Athletic scholarships unfair to athletes

One of the best-known athletes ever to be associated with Yale is a football player named Tom Buchanan. The fascinating thing about Buchanan is that he never played football for Yale, nor did he even attend Yale. You see, Buchanan exists only within the pages of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. What should interest the common Yalie is Fitzgerald's first description of the character: "[Tom], among various physical accomplishments, had been one of the most powerful ends that ever played football at New Haven—a national figure in a way." Nearly a century ago, the public's conception of Yale athlete and Yale student were closely intertwined.

HYURA CHOI/YH

Things have changed. Today the average American believes that a Yale student is a creature of the classroom. Many Yalies separate themselves from recruits. This division between athletes and the rest of the community has recently manifested itself in a debate over whether or not Yale should provide athletic scholarships. Proponents feel that scholarships would bring Yale back to its former glory. Those opposed claim scholarships would transform athletes from scholars into paid professionals.Yet this argument neglects the most important reason why Yale should never dispense athletic scholarships; they would make the estrangement of athlete and student complete.

Already, recruits are not held to the same academic standards as other applicants. Coaches compile a list of the most desirable recruits, which is then edited by a liaison from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. When those athletes who make the final list apply, the coach writes a "distinction," which identifies the applicant as a desired recruit. While it seems difficult to argue that this prejudicial treatment does not lead to lower academic expectations, Yale does not recognize that it does. "You can't pigeonhole it," Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Richard Shaw said. "We have accepted recruits that run the entire spectrum." Nonetheless, the application of a recruit is treated differently, and thus athletes are separated from the rest of the Yale community from the start.

Moreover, no comparable system of active recruitment exists for other extracurriculars. This is a good thing. Think how factional the Yale community would become if dramatic groups, publications, political parties and (God forbid) a cappella groups were allowed to recruit.

The estrangement of the Yale athlete does not end with admissions. The University also gives them special treatment—once they're enrolled, the Blue Book states that a Dean's excuse may be granted only for "incapacitating illness, the death of a family member, or a comparable emergency...observance of religious holy days and...participation in varsity events." Let's review: Yale is flexible about academics only in the face of disease, death, crisis, God and sports. Does one of these seem out of place to anyone else? While requiring most students to balance academics and extracurriculars simultaneously, this policy allows athletes to place academics on hold for their sports.

Student-athletes are an integral part of University life. Their dedication to their sport is just as beautiful as that of artists or musicians. Athletes are not, as many stereotypes hold them to be, intellectually barren. The perspective of a student-athlete can be refreshing, especially at an institution where it's easy to get lost in intellectualism and academia.

Refusing to implement athletic scholarships is not enough; more steps must be taken to bring the student-athlete back into the Yale community. Recruits must be held to the same admissions standards as everyone else, and varsity athletes must be subject to the same rules and regulations as all other Yalies.

I realize that such a change in policy would adversely affect the competitiveness of varsity sports. However, I believe athletics to be such an important part of our university that I would rather watch a team of students with whom I identify lose, than watch a group of semi-professional athletes win.

Blake Charlton is a junior in Trumbull.

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