As of Nov. 15, the Colorado College esports lab has been moved under the jurisdiction of the athletics department.
Since esports was founded as a club and supported by CC Information Technology Service (ITS) around 10 years ago, the lab has undergone several structural changes. This year, the athletics department is beginning to integrate its regular practices into the lab’s work, while the ITS department continues to provide staff support.
Additionally, CCSGA is funding the entire program through the student activities fee, which forms a yearly budget of $57,500 allocated to supporting the six varsity and junior varsity teams.
Chad Schonewill, Director of Frontline Solutions and Support at ITS, has been involved in mentoring the esports teams since their inception. In an interview with The Catalyst, Schonewill expressed his hopes for the new restructuring and emphasized that ITS continues to provide the Athletics department with the necessary support and guidance in managing the Esports lab and its teams.
One of the new aspects of Esports management is mandatory physical exams for team members and more regulated hours of operation, which prevent students from accessing the lab during class hours and after midnight during the block.
Kay Quintana ‘28, student co-coordinator for the Esports lab, expressed hope about the change in management and looks forward to this collaboration.
The athletics department failed to provide a comment for this article.