To the Southern Illinois University Carbondale Administration:

SIU ESports Club has fallen behind the nation’s development in collegiate esports programs in competition and academic opportunity.

For years the SIU ESports Club has paid to use the public Esports Arena computers. This payment for our player's hours in the arena typically costs us $2,000-$3,500 annually and is our largest expense even at our discounted rate at $60 for 42 hours per player. Additionally, there are time frames when we are unable to use the arena due to classes having priority over the space.

Additionally, these systems are roughly five years old, and their hardware is showing its age. Frequently, players complain of the poor performance the systems offer due to slow load times, framerate stutters, freezing, loud fans, and cheap peripherals.

Just as any other competitive university team, we believe Esports should be supported by university by providing our teams with a private space to practice and compete in as well as powerful lab for academic purposes. This would solve the issue of Esports's lack of a private practice space and the lack of a high-end academic lab.

By signing this petition, you are supporting SIU ESports’s push for improved competitive and academic opportunities.