By STEPHANIE HELLERT
Staff Writer
 

As a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Bates gives its athletes the opportunity to be selected to go to a national tournament to compete against other athletes of the highest caliber in our division. It allows us the possibility of playing our sport(s) at the highest level we can, of pushing ourselves to our personal and team peak. The presence of a post-season inspires us to set high goals and encourages us to go above and beyond even our own highest expectations.

Unfortunately, these invaluable benefits apparently are not of enough importance that the majority of NESCAC presidents feel that they should continue to be offered. At this point, there are five alternatives being considered by the presidents, involving various combinations of teams and individuals being eligible for NCAA post-season. Of the options presently under consideration, the two that would permit NESCAC teams to attend NCAA's would prohibit them from going to ECAC's. It seems that no matter what the final decision is, the presidents as a group are determined to limit the opportunities their athletes have to excel.

If the vote determines that NESCAC schools will be barred from NCAA's, Bates will be limited to playing only other NESCAC schools, as those colleges attempting to build a schedule worthy of a Nationals slot won't want to waste their time playing schools who aren't in the running. Even if the presidents decide in favor of what they consider a compromise, the result will be that only the top NESCAC team from each sport will go on to Nationals. If this package is passed, in addition to our chances of going to Nationals becoming much slimmer, Bates teams will no longer have the opportunity to be selected for ECACs. Among the fiercest competitors that NESCAC teams face during their seasons are other NESCAC schools. There are often as many as three NESCAC teams in a given sport that beat out non-NESAC schools in their region to get to NCAA's. If anything, this shows how effective NESCAC schools are at competing against schools with less stringent athletic regulations and perhaps less so vulnerable to the pressures of ensuring athletic glory for our institution that they would admit student athletes with a less than outstanding academic record, or more readily offer financial aid to athletes than to non-athletes. It strikes me, however, that reducing participation in NCAA's or dropping out entirely would be the equivalent of chopping off the hand because the finger has a paper cut, especially considering that there is not, to my knowledge, evidence which shows that this losening of academic standards has occurred as a result of our present level of participation in NCAAs, or that it would be solved by reducing it. Particularly with the compromise of sending one NESCAC team to Nationals, it seems that, if anything, competition for scholar-athletes would be more bitter than ever.

Furthermore, it seems relatively easy to remedy those problems that may exist. Perhaps a special committee could be formed to enforce more stringent reviews of prospective athletes' academic records, as well as the distribution of financial aid. And before we jump to too many conclusions about the academic inclinations of athletes, I would love to see a study which compared the academic standing of both prospective student-athletes and of athletes once they matriculated to non-athletes with a comparable extracurricular time commitment.

Along with the possible difficulties of remaining a part of the NCAA, the serious repercussions of withdrawing must be taken into consideration. First of all, recruiting athletes would become a serious problem. Bates attracts the kind of people who are driven to do their best, both academically, and extracurricularly. Artificial limits imposed on either of those fronts would greatly decrease Bates' allure, especially for the serious student who is also a dedicated athlete.

Similarly, how can we expect to attract coaches whose teams would be so limited? How can we expect those we have now to stay? I can't imagine that a professor would find it acceptable to devote herself to teaching students who were permitted to accept only low-level jobs upon graduation, or who were otherwise not allowed to work and compete among the best in their chosen field. And I can guarantee that the NESCAC presidents would never dream of expecting their professors to settle for that. Why, then, do they feel it is appropriate to ask their coaches to?

Further, depending on how the voting goes, rumor has it that NESCAC may disintegrate altogether. Some of the most athletically successful schools, such as Williams, are under so much pressure from parents and alumni that if NESCAC breaks its ties with the NCAA, Williams (and others) might be forced to break its ties with NESCAC. This would mean the end of competitive sports at any remaining NESCAC schools.

Apparently, the fear of a similar occurrence at Bates as the overwhelming protest that ultimately overcame Williams' president and forced him to turn pro-NCAA was so great for President Harward that he decided, at first, to keep his position on the matter a secret. When he finally permitted the coaches to reveal his position to their athletes, it was with the condition that the athletes were forbidden to communicate their feelings on the issue to President Harward, and with the understanding that if he did receive phone calls, e-mails, or letters from athletes, it was their coaches who would be in trouble. Harward's resorting to blackmail in the hopes of avoiding conflict is unacceptable. Fortunately, administrators intervened on behalf of the students and coaches, and we are now allowed to speak freely without fear of consequences. We must take advantage of this "privilege" of freedom of speech and inform Harward of where we stand on this issue.

Colby's President Cotter was recently quoted in "The Colby Echo" as having said, "If you really want to strive to compete with the best... then why not compete in Division I? That's where thereal excellent athletes are in this country." Fortunately, not everyone shares his view. Kate Hagstrom, a first year volleyball player, was actively recruited by Division I schools, but chose to come to Bates because of its balance of academic excellence with sports that are "taken seriously." Although academics are important enough to her that she won't be transferring regardless of the final decision on NCAA's, she feels strongly that withdrawing from the NCAA "would take away from the whole college experience."

It is the search for the well-rounded college experience that plagues scholar-athletes, and it is because of the high value that they place on academics and the community that Bates so proudly boasts of that most who are already ensconced in Bates life probably will not transfer, even if their opportunities as an athlete are restricted. I imagine a few will transfer, but most will probably remain, unhappy.

I would be among those who would remain. Not because transferring is out of the question; I've given it a great deal of thought this past week, and I haven't ruled it out yet. The real question for me is--where would I go? Outside of NESCAC, and the Ivies, does a conference of schools even exist which places a comparable importance on academics, and has excellent sports programs? That is why I am at Bates. That is why nearly 60 percent of us are at Bates. And if NESCAC leaves the NCAA, most of us will be stuck here at Bates because one of the last holdouts of academic eminence coupled with athletic prowess will have been deliberately destroyed.