Earlier this month, the Committee on Curricular Policy (CCP) voted to forward a proposal for approval to the faculty that would allow athletes to obtain half an academic credit for their participation in a varsity-level sport. The proposal—which has been a project of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for two years—had passed as a resolution at the first VSA Council meeting of the academic year, before it traveled to the Athletics and Physical Education Department for revisions and an endorsement. An upcoming faculty vote will determine the future of this credit proposal.
We at The Miscellany News stand behind VSA and the Athletics Department in their approval of the proposal for varsity athletic credit and urge faculty members to consider the benefits of such credit on the academic welfare of Vassar’s student athletes.
As it stands, varsity sports remain the College’s only faculty-supervised activity that does not receive academic credit. Activities of comparable commitment—such as Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre, Vassar College Orchestra and the Vassar College Choir—all award participating students with a limited amount of credit, and it is our belief that the same academic courtesy be extended to athletes.
While an endorsement of this proposal does raise the question of which extracurricular activities should receive academic credit, we maintain that due to its consistent faculty oversight, varsity athletics does fall into the appropriate category for obtaining credit. If the proposal becomes policy, varsity coaches—as employees of the Athletics Department—would ensure that involved students adhere to the credit’s requirements. Moreover, while students have questioned that similar credit be granted to VSA officers, these positions—despite their equally extensive time requirements—do not possess the same faculty oversight that would allow for such surveillance and evaluation to occur.
The proposed credit differs little from that awarded to participants in other faculty-supervised activities in that its availability is limited. The varsity athletics credit will only be obtainable four semesters over a students’ time at Vassar. This is equal to two units of physical education credit, the same as the maximum existing credit students can elect to take through the Athletics and Physical Education Department. Students who use all four of their varsity participation credits cannot also take courses through the Athletics and Physical Education Department. If such a credit is implemented, it is necessary that such restrictions remain in place, thus maintaining the hierarchal distinction between academic and athletic credit.
It should also be pointed out that, as it stands now, the current athletic credit situation can become problematic. How can a beginner athlete receive a half credit for his or her participation in the Fundamentals of Soccer course whereas experienced varsity soccer players receive nothing? While one may hold the assertion that Fundamentals of Soccer is itself a learning experience, we maintain that the learning process is present no matter the student’s skill level. Such equity is true in other areas of the College as well; students enrolled in General Chemistry receive the same amount of credit as those enrolled in Organic Chemistry.
On top of everything, we must remember that varsity athletics present a considerable time commitment. It is rare to find another activity on campus—academic or extracurricular—that includes a comparable daily rigor and frequent overnight obligation. Varsity athletes regularly travel throughout the northeastern to participate in meets, games and tournaments, often gone from campus for an entire weekend at a time. Given the extent of this demand, the faculty must consider what it can do to mitigate possible academic pressures on these students. While athletes will continue to be held to the College’s rigorous academic standards, the athletics credit could discourage a varsity athlete from unnecessarily taking on five academic credits while in their athletic season.
With the proposed varsity credit, the athlete seeking to assume five courses in his or her athletic season will be checked with an overload form, thus encouraging the student to think twice about assuming such a large academic and extracurricular load.
While we concede that the establishment of this varsity credit does set a precedent as to the relationship between academics and athletics, we believe that this precedent is no different from that set by the physical education credit already offered by the College. The proposed varsity athletics credit is by no means a revolutionary change to the way the College functions; it is an extension of existing practices and an acknowledgment of the time and energy student athletes spend as well as the lessons gained from participation in a varsity-level sport. The implementation of the athletics credit would not signify the College’s preference for athletes; instead, it would signify the College’s appreciation for the equal academic well-being of its students.
—The Staff Editorial reflects the opinion of at least two-thirds of the 21-member Editorial Board.
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