SCUBA Certifications, Instructor Recruitment Update

Dear SCUBA Stakeholders,

Due to projected department and University budget constraints for the 2024-25 academic year, the Department of Athletics & Recrecreation has withdrawn its national recruitment for SCUBA instructors. As a result, A&R will not offer on-campus SCUBA instructional courses as part of the physical education program for the spring 2024 academic term. 

We understand that you may be disappointed to hear that the Department of Athletics & Recreation has announced the suspension of its national recruitment for SCUBA instructors. Please know that we truly value your interest in SCUBA certification, and we empathize with your disappointment. We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these challenging financial times. Rest assured that the Department administration is committed to working with University leadership to resume on-campus physical education SCUBA courses on behalf of the UC Santa Cruz student body once a clearer financial path is laid. We will continue to make SCUBA certification as accessible as possible, and we appreciate your patience and support during this time.

Continuing from the fall '23 and winter '24 quarters, the Athletics & Recreation Department will reimburse students who execute and complete a SCUBA certification with any SCUBA dive shop of their choice in the state of California. The reimbursement program applies to SCUBA courses traditionally offered on campus and listed in the University Course Catalog (i.e. Basic/Open Water, Advanced, and/or Rescue). This reimbursement will be approved for SCUBA course fees from a certifying agency approved by WRSTC (such as NAUI, PADI, SDI, or SSI) and dive gear rental ONLY. NAUI courses are recommended, but we understand they may not be available to everyone. We know there may be better solutions than this, but we hope it will help reduce any financial barriers to obtaining a SCUBA certification. 

The reimbursement program does not apply to SCUBA certification courses taken over the summer because the Athletics & Recreation Department does not offer any PE classes during the summer. All UCSC students pay fees for PE classes for the fall, winter, and spring quarters only. Since PE student fees are not collected over the summer, there are no funds available for reimbursement. The last day of the Spring Quarter is June 13, therefore courses will need to be started by that date in order to qualify for reimbursement.

The extension of the PE SCUBA reimbursement program for enrolled students next academic year has not yet been approved by campus leadership.  As information becomes available, we will update our website accordingly. 

If you are an enrolled student who has completed and received their SCUBA certification effective on or after September 28, 2023, you can initiate a reimbursement paid by UC Santa Cruz by completing the Payee Setup 204 form and the Direct Payment for reimbursement form. Please complete the following two-step process to initiate a reimbursement paid by UC Santa Cruz enacted referenda Measure 32: 

1. Complete the Payee Setup 204 form;
2. Complete the Direct Payment for reimbursement form;
   1. Tier 1 Funding Authorizer: Cristen Babik, cbabik@ucsc.edu;
   2. Specify Tier 2 Funding Approver: Lela Vasquez, lela@ucsc.edu;
   3. No optional, additional approver is required;
   4. Payment Type: “Funded Activity”;
   5. Explanation of Payment: “SCUBA certificate reimbursement” 
   6. FOAPAL Information
      1. Index: LEAVE BLANK
      2. Fund: 20371
      3. Org: 680526
      4. Account: 001140
      5. Activity: LEAVE BLANK
   7. Please be prepared with your receipt showing the completed payment for SCUBA certification bearing your name. You will attach this receipt to the DocuSign form by clicking the paperclip icon.

For students who have completed and received their SCUBA certification during the '23-'24 academic year, the deadline to initiate a reimbursement payment by completing the Payee Setup 204 form and the Direct Payment for reimbursement form is Friday, June 14, 2024. Please note that reimbursement requests for certification courses taken during the '23-'24 academic year will not be approved after the deadline.

We want to assure you that this is remains an interim solution, and we continue our hard work in resuming SCUBA courses as part of the Athletics & Recreation Physical Education programming as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Sincerely,

Athletics & Recreation