Student athletes have long lamented the strain the D-plan places on team practice, but after many years, the College is in the process of applying for a waiver from the National Collegiate Athletic Association to address the problem.
The proposed waiver would allow student athletes who are not enrolled during the term to practice, but not compete, with their teams.
"It's a matter of the NCAA looking at the uniqueness of the Dartmouth plan," College Director of Athletics and Recreation JoAnn Harper said in a recent interview with The Dartmouth.
"We are not doing this to gain a competitive advantage. We are doing this in order to level the playing field," Harper said.
The waiver would affect students who are not enrolled for the term but remain on campus for an internship or to work in the area. They are currently prohibited from practicing with their teams.
College athletes said they hope the waiver will be granted, especially as most of the junior class is typically not enrolled for Winter term, placing spring sports teams in difficult positions.
According to softball team member Karin Edwardson '05, the four juniors on the women's softball team are not enrolled this term and must practice from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., while the rest of the team practices during the evening.
"Softball's a team sport, and if we're not allowed to practice with our team, our shortstop and our second baseman can't practice double plays," Edwardson said. "It's really hard on us."
Track team members would also like to see a waiver granted.
"There are members of the team who I'm sure would like to be training," track team member Ian Marcus '07 said.
Lacrosse, too, is affected by current NCAA restrictions. Harper recalled the difficulty she faced when she coached women's lacrosse for the College from 1981 to 1992. Seven starting players were routinely missing from pre-season practice because they had taken Winter term off, she said.
Some teams have encountered fewer difficulties. According to coxswain Colleen Harrison '05 of the women's crew team, rowers are fortunate to have several area club teams, including the North Country Rowing Club, with which they can practice during Winter term, instead of practicing officially at the College.
Rebecca Ehrlichman '04 is rowing with North Country while she is off this term.
"Officially, this winter, I'm rowing with North Country, which as access to the same facilities Dartmouth has. By rowing under North Country, I gain access to those spaces," Ehrlichman said. Though the proposed waiver would allow students who are not enrolled to practice with their teams, athletes like track team member Kevin Arnold '05 would remain unable to compete.
"I was here for sophomore summer, so I had to take a term off. I got to the point where I couldn't compete," he said.
Currently, some athletes continue to practice at Dartmouth during their off-terms.
"Anybody can come up here and train on their own, but we just want to make sure that we're following all the rules," Harper said.
But, according to a recent internal report compiled as part of the NCAA re-certification process, if the waiver is not approved, the College will take steps to make sure that students who are not enrolled during the term do not engage in "countable athletically-related activity" with their teams.
New NCAA regulations also require the College to certify that student athletes are enrolled full-time at the beginning of each term, rather than at the start of the academic year. The assistant dean of the College and associate director of athletics for compliance and administration will then cross-reference information about enrollment patterns with team rosters.
Harper said she is hopeful that the College will receive the waiver but remains unsure of the likelihood of its being granted.
"My hope is that we will, but in an organization the size of the NCAA, it's very hard for people to identify with unique situations. And many times the rules are made for the masses -- as we well know. I just hope they take the time," Harper said.
