Alumni from the men’s social club Frater Sodalis are trying to raise $50,000 to renovate the Larry “Satch” Sanders Intramural Fields.
If completed, the project will provide the fields with new grass and soil. Frats adviser and project fundraiser Tim Yandell said the arch at the entrance and lights around the fields were added after the original field was built in 2004.
“They’ve never put down real grass, so they are really going to dig that out and put a new surface and all new grass,” Yandell said.
Yandell, who was a part of the fundraising team to build the fields in 2004, said $38,000 has already been committed to the project by former Frats, and he expects to have the remainder by June 1.
However, Kyle Pinson, director for intramural sports, said it would take slightly more than double this amount to finish the project and upkeep the fields.
“I think everyone feels like we are going to have the money, but one thing we’ve found is that when you get nicer fields they’re going to cost more to maintain,” he said. “We don’t want to make them real nice for two months and then let them go back to where they are.”
Pinson said this is one of a few projects aimed at making outdoor intramurals safer and more enjoyable and has been in the works for over two years.
“The plans are for them to go through and to remove about two inches of material,” Pinson said. “They are going to laser grade the field, sort of baseball style, and then they are going to bring in some nice sod. If we are able to make that happen, I think it’ll be a major improvement for our outdoor sports.”
The Students’ Association passed a bill last week to allocate the remaining money in its congressional fund as of May 1 to the field project. SA Treasurer Cole McClellan, junior accounting major from Parker, said the amount to be donated is around $2,800.
This renovation will also serve as a commemoration for Larry “Satch” Sanders as he steps down as Frats adviser after 37 years.
“He’s not a ‘sit on the sideline’ adviser,” Yandell said. “He’s always been in the lives of the guys that are Frats.”
Sanders said the fields are a facility that could potentially be the most actively utilized on campus, and he is honored by the support of the alumni.
“How can anyone feel about individuals that are such a huge part of my life, stepping up to honor me that way?” Sanders said. “It is just remarkable.”
If the funds are raised, the renovated fields are scheduled to be ready for the opening day of intramurals in Fall 2015.
