When Lyle Burnham started looking for a college, he looked for two things: a criminal justice program and a lacrosse team.

Burnham, a graduate of Leesville Road High School in Raleigh, accepted a NCCU academic scholarship, but he was disappointed that NCCU didn’t have a lacrosse team.

Lacrosse is America’s oldest sport. It’s a game that has elements of basketball, hockey and soccer. It was played by Native Americans and rooted in their religion.

The sport, played using a netted stick and a ball, was used to resolve conflict, heal the sick, and train men in warfare, according to the U.S. Lacrosse Web site. Lacrosse is the fastest growing team sport in the U.S.

Burnham said lacrosse is important to him because he moved a lot as a child, and playing lacrosse helped him make friends.

That’s a situation Burnham is determined to change, but it hasn’t been easy.

Burnham says one reason he wants to start a lacrosse club at NCCU is to popularize the sport among African Americans.

“The sport, as is, is a predominantly white sport,” he said.

He found student support for lacrosse after posting flyers around campus and advertising on AudioNet, NCCU’s campus access radio.

He also sought outside advice from Donnie Brown, a high school lacrosse coach and a former lacrosse player at Morgan State University in Maryland.

Brown says creating a lacrosse club at NCCU is a great idea, and has agreed to donate equipment to the club if it gets established.

“Lacrosse is the biggest unofficial fraternity in the world,” Brown said.

“All I would have to do is make a few phone calls and NCCU would have lacrosse equipment.”

But first there are a number of hurdles to jump through for NCCU.

The Student Handbook outlines procedures for establishing a new student club.

A new student club packet must be completed with the signature of an adviser who is a full-time NCCU faculty or staff member.

Then the director of Student Leadership, Training and Development, and the associate vice chancellor must approve the application. Once accepted as a student club, the organization can apply for funds from the Office of Student Affairs.

The biggest hurdle for Burnham has been finding an adviser to supervise the lacrosse club during practices and games. So he sent an e-mail to every NCCU faculty member.

Thomas Scheft, an associate professor in the School of Education, replied to Burnham’s e-mail saying he had been on the UNC-Chapel Hill lacrosse team in 1969 and 1970.

“I would love to see it as a club sport,” Scheft said, but added that he does not have spare time to advise the club.

Then, last week, Burnham hit the jackpot.

Two instructors in the Department of English and Mass Communications, Minnie Forte and Joyce Ellis, each sent him e-mails saying that they would advise his lacrosse club.

Some students don’t want any more student clubs.

“We can barely fund the Ex Umbra,” said English and mass communication junior Jarell Dawson. “We should not have a brand-new sport to fund.”