The first of April is the time of year when the admissions office makes its final decisions on the incoming class, as well as the time when Dartmouth's athletic teams can, for the most part, finalize their rosters for the upcoming season. It is no secret that admissions and the athletic department have a rather strong relationship at Dartmouth and in the rest of the Ivy League.
Each year, athletics is given a number of spots in the incoming class or, in other words, a set number of prospective students that coaches can officially endorse during the admissions process. If a prospective student-athlete has achieved at least some level of success in the classroom by the Ivy League's Academic Index's standards, then that athlete will likely be admitted to the College. While the index supposedly "insure[s] close academic compatibility among admitted athletes and non-athletes in each freshman class," it would seem likely that the average test scores of the athletically recruited incoming class, as a whole, are lower than the incoming class of students that had no athletic support in the admissions process.
This begs some obvious questions: has athletic recruiting hurt the academic environment of Dartmouth and her sister schools in the Ivy League by recruiting less academically qualified students? Do test scores really mean everything? And would a Dartmouth without athletics and student-athletes be a "better" Dartmouth from a strictly academic point of view? I would argue no.
Dartmouth is not MIT and its students should not have to choose between being mathletes or athletes. Our athletic program continues to foster unity within the community, increase the diversity of an incoming class and teach life skills that cannot be picked up through classroom instruction.
Dartmouth prides itself on having one of the most active student bodies in all of the Ivy League. Three-quarters of students are involved in athletics, through varsity, club or intramural sports. Membership in the Dartmouth Outing Club or Ledyard Canoe Club runs high, while more than 95 percent of incoming students take part in the rather physically active orientation of DOC First-Year Trips.
The athletic culture at Dartmouth promotes community bonding just as students find camaraderie in playing catch with a frisbee on the Green, they too find class bonding in events like the Homecoming football game, the central focus of an entire weekend and the annual hockey game against Princeton. Would Dartmouth be the same Dartmouth without the inevitable delay of game penalty for flying tennis balls in Thompson Arena or body-painted freshmen storming Memorial Field at halftime?
It is also important to realize that Dartmouth athletic teams do not just recruit athletes. The varsity athletic community is one of the most diverse subsets of the College. It supports students of all races, colors, religions and national origins. Athletic recruiting has afforded Dartmouth the ability to put together classes with a kaleidoscope of perspectives. While a recruited student-athlete's test scores might not be as high as those from a non-athlete, his perspective is just as unique. Why is it that one of the most frequent responses to the Common Application's personal statement involves athletics in some way, even for students who do not choose to continue varsity athletics at the college level? With athletics come a number of life skills that cannot be gleaned through textbook reading, namely those of diligence, commitment and leadership. Some of the most successful students at Dartmouth have been varsity athletes, simply because they were able to survive the rigors of college coupled with the serious time commitment of athletics by learning how to prioritize and manage their time.
Instead of seeing the nature of the athletic recruiting system as a detriment to the academic environment of the College, one should realize how much varsity athletics have helped create a community at Dartmouth. Whether by offering spaces for class camaraderie, opening doors for diversification of the student population or promoting persistence and commitment even in the face of failure, Dartmouth athletics has made a priceless contribution that cannot be overlooked.
After all, without Dartmouth athletic events to attend, who or what would employ Keggy?
