Echols.

Kelly Krippel, a junior finance major and member of the Financial Management Association, said he likes the idea of supplemental funding but that most organizations are good at funding themselves.

The problem for the Swim Club is that supplemental funding is available only for SA-funded organizations. The Swim Club isn’t one of them. Hansell was never made aware of this rule, and for over a week, he’s been waiting to hear back from the SA.

“We’ve never had a problem with money before,” Hansell said. “We’ve never had a reason to get funding from the SA.”

Is there any way for the Club to swim again this semester?

“Other than raising dues to over $70, no,” Hansell said, sounding defeated. “For this year, we’re going to be doing what we can- see if we can find open swim times and apply for funding for next year.”

Look for a story in the coming days on SA-funded organizations receiving less money this year due to lower enrollment.