Students Protest Athletics Cuts

Slashing of Diving, Swim Teams Blasted

By Donald Mahler

Valley News Sports Editor

Nearly 100 Dartmouth College students gathered in front of the administration building yesterday to protest the elimination of the college's swimming and diving programs.

Fighting to be heard over construction equipment at the nearby site of the $14.1 million Baker Library renovation, the crowd spent nearly 90 minutes grilling Dean of the College James Larimore and athletic director Josie Harper about the decision to cut the programs. Through voices that at times cracked with emotion and other times trembled with cold, the students also raised questions about why no discussion took place around campus before the decision was made.

On Monday, Dartmouth announced the elimination of the men's and women's swimming and diving programs effective in March, at the end of this competitive year. The cuts are projected to save about $212,000 a year. The college as a whole is making budget reductions of $4.9 million in fiscal 2003 and $5.7 million in fiscal 2004 because of a net investment loss of 5.7 percent on its endowment.

There are 53 student-athletes in the program, nine of whom are seniors scheduled to graduate in June. Three head coaching positions and a part-time assistant coaching position also have been eliminated.

“I'm upset that no one cares what the students think,” said junior swimmer Mike Tanana, making a comment many in the crowd echoed.

“Why were no students involved in the decision-making?” asked another. “This is our college, too.”

“If you can do this without any regard to what we think, what happens next? I feel threatened,” added senior Claire Mansk, a member of the crew team.

The rally at Parkhurst Hall came just 12 hours after some 300 students protested the cuts in front of the homes of Larimore and college President James Wright on Monday night.

Larimore, who did most of the speaking yesterday, explained how the athletic department was stretched to the limit trying to sustain 34 varsity programs.

“This was a decision we came to that was not taken lightly,” said the dean. “We looked at either cutting from programs across the board, or cutting just one program.

“We felt the programs couldn't take any more cuts.”

Harper, standing to Larimore's right on the top steps of Parkhurst, echoed her boss' statements. “I’ve talked to the coaches, and the general consensus was that they cannot endure another round of horizontal (across-the-board) cuts.

“It would make us less attractive to student-athletes applying around the Ivy League.”

But the students at the rally, including the more than half who were not Dartmouth swimmers, seemed determined not to let administrators off the hook.

“I am not a member of the swimming team, and I don't have any vested interest in this,” said senior Miles Harrigan. “But the way you sprung this on the team and its coaches without any student input, at 8 a.m. right before Thanksgiving break … I think it was dishonorable.”

His comments were met with applause, as were those of women's team captain Mia Yocco.

“The mission statement for the athletic department, on our own Web site, declares that ‘the purpose of all athletic department activities is to foster and complement the overall academic and intellectual growth of Dartmouth students.' What you are doing is contrary to the very mission statement you produced.”

Toby Hayes, a former swimmer who graduated in 1999, criticized the administrators for their handling of the situation. “You've just applied a long-term solution to a short-term problem.”

The dialogue went back and forth in the cold for an hour and a half, with the students maintaining that their questions were not being answered, while the administrators contended that they were listening to the questions and responding honestly and directly.

“Don't treat us like we're stupid,” said one student. “We know the problems (with the economy). Are you telling us this was the only solution you could come up with?”

Deputy athletic director Bob Ceplikas, a former Dartmouth hockey player, diffused some of the crowd's anger when he responded to a question about how he felt about the elimination of an athletic program, the first at the college since 1976.

“It rips my heart to know this was coming,” said Ceplikas. “But please believe, as I do, this is truly in the best long-term interest of future generations of Dartmouth students.”

Still, some swimmers were talking about transferring. “I'm going to spend my Thanksgiving thinking about resumes and transferring,” said freshman Liz Allen after the rally. “And that makes me mad.”

Chuck Zarba, whose daughter is a freshman on the swim team, came up from Beverly, Mass., to get answers about what happened to the program.

“This college is about education, enrichment and growth. Sports is not the main thing,” he told the administrators.

“But if this cut was made because you think it will help other programs win championships, well that's unacceptable.

“You can't eliminate a program. You've got to show these kids that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.”

For some of the swimmers, that light comes with a $5 million price tag. “We were told by various administrators in our meetings the past few days, that if we raised the $5 million from outside sources, the program could be endowed,” said freshman Yale Fillingham.

“Well, we're on a mission to save swimming.”