The University hired a coordinator to oversee the start of a restructured club sports program that will be jointly funded by the Athletics department and the Student Union this fall.Ben White, 29, who began last month, has headed club sports and recreation at two other Massachusetts colleges and was most recently a personal trainer at BodyScapes in Lexington.

In the newly created position, White said his first order of business is to figure out "what the heck has been going on" with the University's club sports.

Club sports participants had long complained of inadequate funding from the Union's Finance Board. Then, after over a year of negotiations between Union officials and Athletics administrators, an agreement was reached. The Union's Finance Board will share the clubs' costs and a club sports council of students will be formed in the fall to communicate with White and help manage teams' budgets.

The Board of Trustees added $140,000 to Athletics' 2008 fiscal budget last April so the department will be equipped to cover transportation, facilities and safety equipment costs for 23 NCAA-approved club sports, as well as the martial arts club, the ultimate Frisbee team and the men's rugby team. The F-board will consider, on a line-item basis, funding requests from the club sports council for costs associated with coaching, officiating leagues and tournaments.

The council will initially include one representative from each of the 23 teams, but White expects between five and seven total student representatives to serve in the future. He would also like two staff or faculty members who don't work for Athletics to participate on the board.

"I can certainly understand where some clubs get the impression that we want to meddle or change the way they want to do things," White said, referring to early concerns from club leaders over the reforms. But White said that's not how he envisions his new role.

"Club sports as it's run through Recreation isn't much different than what's been going on with the Student Union," he said. "My role will be fairly minimal with the council. I'm going to try not to impart too much of my personal views and let the council come to its own decisions."

White's plan, however, seems at odds with Athletic Director Sheryl Sousa's initial recommendation last September that Athletics simply absorb the club sports program.

"I want the oversight of club sports because we can do it right," Sousa then told the Justice. "If we're heavily involved, I want to be in charge. I want this to be a cooperative effort, but I want it to be ours."

White said he aims to determine team needs over the next few weeks by sorting through their budgets, adding that he will work with the council on laying down new travel and safety policies.

While pursuing a Master of Science in Human Performance at Oregon State University in 2002, White worked as OSU's intramural sports assistant. After receiving his degree, he became the intramural sports and special events coordinator there.

As the assistant director of club sports at Bridgewater State College from 2004-2005, White was "directly responsible for all aspects of the club sports program at BSC," according to an Athletics press release last May. White also oversaw a club sports committee there.

He then became the director of recreational sports at Fitchburg State College in November 2005. White said he held this position only two months because it was a "terribly unpleasant working environment." He moved on to work with the recreation department in Concord, where he managed fitness and swim programs until last January, when his job was eliminated.

"I've played some hop scotch with jobs," he said. "I'm hoping that's over now.