The USG will decide tonight how best to persuade University administrators to change the seven-week moratorium on athletic practices.
With the backing of President Tilghman, athletes and coaches, the USG is optimistic that the University will lead an effort to amend the moratorium across the Ivy League.
A recent proposal from members of the University suggests replacing the seven-week break from off-season athletic practices with a limit on the number of days and hours a team could practice per week. If passed, the new policy would curtail practice to four days per week and no more than six hours per week.
USG president Pettus Randall '04 said the main goal for tonight's meeting is deciding how to effectively demonstrate student support for the revised moratorium.
"We want to provide [Tilghman] with sufficient resources to show the student body is behind this 100 percent," he said.
The eight Ivy League university presidents surprised the student-athlete community last June when they passed the mandatory seven-week moratorium.
Athletes said they were initially displeased with what they perceived as a "condescending" policy.
"We were not expecting them to pass the moratorium last summer — we thought we, the student athletes, had expressed that it wasn't a good idea," said Jason White, former president of the Varsity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Johnny Chavkin '05, the USG's representative to the Faculty Advisory Committee on Athletics and a varsity soccer player, said he resented the moratorium's implication that athletes "aren't mature enough to structure our own time."
Esmeralda Negron '05, a varsity soccer player, also pointed out that even prior to the moratorium, the Ivy League had much tighter restrictions on pre-season and off-season practice than most other Div. I schools. This could ultimately discourage student athletes from choosing Princeton over other Div. I schools, she said.
In February, Tilghman met with students, administrators and varsity athletes to discuss possible changes to the moratorium. At the meeting, Tilghman admitted that the original moratorium was "simply not achieving its goals."
In response to student dissatisfaction, several campus groups, including the FACA, USG and VSAC, have banded together to create the new moratorium plan. Tilghman will propose their changes to the Council of Ivy Group Presidents in June for a vote.
White said most student-athletes seem enthusiastic about the new moratorium plan and have lauded Tilghman for her willingness to listen and assist in the reform process. At tonight's meeting, the USG hopes to sign a letter that VSAC has drafted for the Ivy League presidents. The letter explains the importance of adopting the changes.
While he is excited about the progress that has been made, White cautioned his fellow athletes from being overly optimistic.
"This is not a done deal — nothing is passed and nothing is going to pass until the presidents meet in June."
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