Staff Editorial: The fight for athletics

The Council of Ivy League Presidents met twice last year to discuss the future of Ivy League athletics. What came out of the council's first meeting disturbed many on Penn's campus. The eight Ivy presidents decided that over the coming years, the number of football recruits and coaches on staff will be decreased. They also mandated that all varsity teams have seven full weeks of rest throughout the academic year. Now, it seems the presidents are ready to revisit the subject and possibly make further cutbacks. Although the reasons for possible budget cutbacks and policy changes -- including inequality in the college admissions process -- are cause for alarm, we feel that the positives of Division I athletics greatly outweight the negatives, particularly at Penn. Perhaps more so than at any other Ivy League school, athletics play a key role at Penn. Without them the shape of the campus would be changed, and certainly not for the better. Athletics foster a sense of community and spirit here that doesn't exist in the same sense at any other Ivy League institution. Part of Penn's appeal to prospective students is its close-knit community in spite of its size. Athletics are instrumental in helping to create this community atmosphere. Without basketball games, toast throwing and waiting in "The Line," a crucial piece of undergraduate unification would be lost. Athletics also serve a recruitment purpose for Penn. Whether part of the athletic scene or not, many students are attracted to the campus because of its strong school spirit. Penn gains national recognition for its athletic accomplishments, which helps to bolster the number of applicants, particularly outside of the Northeast. This school is clearly at the top of the Ivy League in terms of athletic visibilty -- and success. And while there are valid concerns about the lifestyles of student athletes, it seems that some of the less successful Ivies would like to use cutbacks as a way of leveling the playing field. When the Council of Ivy League Presidents convenes to revisit this issue over the summer, University President Judith Rodin should stick to a strong pro-athletics policy. If the rest of the presidents vote to downsize athletics and implement budget cutbacks, Penn should realize the crucial role that athletics plays on this campus and refuse to comply.

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