Bob Gross writes:
>    What is right?  As a faculty member, I never thought I'd feel that
> standards should be "bent" for admitting athletes, but that is exactly how I
> have come to feel.  Although an academic education should be top priority at
> any College or University, there are other important aspects as well,
> including sports.  Student athletes contribute the their schools in important
> ways that non-athletes do not.
>    Once a student athlete is admitted, he or she should be expected to take a
> course load that any other student could take (including non-standard
> "majors") and be expected to perform well.  If that premise is understood,
> then any coach would be foolish to recruit a player that might be great for
> the team, but would flunk out.
>                          [log in to unmask]
 
I couldn't agree more.  Admissions at top schools frequently comes
down to non-academic criteria that separates a candidate from the rest
of the pack.  This could include having a special skill (playing
guitar while standing on your head :-), having spent a significant
amount of time in a foreign country, or having played a varsity sport.
IMHO, the capability to contribute to a schools varsity program should
be considered very highly as a specialty skill.
 
Coaches at Bowdoin used to rate potential students for admission
purposes:
    +1  student can contribute on a JV level
    +2  student can contribute on a varsity level
    +3  student can contribute immediately on a varsity level
Bowdoin has since limited the rating to either +1 or 0 and is
considering doing away with ranking altogether in order to downplay
athletics.  I think that would be a bad move, as a good sports team
(hockey is Bowdoin's only money sport) brings in revenue from tickets
as well as from increased alumni contributions.  This increased
revenue can help enrich the academic environment for all students.
Against popular opinion, athletes can also be good students.
 
-- Pete
 
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