From selling baked goods at Mudd Center to handing out pies for Pie a Rugger, the Oberlin College Rhinos are often seen orchestrating fundraising efforts to support their season.
The Rhinos are a women’s and trans club rugby team that have established themselves as one of Oberlin’s most prevalent club sports teams. Along with the Flying Horsecows, Oberlin’s competitive club frisbee team, and the club volleyball teams, the Rhinos are part of a higher echelon of club sports that competes against teams from other schools and ventures on larger tournament trips. While being a part of a travelling club team is exciting, it is also quite expensive.
Second-year Caelum Burns, the Rhinos’ treasurer, said that the team fundraises hundreds of dollars a year, which go to supplying necessary items for the team.
“We have to fundraise money so that we can provide financial assistance to people on our team,” Burns said. “You know, [in] rugby you need cleats, you need mouthguards, you need a lot of medical supplies. It’s a rough sport, and a lot of that equipment wears out pretty easily, so people need replacements. We want to make sure that if people need financial aid, we can provide it.”
The money that goes toward financial assistance is on top of the thousands the club receives from the Student Finance Committee, which is the body responsible for the distribution of funds to every Oberlin student organization.
The Rhinos’ hallmark fundraising event is Pie a Rugger, which invites students to “pie” one of the players with whipped cream for a few bucks. Last week, ruggers could be found in Wilder Bowl with whipped cream smeared all over their faces. Another traditional fundraiser that the Oberlin community loves is the club’s annual nude calendar, which people could purchase for $15.
“[The calendar] is like a fundraiser, but it’s also a team cultural thing, I would say, because it’s been going on [since 2008],” College third-year and Rhinos Vice President Daphne Scroggins said. “So it is definitely a staple, and it’s also just a fun, empowering thing that we do for ourselves.”
Second-year Julia Weber acknowledged that the rugby team has a strong presence on Oberlin’s campus as a club that is often actively fundraising, but thinks that the team doesn’t necessarily fundraise more than other teams.
“I think maybe [our fundraising is] not really more frequent — I know the equestrian team had two fundraisers this semester — so I don’t think it’s actually that much more,” Weber said. “I think it’s just more visible.”
While fundraising does serve an important purpose in financially supporting the clubs on campus, it also provides a meaningful opportunity for club members to grow closer with each other and strengthen their relationships.
“I would encourage other clubs to just develop [their] own fundraising traditions,” Weber said. “Fundraising can be a really fun team bonding activity, and people on this campus get really into it. It’s a nice way to engage with the Oberlin community as a whole.”
