The Dartmouth-Plan gives students opportunities they might not otherwise have by allowing them to take off-terms during the academic year and to spend a summer term on campus.
But for athletes, especially the two- or three-season athletes, whose athletic schedules conflict with programs they otherwise might take advantage of, the D-Plan can be a hindrance.
"There is a definite emphasis on year-round training and many of our seasons overlap anyway," Director of Athletics Dick Jaeger said. "It can pose real problems. But on the positive side, there are great stories of Dartmouth athletes who have used the Dartmouth-Plan to their advantage."
While the D-Plan offers students new chances for exploration both on and off the Dartmouth campus, it can also deter athletes from playing and force them to leave teams to pursue other activities.
Regardless, coaches and athletes alike seem to agree that the D-Plan is a unique opportunity that adds to Dartmouth's allure.
History
When, in 1971, the College implemented the D-Plan to relieve problems created by admitting 1,000 women, there were more things to consider than just the increased number of students.
At the time of the introduction of coeducation and the D-Plan, it was unknown what effect the D-Plan would have onDartmouth's athletic competitiveness.
"When it came up, there was a good deal of nervousness," History Professor Charles Wood said. Wood chaired the Committee on Year-Round Operations, created in 1971 by then-College President John Kemeny. "If you were going to go coed, did you decrease the total men to keep the school the same size or did you look at the women as an add-on and increase the size of the school? It was very clear at the time that size would have to add on."
In order to remain competitive in the Ivy League when the school went coed, Wood explained, the College decided a minimum of 3,000 male athletes was necessary. The D-Plan enabled the College to retain the same number of males at the school while adding the females.
"Five years later, when the College finally moved from a three-to-one ratio [of males to females] to blind admissions, it showed up as a great concern in the alumni council," Wood said. "They were afraid we would lose our athletic competitiveness among males."
Other schools, like Princeton, were also moving towards open admissions at the time. Dartmouth looked to Princeton as an example, as Princeton had been able to maintain athletic competitiveness despite the change in admissions policies.
"The College looked at every feasible possibility" when examining how the D-Plan would affect athletics, said Jaeger, who worked in the Admissions Department at the time. "There was an awareness that it would have an effect on the programs. No one had realized the huge emphasis on year-round training" that would come about.
At the time, athletes did not train year-long, making off-terms during the normal academic year and Foreign Study Programs easily feasible.
"The type of thing we were concerned about was that the D-Plan not undercut the viability of sports or any extracurricular activity," Wood said.
Season Scheduling
Dartmouth originally became involved in the Ivy League because of athletic scheduling. "The Ivy League is based purely on athletic scheduling," Wood said. With the establishment of the D-Plan, the scheduling became much more difficult.
Presently, Dartmouth's academic schedule starts and finishes later than any other Ivy League school. As Dartmouth reaches midterms, most other schools are preparing for final exams.
"The D-Plan puts us at odds with other Ivies. It makes scheduling very difficult. Both Penn and Cornell start in late August, while we don't start until late September. It's the same with the ending. Penn's graduation is either this week or next week. Everything winds down early for us," Jaeger said.
With the exception of crew and track and field, all Dartmouth teams have completed regular season play already, even though Spring term has several weeks remaining.
However, because the other Ivy League schools are finishing up their academic year, competition, for the most part, has ended.
Off-terms and Study Abroad
Playing even a single sport at Dartmouth limits when an athlete can take an off-term or participate in a Foreign Study Program or Language Study Abroad. Many teams not only play in their designated season, but also begin practice the season before.
Men's basketball Captain Jamie Halligan '95 took an off-term in the spring, the only term that did not force him to miss part of the basketball season. He did not participate in an FSP and, when asked if he would have liked to, he responded, "Possibly, it wasn't the kind of thing that would have inhibited me."
"I never really had a big conflict with the D-Plan," men's hockey Captain Dion Del Monte '95 said. "It means the only term I can take off is the Spring term but it's worth it because I wanted to play hockey."
A less popular option, especially with coaches, is to take off one of the training or competing seasons to participate in a FSP or to take advantage of an internship.
"If they aren't here, they lose a year," women's basketball Coach Chris Wielgus said. "It's very competitive and someone will take their spot."
"People slip through the cracks that way. They never get back into it," women's track co-Captain Kristin Manwaring '96 said.
Not only can taking a term off hurt the athlete's performance upon returning, but it can also hurt the team as a whole.
"It's very difficult for the whole squad that they have a third or even a half of the team away. It is certainly difficult for our sport where athletes are competing with schools that are training together fall, winter and spring and we have athletes missing some of those seasons," men's heavyweight crew Coach Scott Armstrong said.
Cross-country and track Coach Sandra Ford-Centonze agrees with Armstrong that it is difficult on team training to have athletes off-campus.
"When you're looking at trying to put together a program, you don't know whether half your relay will be here," she said.
But off-terms and FSPs do not always hinder an athlete's performance. "I've had kids go over and train in Berlin, French, Oxford and Cambridge clubs or just other clubs in the United States. Some kids come back in better shape than before. They are the ones who are really tenacious and can train on their own," Armstrong said.
Housing
One problem that coaches and athletes have run into due to the D-Plan is housing. Housing has become more of a problem in recent years because of the large number of students who wish to be on campus during Fall term.
Every student enters the lottery system each year to determine who will get housing. According to the Office of Residential Life, Fall-term athletes must go through the same lottery as other students.
This lottery system causes problems for these athletes who may not be able to get housing.
"The housing crunch is a tremendous problem. We've had a lot of problems getting kids housing," Wielgus said. "It's very disruptive not to be on campus. We have games going on in the fall and when we play late at night, they have to wander around at two or three in the morning when we get back."
Halligan chose to live in his fraternity house. "I knew I was going to get a room and be on campus," he said.
Ford-Centonze has not found housing to be a major problem. "The '98s have told me that the system has changed. They are a little concerned but so far we haven't had anyone in a big panic," she said.
Recruiting
Coaches seem to present the D-Plan to recruits as a positive aspect of the Dartmouth experience.
"I try to sell Dartmouth with the plan," Armstrong said. "The fact that they can expand their horizons, not just academically but in other ways."
"Eighty percent of our kids come to Dartmouth and then decide to row. Just because Joe was recruited, it's not fair to not let him take a term off but to let someone who walked on the team," Armstrong said.
"I put [the D-Plan] as a positive because it's so unique. Our kids can play Division I basketball and still participate in off-campus programs. It doesn't happen anywhere else," Wielgus said.
Some recruits have been concerned about the D-Plan. "They ask, 'What will this mean about my spot on a relay?' " Ford-Centonze said.
Sophomore Summer
What has proven to be even tougher is scheduling the D-Plan for three-season athletes.
One of the major aspects of the D-Plan is the sophomore Summer term.
Three-season athletes, whether they be three-sport athletes or athletes whose sport trains all three seasons, must decide whether the sport or the advantages of staying on Summer term is more important.
During the development of the D-Plan, the CYRO considered whether exemptions from the sophomore Summer term should be allowed or not.
"Should a sport undercut what everyone considered a regular Dartmouth activity?" Wood said. "It was decided that a three-term athlete would receive an exemption."
Manwaring runs cross-country in the fall and track in the winter and spring. While Manwaring knew that she wanted to be running throughout the seasons, she did not want to miss out on her sophomore Summer term.
Manwaring petitioned and received permission to be exempted from the Summer term, but lived off-campus in Hanover so that she would still be able to participate in the activities of the term.
"I think it's hardest for a runner. Most other sports don't go all three seasons," Manwaring said. "Not only would you miss a season, but you would also be out of shape [if you took an off-term during the season]. You have to figure out your priorities. You have to miss something."
Some athletes choose to take off a non-competing season in order to not miss sophomore summer.
Ford-Centonze mentioned athletes who live off-campus during the fall and train by themselves. This way, they are able to be a part of sophomore summer and still get the most out of their sport.
The D-Plan, despite creating some problems, seems to have a positive influence overall, even among athletes.
With advanced planning, most problems can be worked out and athletes can create D-Plans that will best fit their needs.
"The key is communication with the kids," Ford-Centonze said. "I hope when they go away they will be just as motivated as if they were here."
Especially for the three season-sports, the D-Plan can hinder an athlete or team's progress. "Rowing is one of the few sports that train all three terms. When an athlete takes a term off, they put themselves behind. Fitness and hard training are a necessity," Armstrong said. "But it's an academic decision. Honestly, I don't think they should factor athletics into it. Certainly the kids are here to study."
"The D-Plan offers a lot of choices but you do have to choose between those things," Wood said. "Part of education is deciding which things you ought to be doing."
