08/10/2025
ATTENTION Please Read: UML Rowing Team Potential End
Hello UML Rowing Alumni,
Apologies, I don't have a comprehensive list of UML Rowing Alumni, so please forward/share this with your alumni contacts.
The UMass Lowell Rowing Team needs your help advocating for the continued existence of the team. I believe the appropriate UML staff to contact would be Justin Lawler the Director of Campus Recreation (978-934-2332, [email protected]), Brenda Evans the Dean of Student Affairs & Wellness (978-934-5021, [email protected]), Julie Chen the Chancellor of UML (978-934-2201, [email protected]), and/or Marty Meehan UMass President via Executive Office/Office of the President (617-287-7050). After reviewing the information below, please help the team by contacting these UMass leaders.
I was an assistant UML Rowing Coach 2017-2024, and coached the team of remaining athletes and recruited UML rowers this past Fall 2024.
The students have put in an immense amount of time and energy to maintain the team this year, and my aim is to provide a summary and update to alumni.
The team has been reset by UML to align with the way club sports are managed, which changes the rowing program from ‘club varsity’ to ‘club’. For the program to continue as a club, the captains must apply for club status and then be considered to be re-established as a club sport as if the rowing team is a new program.
Last May the coaches and students were informed with no prior notice that the rowing program would be paused for the Fall 2024 semester. This meant no coaches hired through UML, and the students were directed to not recruit new rowers. The students were able to collaborate with MRRA to create a coached program. UML agreed to fund the student memberships for the fall semester for returning students who were on the team.
Moving into the spring semester, the students coordinated with UML and were given permission to recruit again. The captains were informed that the team no longer had club status and needed to apply, provide a presentation, and maintain 15 members. However, without club status the team was told that they could not reserve any rooms in campus facilities to practice, and was told they cannot practice in groups at the recreation center as they would take space from paying rec center members. This prevented the team from training the new group of novice rowers who had started to attend practices which had to stop since the students couldn’t train in groups. During this time the students had also been trying to coordinate use of the boathouse for winter training and were told that they would need to coordinate through MRRA since they were not considered a UML club. The captains coordinated throughout the semester and as the river thawed. They worked to once again create a program under MRRA for the semester since club status had not been granted from UML, and they had not been given a date to make their club presentation. At the close of spring semester the team was not able to practice at all or race/host any regattas.
In terms of communication, there has been a large emphasis from UML on the club being completely student led. Each time I, as a coach, was CC'd on an email from the students for awareness, I was removed from any UML responses which made it incredibly hard to provide support.
During the spring semester, the students were able to coordinate with UML to access their club funds to partially cover the annual MRRA memberships for the existing members and new recruits. The students are trying to put together a summer program to get some time on the water with the memberships they were able to establish, since they weren't able to use the memberships for the spring semester.
A note from the students:
“At this time we would really appreciate your support in voicing to the university how important this team is and that it deserves the support of a full coaching staff to maintain the team and the boathouse facilities that go along with it.”
It is our understanding that many of the team changes occurring may be due to UML budget constraints/restructuring. Please note that any donations made to the rowing team at this time may instead be put towards the Campus Rec Center as a whole, similar to the tickets from the Crew Alumni & Friends Appreciation Hockey Night this past January.
Thank you,
Charlotte Skolnick
UML Alum 2013-2017
UML Rowing Coach 2018-2024
IO YML
