By MATTHEW EPSTEIN
New Editor
 

"On April 22, 1998, the presidents of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) instituted a policy to limit post-season play by allowing only one team from the conference to participate in NCAA national competition in each sport," reports the Williams College Student Government website.

This information is a surprise to students at Bates and elsewhere. Last fall and spring many felt secure that the long term future of post-season play in NESCAC was protected as it was, and currently is, that all teams that qualify for the post-season will be allowed to play.

However, according to President Donald Harward, the situation was not that simple: "a number of presidents were radically opposed to allowing any form of NCAA competition," Harward told the Student last night.

He continued, "one role that Bates played was indeed to hopefully save the conference, as well as to strike a compromise... one part of the compromise was to argue that we want to have, to permit, NCAA competition.... The next step in the compromise... was that we would look at each sport to determine what the best pattern of NCAA participation would be."

According to Harward the current compromise was satisfactory to all NESCAC member schools, offsetting rumors from last year that some schools were considering leaving the conference if post-season play was abolished.

Over the winter when it was originally announced that the NESCAC presidents were considering ending the "trial period" of post-season competition, there was uproar on the Bates campus and elsewhere.

In December, Bates students filled the College Chapel for an open forum on the subject, with all student speakers unanimous in the belief that post-season play should be continued.

Though apparently accepted by the various college administrations, the plan for a conference championship is unpopular with student athletes at all NESCAC schools, as many made clear in the winter, when it was originally proposed as one alternative to continued full participation. It is no more welcome now.

"I want to just say that there is pretty much unanimous opposition [at Tufts] to this new [expletive]. They are sorely mistaken if they think this will reduce competition and increase student learning. If anything, this new policy will make the NESCAC even more competitive than it already is and will result in an effect opposite that which the policy makers want to achieve," said Sebastien Saylor, captain of the Tufts basketball team.

According to the Williams report, the playoff games that Bates saw in the past two weeks in field hockey and men's and women's soccer would be no more, because NESCAC teams would not participate in ECAC's.

"NESCAC has sent 17 teams from 8 schools to the national tournament recently.... If the new policy, which is being implemented over time, had been in effect this year, that number would have dropped from 17 to 4. That's a lot of people with crushed dreams, a lot of opportunity down the drain," said Bert Letherman, a Williams junior.

At Bates as well, the idea of excluding most NESCAC teams from post-season play is unpopular. "We're looking for students on this campus who are striving to be the best they can be.... to achieve greatness [in whatever they do]," said Men's Squash and Tennis Coach Paul Gastonguay. "I think it's sending a mixed message, that we only have to be so good.... That we don't have to be the best," he continued.

"The new policy actually increases pressure on student-athletes since it is harder to make it to nationals. Friendly NESCAC [competition] becomes fierce. Losing early games defeats morale for the rest of the season and makes the remaining NESCAC games all the more stressful," said an unidentified student at Williams College.

The Williams student government, which is taking the lead in opposition to the new plan unanimously adopted this statement: "Teams from NESCAC have competed successfully in NCAA's for the past five years. In many sports, not one but several NESCAC schools have received open bids to enter the NCAA tournament. The new policy developed by the NESCAC presidents greatly retracts opportunities for NESCAC athletes to continue to compete nationally.

"The student body of Williams College is troubled by the imposition of such a restrictive policy. We seek fundamental change or rejection of the new policy, which has few advantages and many flaws."

In order to discuss the issue and coordinate action, leaders of NESCAC student governments and others will be gathering at Amherst College this Sunday. Members of the Representative Assembly and The Student's editorial board will be in attendance.

President Harward told The Student that there would be considerable opportunity for student-athletes, coaches and athletic directors to comment on the plan before it is implemented

"We're spending the next two-and-a-half years to work with players, coaches and athletic directors, who have formed a committee to make a proposal regarding posts-season play. Those proposals will be sport by sport.... None of this will take place before 2000-2001.