I am writing to add my individual voice to the chorus of

dissent against the college’s decision to eliminate

Dartmouth Swimming and Diving.

 

The reasons cited for eliminating the two teams are weak.

The current state of the economy is not permanent, and

funding could be sought (and found) to support the team

during these economic difficulties. While a new facility

would be an asset in recruiting, Karl Michael Pool does not

prevent the Dartmouth teams from being highly competitive.

Among the Ivies, Dartmouth has numerous other unique

strengths that attract top student-athletes to the college

and the swim and dive programs. In a facility comparable

to Dartmouth’s, U Penn transformed their women’s program in

a single year with the help of strong recruits. After an

eight-year streak of last-place Ivy Championship finishes

and a 1999 season with no Ivy wins, U Penn became

competitive, boasting a .500 record in 2000 and improving

each subsequent year. Dartmouth’s last winning season came

only five years ago, 1998-1999, and the team could return

to that point (in Karl Michael Pool) in the near future

with the help of strong, active recruiting and support from

Admissions. However, the success of a program should not

be defined simply by a win-loss record.

 

My own involvement with Dartmouth Swimming and Diving

highlighted my experiences at Dartmouth. I was able to

compete in the sport I love, wearing the name of a school I

love. I grew from a fair high school diver from Minnesota

to an NCAA Zone finalist, an alternate to NCAA

Championships in two events, and was awarded All-America

Academic Honorable Mention. Dartmouth Diving gave me the

opportunity to be more competitive than I had dreamed

possible. I found a family in my team, and had the

opportunity to captain that team of women I respected. At

the pool, I learned how to persevere, to communicate, to

face my fears, to lead, to rejoice in the daily victories

of my teammates, to trust others and myself. It was at the

pool that I realized the sort of person that I wanted to

be, and there, too, that I found the means to start

becoming that person. In the opportunities that it

presents, the relationships that it fosters, and the

characteristics that it cultivates, the value of Dartmouth

Swimming and Diving infinitely exceeds $212,000.

 

Currently, both the students and alumni have officially

denounced this action with resolutions demanding the

reinstatement of the team. Should you stand by your

initial decision, you will be acting against the will of

the students, whom you serve, and the alumni, who support

the college. If this were a decision based on principle,

your stance of non-negotiation would be understandable,

even noble. In this case, however, the issue is one of

finances, not principles. There are other viable solutions

to the financial obstacles, and these are worth

negotiating. Eliminating the Swim and Dive teams is not an

example of creative problem solving. Now is the time for

leadership in improving the program and engaging students

and alumni in addressing the current financial situation.

 

I ask you to listen to the voices of the Dartmouth

students, handpicked by Admissions for their intelligence

and integrity, and to Dartmouth’s alumni, whose intellect,

creativity, and character were cultivated by the college.

Take pride in the alumni who represent the final product of

a Dartmouth education. I believe that in the voices of

these students and alumni, you will hear the resounding

echoes of all that Dartmouth stands for – community,

passion, critical thinking - and how these values can be

applied to save the Swim and Dive teams. Please consider

the proposals to be offered by the students and alumni on

1/9/03. We CAN work together to find a solution that will

make all of us - administrators, students, and alumni

alike - proud to be Green.

 

Sincerely,

Danielle Fritze ‘02