|
Web
Exclusives: From
the Cheap Seats
By Matt Golden '94 In the wake of the Wythes Report, which, among other things, recommended an increase in Princeton's undergraduate enrollment by about 500 students (roughly 125 per class), the university community was abuzz. Many wondered: "Where will these students be housed? Will this bring greater diversity to campus?" The answer to the first question is still unclear, though there has been much discussion about the creation of a sixth residential college. The answer to the second is murky, and a little distasteful. While the university hopes an increase in enrollment may bring greater diversity (presumably that of race and ethnicity) to campus, the Wythes Report issued a big, fat No Vacancy statement to prospective student-athletes who might stand to benefit from the extra admission slots. The report recommends that none of the additional students be prospective varsity athletes. The premise of the Wythes Report in excluding recruited student-athletes from the new admission slots is that the maximum number of athletes on each varsity team is mandated by the Ivy League, and, if that number does not increase, there is no need to admit more student-athletes. What the report does not consider is that walk-ons (nonrecruited student-athletes) fill a significant number of a typical Princeton athletic team's roster spots. Also, when a recruited athlete decides to leave a team (as happens frequently) at Princeton, that recruiting slot is lost. If a scholarship athlete at another school quits his or her team, that scholarship becomes available for another recruit. Adding a few more recruited athletes would bolster any Princeton team's talent level and depth. (Don't you think men's basketball coach John Thompson III '88 would appreciate that this season?) What stinks about all of this is not that the university's athletic teams will miss out on potential quality players. That's an ancillary and relatively unimportant issue. Princeton has enjoyed more than its share of success and will continue to rank at or near the head of the Ivy League's sports pecking order. The real issue is that a group that currently comprises 16-17 percent of an average Princeton freshman class is being discriminated against. Imagine if the Wythes Report called for an enrollment increase of 500 with the caveat that none of those admitted be women, minorities, or, even worse, progeny. Increasing campus diversity is an admirable and important goal, but capping the number of recruited student-athletes on campus is wrong. Once that quota is met, the door is slammed shut. None of the new openings should be earmarked for athletes, but those athletes should not be arbitrarily eliminated from consideration. With so many qualified applicants from which to choose, the concern of the Wythes Committee and the office of admission should not be whom to exclude.
|
February
7 , 2001