Cheerleading, NO! Spirit Squad, YES!

By Davaughnia Wilson | Published by December 22, 2021

Three female Freshmen, Rayvin Jordan, Taniyah Dubose, and Alyzae Coleman expressed their love for dance and how excited they were to be dancing in college but were disappointed when they realized there was not a cheerleading team at Kean.

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The girls decided to form a cheerleading team and call themselves Kean Blue Diamonds in which Dubose and Coleman would be co-presidents and Jordan would be the vice president.

Kean cut its cheerleading program in July 2008 and has made it very clear that the university is not open to the idea of having another cheerleading team. Instead, they opted for a spirit club.

“I’ve always wanted to cheer in college especially since I’ve been doing it for a long time [since the 7th grade]. I think it’s kind of important because it will lift the spirit of the crowd at games,” Jordan said.

The overall goal of the Kean Blue Diamonds is to participate in cheerleading and show school spirit at sporting events such as football and basketball games while also hosting events and fundraisers. However, they have to refer to themselves as a ‘spirit student club’ instead of a cheerleading team.

Director of the Center for Leadership and Service, Scott Snowden said, “[Kean] Blue Diamonds was approved as a recognized student group for the fall semester, but they are not a ‘cheer team.’ A cheer team has a very different meaning and implies an affiliation with Kean Athletics and the N.C.A.A., which is not the case. [Kean] Blue Diamonds is a spirit student club.”

The club has faced many limitations since it became an approved student group on Nov. 8. They are not allowed to call themselves a cheerleading team and without proper documentation and their advisor present, they cannot stunt.

With cheer being a huge liability, Kean Blue Diamonds are prohibited from performing stunts and tumbles and any other high-risk activities without proper documentation which includes insurance for members on the team in addition to a release and indemnification agreement.

“Without this, the host department or organization can be held legally responsible for any injuries to participants. The release form also encourages participants to recognize the potential dangers,”  Snowden said. “Anything physical would require this to be completed and if it weren’t completed, the organization would be in violation of risk management policies that could limit their ability to host such events in the future.”  

Tatiana Staciuk, a freshman, dancer, and cheerleader who wished to join the Kean Blue Diamonds said the girls are having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of not doing what an actual cheerleading team does. They are only allowed to stay in the stands at sporting events and cheer the team on through chants. So what’s the point?

“There is a big difference between a spirit squad and a cheerleading team, if you aren’t stunting or tumbling, or both, I honestly don’t see the point in it being cheerleading,”  Staciuk said.

Staciuk further explained that some girls are upset that they cannot get the full experience, “anyone could chant from the bleachers.”

A 2008 article written by The Tower’s former reporter Kelly Nemeth, “Cheerleaders Shout Foul”, stated that Kean decided to cut its cheerleading program due to issues surrounding funding. The cheerleading team was funded about $25,000 which assisted in insurance and uniforms for the team.

The article stated that Kean’s spokesperson at that time, Steve Hudik commented that the decision to cut the program was ultimately based on severe reductions in state funding. The university made the decision to cut a program that would have the least effect on Kean’s athletic programs, its N.C.A.A. Division III status, and students and their academic programs, and that was cheerleading.

While gymnastics is a sport recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), and the N.C.A.A., cheerleading is not.

According to a 2020 article by The New York Times reporter Tess DeMeyer, ‘The College Athletes Who Are Allowed to Make Big Bucks: Cheerleaders’, cheerleading is not governed by nor is it considered a sport by the N.C.A.A. and federal regulators.

Kean Blue Diamonds is not funded by the Athletics Department nor are they funded by The Office of Student Government, the Involvement Center, or the university.

Jordon explained that the club held its first fundraiser from Nov. 17 – Nov. 21 online to raise money to provide insurance and uniforms for its members.

Unfortunately, they did not raise any money but, they are not discouraged. The Executive Board of Kean Blue Diamonds is organizing future fundraisers that will be held in person and are anticipating a better outcome.

Jordan, who has been cheering for approximately five years, explained that the thrill and fun of cheering, being at games, on the sidelines, and watching the game happen, just gives her a rush of adrenaline.

However, according to Snowden, dancing, tumbling, stunting, jumps, and cheer are not permitted on the field or court during games according to N.C.A.A. guidelines.

Christina Reilly, the club’s faculty advisor stated she always encourages student involvement as it relates to activities that keep students engaged as they are more likely to stay and enjoy their college experience.

“When I was approached about it, I obviously was not going to discourage any type of student engagement or student involvement, I love cheerleading so that is where I stand with that… But a spirit organization didn’t seem so far-fetched,” Reilly said.

The club plans to take things one step at a time and start small. The students are enthusiastic about cheering, however, Reilly stated that it is important for the club to promote themselves appropriately, “because we are a student organization.”

“A student club will not be turned into a cheer team. A cheer team would be created through athletics and then if all the girls successfully tried out and made it then Blue Diamonds would be, probably, a thing of the past, because then we would have the sufficient athletic channels that they would want to be participating in. But the purpose of it right now is that we don’t have that opportunity,” Reilly said.

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