Posted on Jan 1, 1995

The NCAA-the National Collegiate Athletic Association-was the focus of several events during Homecoming Weekend, and a variety of speakers offered a variety of messages.

One of the most impassioned came from Robert Koonce '86, director of the student athletes support program at the University of Michigan and a former star lineman on the Union football team.

Several times during his remarks, Koonce noted that the majority of athletes at the Division I level do fine.

Nonetheless, he said, there still are coaches and administrators who recruit athletes without realizing that some may not have the academic or social preparation to be in college.

“I'd rather not have coaches recruit people who can't be successful at a school like Michigan,” he said. “But sometimes that message goes in one ear and out the other. We had one individual who got mad at his resident advisor and rigged a bomb to the R.A.'s door. That's a young man who does not belong in a college setting.”

Koonce said that he was “always puzzled” that he has to convince twenty
year-olds that they should attend classes and get their degrees. “My parents always told me that I wasn't going to make it as a professional football player and that my best chance in life was an education.”

Part of the reason for the difficulties at the college level, he said, arise from the “failures of public high schools to meet the needs of many young people.

“I've been involved in a lot of summer programs in Detroit,” he said. “It's been enjoyable, but it's been a fight, too. Why can't we put resources into the age group that's going to carry us into the twenty-first century? When do we understand that if we don't put a stop to the problems now we're going to suffer in the future? We need to make sure that our public school systems are safe and provide a good, solid education.”

Acknowledging that the NCCAA does make some contributions to the community, he added that he was concerned that the association doesn't do enough.

“Coaches tend to take the best talented youngsters away from the communities to the campuses,” he said. “When are they going to go back to those same communities and spread the message that education is the best preparation for life?”

At several points, Koonce contrasted the life of an athlete at a place like Michigan with life at Union. “There's no study table here, there are no academic advisors, no one comes by in the morning to make sure you go to class,” he said. “Here, you compete and you go home.”

He said the Division I colleges and universities “have to take control of this issue because it's having a negative impact on the integrity of our institutions.”

Another perspective was offered by Cedric Dempsey, the NCAA's executive director.

Although forty percent of the institutions in the NCAA have philosophies similar to Union's, he said, “the greatest visibility goes to the 100 or so universities that play Division 1-A football. And what drives them is revenue.”

Dempsey said that it is easy to justify the existence of intercollegiate athletics on college campuses. At Union, for example, about one-third of the study body takes part.

“At the other end, though, Division 1-A's mission statements call for self
sufficiency in athletics, and that's when the problems start,” he said.

“When I was the athletic director at the University of Arizona, for example, I paid a coach $750,000, but he netted $2 million for other sports. And at the University of Michigan, the intercollegiate athletic program must generate $30 million a year to pay the bills. That gives them a different perspective.”

Dempsey noted that ten years ago a presidents' commission from all three NCAA divisions was created as a recommending body to the NCAA Council.

“It's an awkward arrangement in which the presidents never had the power to enforce,” he said. “So the question of restructuring-who will govern the association-will be before the membership, probably in 1996.”

Restructuring is not just a concern for Division 1, he added. “At the Division III level, we're trying to find philosophical compatibility among institutions. While there are many small, private schools like Union with a clear, concise philosophy, there also are emerging public institutions, some as large as 35,000 students, with different approaches.”

But the key issue, he said, was the one of integrity. “Concern about integrity isn't unique to us, of course,” he said. “It's a concern shared by many institutions in our society. It remains the real challenge to institutions of higher learning, though, and it's very important that Division III remain the conscience of what we're trying to do in athletics.”

Posted on Jan 1, 1995

It's that time of year again. High school students are worrying about college. So are their parents.

Having witnessed this process over the years, I have some suggestions to make. Better still, they might be thought of as “commandments” for parents of college-bound students.

1. Thou shalt not make or try to make the decision on which college your child should attend. At eighteen, your children are legally adults, and they should be
able to make this important decision for themselves. If you insist on making it for them, you will probably (both) be unhappy in the long run.

That doesn't mean that you cannot, or should not, provide guidance. Over the years, you undoubtedly have collected information from your friends, your child's high school guidance counselor, and current college students you may know. Keep the lines of communication open, but accept the fact that your daughter or son must make the final decision.

2. Thou shalt not think there is only one school for your daughter or son. With 3,500 colleges and universities across the land, it is clear that there is more than one right choice; and what may be right for one person may very well be wrong for another. Shop around. A college education is a huge (and worthwhile) investment and should be approached like any other
investment very, very carefully.

Happily, there are numerous sources of information. Once you have read through the viewbooks, college catalogs, and guidebooks to get a sense of the educational environment that meets your child's goals, visit the colleges and universities you are considering. A short visit will let you understand the “personality” of each campus, and a visit is the only way your child can see if she or he “fits” in with students. In fact, most colleges are happy to make arrangements for a campus visit, including an overnight stay for your child in a residence hall, visits to classes, and meetings with faculty members.

3. Thou shalt not think that bigger is necessarily better. Large universities offer students far greater course selection and the possibility for in-depth study; small colleges provide one-on-one
teaching by professors (not teaching assistants) in small classes that are rarely closed because of
over subscription, and they encourage involvement by students in activities, such
as research, often reserved for graduate students at larger institutions.

What needs to be assessed, therefore, is whether curricular choices or personal attention is of greater import. And what appeals to one person will not necessarily appeal to, or be right for, another.

4. Thou shalt not make (or encourage your child to make) a decision merely based on a college's reputation. Colleges are not cars or clothes. “Designer labels” may be fashionable, but they have little to do with the quality of education a student receives. Students get out of college what they put into it, as evidenced by the fact that America's leaders often graduate from institutions many Americans never heard of.

The most important thing is to aim for a match between your child and her or his college-and the best way to achieve that match is to know your child. Certainly, you want your child to receive a good education. You also want your child to graduate from college having grown as a person. Quite frankly, a young person who has to struggle mightily to survive academically probably will not take advantage of all the opportunities for growth that a college can offer.

5. Thou shalt not think that a college degree will provide all one needs in life. A degree is important, but there are many college graduates who have never put their degrees to work. Without hard work, a degree will only take up space on a wall.

6. Thou shalt not believe that college should train one for a particular job. The better the college or university, the more it adheres to the principle that education is training for life, not for a particular position. Besides, who can say what jobs will be in existence twenty
years from now? And who can doubt that to be trained for something that may not exist in two decades is anything but foolish.

What do I mean by training for life? In short, the age-old values of the liberally educated individual-learning to think analytically and logically, communicating effectively, and learning to learn.

7. Thou shalt not expect a college to do what you did not. Colleges are not parents, as courts long ago decided; and they should not be expected to provide the upbringing that belongs in the home. Clearly, colleges must bear some responsibility for what occurs on campus; just as clearly, the ultimate responsibility for a student's actions belongs to the student (and that student's parents).

Colleges, however, provide help when it is needed. Most colleges have a network that can help, starting with the resident advisor in your child's residence hall and extending through a variety of trained professionals. Still, the process starts with you and your child.

8. Thou shalt not expect the college automatically to report to you on your child's progress. Colleges are, in most cases, prohibited by law from reporting to you; your daughter or son is not. Ask your child to keep you informed-and expect her or him to do so.

9. Thou shalt not be frightened by “sticker shock.” Although a college education, especially at a private institution, may seem out of reach, financial assistance is often available. Indeed, private colleges often are no more expensive (and sometimes less expensive) than state colleges when financial aid is taken into account. Unfortunately, many parents and students do not explore scholarship options.

The fact is that few families can meet college expenses without some financial help. Today, more than half of all private college students receive some form of financial aid. Failing to ask about financial aid opportunities is shortsighted.

10. Thou shalt not expect education to end at graduation. Too few remember Plato's urging that, if we are lucky, we might be educated by the time we are fifty.

Roger H. Hull

Posted on Jan 1, 1995

With the Yulman Theater nearing completion, it was particularly appropriate that Parents Weekend this fall was a festival of the performing arts.

The menu include three concerts, two dance showcases, four performances of “Charles B,” (a play written by Washington Irving and John Howard Payne, Class of 1810), an international festival of music and food, and several exhibition of paintings, sculpture, and photographs.

To judge from the many comments made by parents, it was the best Parents Weekend in years, and the College is already thinking of ways to top it next year.

One of the weekend's highlights was a “musical chairs” Bicentennial musical feast that honored music faculty, past and present.

The St. Cecilia Orchestra, co-founded by Rob Taylor '78, gave the world premiere of “Duo Concertante” by Professor of Music Emeritus Edgar Curtis and the American premiere of 'Water's Edge,” a piece for strings by Hilary Tann, chair of the performing arts faculty. Professor Hugh Allen
Wilson was the featured performer in organ concertos by Poulenc and Handel.

Other musical performers during the weekend included the Union Choir and the Union Orchestra, with flute soloist Carin Gado '96. Dance and ballet students presented a number of short works in two showcases.

Another highlight was the presentation of “Charles ll,” which its director Lee Bloomrosen '76, called one of the best comedies of the early American theater. The play, which deals with the king of England, is a spoof of an earlier play by Alexander Duvall about the French monarch Henri I.

Payne, by the way, came to Union when he was thirteen. Although he never graduated, he went on to achieve fame as an actor, musician, and writer. His most long-lasting work is the classic song “Home Sweet Home.”