Critics of big-time college sports programs have long advocated the de-emphasizing of intercollegiate sports at institutions of higher education. They cite lowered academic admission standards, the rising cost of maintaining competitive athletic teams and the diversion of institutional resources from what they view to be the only true missions of the school-academic education and research.
Although their arguments may be valid, they overlook the real contributions intercollegiate sports make to the undergraduate experience and the valuable contribution that each student-athlete has to offer to the classroom experience and the campus community-a fact a number of professors on this campus have overlooked.
At Duke, intercollegiate sports enrich student life and foster campus spirit. Ask most any undergraduate or alumni about their school, and the discussion will eventually turn to Duke sports teams and to the excitement and pride they engender, both on campus and after students leave the hallowed halls. Most will acknowledge that at Duke, they have been lucky enough to experience this impact to the highest degree. Unlike most elite undergraduate academic institutions, which pride themselves primarily on their academic reputations, Duke is able to claim not only prestigious academics but also numerous championship-caliber athletic teams.
I understand that at Duke, as with nearly all Division I schools, many recruited athletes do not meet the school's normal academic standards. Whatever the reasons, neither Duke nor any other school can hope to compete at the Division I level if it limits its recruiting pool to students who meet the high academic standards of the average student at that school. As a result, sometimes our student-athletes may not have on paper the same grades and test scores as their peers.
On the other hand, these student-athletes bring much to the University that their peers do not, and frankly, cannot. And I don't mean just athletic prowess. I mean diversity of worldviews, experiences, attitudes and ideas.
The richness of the classroom experience is not solely determined by the knowledge and charisma of the professor but by the dynamics of discussions fostered by the students in that classroom. The most productive discussions are generated when a diversity of attitudes, interests and perspectives are brought to the table; and so, part of what makes Duke's campus life and classroom experiences so remarkable is the diversity that pervades its student body.
And without a doubt, Duke's student-athletes make an invaluable contribution to this unique diversity.
Unfortunately, not all members of our faculty recognize these contributions that intercollegiate athletics make to the undergraduate experience. And, because they feel that student-athletes are neither qualified nor equipped to meet the demands of Duke's rigorous academics, several members of the faculty resent the presence of athletes in their classroom. I have witnessed hostile attitudes toward student-athletes by members of the faculty, and I have seen these attitudes manifested in unfair treatment and discriminatory behavior. I have been appalled at the way in which professors have publicly demeaned students for no other reason than the fact that they knew the student was a recruited student-athlete.
Last April, members of Duke's men's lacrosse team were abandoned and slandered by their school when 88 professors jointly signed a vicious ad in The Chronicle, condemning the evils of sexism and racism and the actions of lacrosse team, presuming the culpability of the student-athletes. When it was found that the students were in fact innocent and the charges were dismissed, the professors did not utter a word of apology for their rash and unfair rush to judgment.
While the original newspaper ad served to highlight important issues concerning gender and race relations, it also served to expose a third and equally contentious relationship on Duke's campus-one between the academic and athletic administrations.
Such antagonistic attitudes on the part of the academic administrators are not only unfair to student-athletes, they are also counterproductive to the mission of University, harming both the undergraduate experience and the reputation of the school.
I am not advocating any policy changes or special privileges or standards for student-athletes. Rather, what I am advocating is an attitude change. I am urging professors to recognize and acknowledge the valuable contribution that each of their students has to offer this university.
Duke's student-athletes contribute tremendously, not only to the spirit and pride of our University, but also to the unique identity and diverse culture of Duke's student population, something to which Duke is committed and of which it is deservedly proud.
If faculty members insist on maintaining such hostile attitudes, because they believe that recruited athletes do not belong at a prestigious institution like Duke, then perhaps they should not be teaching at an institution that cherishes and appreciates the value of Duke's student-athletes and intercollegiate athletics.
Duke, which as an institution will always be larger than any individual or group, is a place where the contributions of all of its students are valued and loved. Indeed, this is an important part of what makes Duke such a unique and special place, one which other schools admire and seek to emulate.
Kelsey Kingsbery is a Trinity senior. She works for the Department of Athletics in student-athlete academic support.
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