Special privilege in all walks of life is a difficult topic. With the recent release of the NESCAC report, discussion has focused on the possible advantage some athletes receive in the admissions process to preferred colleges. Stereotypes should be avoided when evaluating this report, as there are plenty of scholarly, deserving athletes who become branded due to the report’s implications. Nevertheless, increased attention should be paid if more capable students are denied admission compared to their less deserving counterparts. All people make choices in life as to where they commit their time and energy. Some focus on academics, activism, or art, others on business or athletics. At a Division III liberal arts school, where the focus is geared more toward education, this skewed bias should be eliminated. At an academically competitive institution like Wesleyan, every slot in the incoming class is highly valued. Each admitted student denies about three other students somewhere in the world of an acceptance letter. With this in mind, it behooves the admissions system to do more than simply take these reports seriously. Special interests are a fundamental part of any political system, and the politics of education are no different. Athletics should not be given a special privilege above any other extracurricular activity when evaluating high schoolers. Whether the applying student be the captain of a debate team or the captain of a hockey team, each should be evaluated equally alongside his previous academic performance. Perhaps some real reform is in order. If admission is to be based on merit, the conference should act quickly to equalize these standards.


editorial cartoon
by George Obulutsa '03