Athletes, administrators address role of 'student-athletes' on college campuses

One of the posters advertising last night's panel discussion on University athletics asked "In which Jadwin do you spend most of YOUR time?"

The teaser cut to one of the points of the discussion titled "Athletics: The anti-intellectual subculture," asking whether athletes spend too much time in places like Jadwin Gym and not enough in academic areas of campus like Jadwin Hall, which houses the physics department.

The panel, hosted by Wilson College, aimed to address various conceptions of student athletes as held by other members of the University community.

The speakers on the panel were Michael Cross, associate director of athletics, Elizabeth Bogan, professor of economics and former chairman of the faculty committee on athletics, Vincent Lloyd '03 and Roger Hughes, head football coach.

Represented by three pro-athletic advocates and one non-athlete student — Lloyd, who held the view that the University need not take such a strong stance on athletics — the panel tended to favor athletics, but introduced several very good ideas on both sides.

The discussion started with Nick Napoli, a Wilson College assistant master, establishing that, at times, the campus seems divided.

"There are different ways in which we define ourselves," he said. "All of us are students. Some are athletes."

Afterward, each person on the panel expressed his view on that divide. Instead of making one point or establishing a thesis in the discussion, the panelists mentioned several important qualities of athletes, and Lloyd mentioned several ways in which a large number of athletes on campus could be detrimental.

Of the panelists, Cross introduced himself first, saying there is a misconception that athletics are inherently anti-intellectual.

"Are sports anti-academic?" he asked. "I don't think so. Can athletics make it harder to handle the work load? Definitely. Is it anti-intellectual? No."

Bogan followed Cross and said there should be more schools like Princeton where the term "student athlete" is not an oxymoron. She also commented on how impressed she has always been to meet amazing students who have the additional quality of being great athletes.

Hughes spoke last, stating that athletics are another needed aspect of diversity at the University and that bringing students with great athletic ability to the University is just as important as bringing students with other abilities. He, like Bogan, lauded the non-academic skills — such as teamwork and leadership — that athletes learn on the field and cannot learn in the classroom.

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Lloyd agreed with many of the points of the other panelists, but raised a few questions, saying athletes rarely interact with other students and, after graduation, are less likely to actively participate in their communities.

While not everyone came to a mutual conclusion, the panel encouraged continued discussion of the essential questions of how much time should be spent in Jadwin.