Volume CXXXIII, Number 8 November 2, 2001 f

Miller: Bowdoin athletes meet standards
HENRY COPPOLA
ORIENT STAFF

Dean of Admissions James Miller continued a trend on Wednesday when he denied the existence of an athletic-academic divide at Bowdoin College. In doing so he disputed last month's NESCAC report on the "Academic-Athletic Divide," as have many other administrators and coaches at Bowdoin.

Miller stated outright that Bowdoin does not accept students due to their athletic prowess who would not otherwise be admitted. While not leveling any accusations, Miller did add, "I think one of the problems with the report is that it tends to blanket all of the NESCAC schools." He echoed the sentiments of football coach David Caputi who earlier said, "Everybody we're playing with isn't playing by the same rules." Miller was quick to point out that all of the NESCAC schools are extremely selective (Bowdoin accepted less than 25% of its applicants last year) and that they all operate under similar processes. He declined to get into any further comparison of Bowdoin's admissions processes with her NESCAC competitors citing his short time on the job, a mere three months.

Miller indicated that the admissions office works closely with the athletic department throughout the recruiting process so that there will be no confusion as to which students are admissible. Miller added, "If a recruit isn't admissible we tell them that and they move on. This insures that the academic talent necessary to succeed at Bowdoin is present."

According to Miller coaches are allowed to be proactive in their recruitment of athletes, up to a point. "Obviously they can't go on visits or anything else that's prohibited by DIII statutes, but they can otherwise be in contact with athletes." While there is no set number of students that coaches pass along, the admissions department is aware of the needs of various teams and attempts to work with coaches to fill those needs.

The only real difference between athletic recruiting and the recruitment of other students-musicians, students from Maine, students of color, National Merit Scholars, and otherwise academically gifted students-is that coaches act as a second layer of recruiters after the admissions staff, a luxury not afforded to other groups. "We have chosen to make sports and important part of the college experience at Bowdoin" said Miller, "and this subset of recruitment has developed out of that decision, much as it has at many other institutions around the country." "Our first and primary goal" he continued, "is to recruit and recognize excellence across the board."

Bowdoin's campus is an athletic one; the viewbook boasts that over 80% of the student body participates in a sport of some nature-be it varsity, club, or intramural. Of the most recent class, approximately 300 of the 450 students were varsity athletes in high school. Miller feels that athletics are a positive part of student life at Bowdoin, "We believe in a sound mind, sound body approach" he said.

While Miller took a strong stance on the issue of giving athletes an advantage in admissions he was comfortable with other aspects of the report. "It's good to go back and look at ourselves. I think that the report addresses good questions that are central to what NESCAC stands for." He was not alone in this respect as Dean Bradley and McEwen, as well as President Mills have all made similar comments since the release of the report.

Citing once again the fact that he has only been in his current position at Bowdoin for three months, Miller said that he had no real way to judge the report any further. For the same reasons, he indicated that he has no immediate plans to overhaul or otherwise change the admissions process at Bowdoin. Miller did say that he would like the College to continue to become more diverse both culturally and geographically and that he feels that alumni are underutilized as a resource for recruiting all types of students.

The general consensus among administrators, coaches, and students, as evidenced by the Orient's ongoing coverage of this situation is that while Bowdoin is not doing anything particularly wrong, the report raises interesting questions that need to be addressed. This is especially so if the College is to remain true to the principals set forth by the NESCAC charter which states, "Its members are committed first and foremost to academic excellence and believe that athletic excellence supports our educational mission."