Panel defends value of athletics in academic careers, campus life
Last night, a Princeton athlete, professor, coach and college dean disputed attempts to show that athletes detract from the University's intellectual life.The panelists all agreed that college athletes are closely scrutinized and that greater emphasis should be devoted to studying non-athletes who also underperform academically.The Wilson College panel addressed claims put forth in early September by former University president William Bowen GS '58 that high varsity recruitment rates and low performance by athletes in the classroom were problems in the Ivy League.Wilson School professor Harold Feiveson, one of the panelists, suggested that at least equal attention needs to be paid to "the loner who spends all his free time in Firestone" as to the academically floundering athlete.Feiveson was one of a four-member panel which included men's varsity squash coach Robert Callahan, Wilson College Associate Dean Richard Williams and Rebecca Snyder, captain of the women's cross country team.Williams attributed the recent increased scrutiny of athletes to "decreasing broad based support for teams."Callahan said he views his job as coach a lot like a professor views teaching."I have to push . . . prod, to challenge," he said.