[log in to unmask] wrote:

>It seems to me that in the five years since my retirement as a college  
>hockey father there has been a tremendous upheaval in college hockey- primarily  
>the decline of the ECAC. It seems like RPI, Union, Yale etc can expect no gimmes 
> when they play an Atlantic or CHA team. It is amazing how well Qunnipiac has 
> done with so little (no tradition, no real academic cache. little buzz, and  
>unremarkable facilities). I think it is time for the non-Ivies to question 
>the  wisdom of staying in a league that reflects the philosophy of the Ivies who 
>have  a big leg up recruiting against the non-Ivies (anyone who wonders about 
>the  integrity of the admissions for athletes in the Ivies should read "The 
>Chosen"  (not the Potok novel of the same name) and you will find out that 
>football and  hockey recruits are given a huge preference to the consternation of 
>the  faculties and purists at Yale, Harvard and Princeton. I would assume the 
>aid  packages are also very favorable. Just something to ponder.
> 
>It is disappointing that the growth of college hockey has stagnated and  that 
>more programs are not being added. Growth at the youth level has been  
>tremendous and we have twice as many high schools playing hockey in NJ than we  did 
>just ten years ago. 
> 
>Happy new year to all. To all who wrote me while my son was in Iraq- thank  
>you. He is back and safe and sound thank G-d.
> 
>
>  
>
I'm looking forward to reading /The Chosen/ by Jerome Karabel.  It gives 
the history of discrimination in admission policies of the "Big Three" 
from 1900 to the quotas on admission of Asian Americans in the 1980's.

I've been arguing (unsuccessfully) for a few years that RPI should flee 
the ECAC for Hockey East if the opportunity arises.  This year may be a 
bad year to make that argument since the league seems to be enjoying a 
mini revival of sorts.  The argument that RPI should stay in the ECAC 
because of its more academic orientation and generally higher admission 
standards was pretty much blown out of the water by the admission (in 
desperation?) of Quinnipiac this year.  Admittedly, the league didn't 
have much to choose from although Holy Cross would have been more 
compatible from the academic standpoint.  Q is not comparable 
academically to the other schools in the league and should be able to 
recruit players most of the other schools won't touch.  Coupled with 
their administration's willingness to fund new athletic facilities, I 
think that this will make them quite competitive in a short time.

B. Taylor, RPI '74