LETTER: Athletes work hard in classroom, on field for right to attend Rice

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by Rob Kligman

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After reading the article appearing in the Thresher on October 2t ("Athlete admissions policy discussed by Faculty Council"), I questioned whether, as a transfer student with only two months at Rice and a scholar athlete, I should respond or lay low. I figured that since I'm categorized by the article as someone of questionable credentials to be among those who attend Rice, I decided to respond.

The article insinuates that athletes do not measure up academically and that standards for admission should be raised. If one focuses on grade point averages as the standard by which all else is measured, the athlete in many cases may not meet the entrance requirements.

In the pursuit of success, the roads of endeavor are many. Success initially achieved through grades is indicative of an individual's capacity to memorize, take a test, write a paper and generally convey the appearance of something learned.

It certainly is not a guarantee of an individual's success in life economically or socially with life's many complications. Grades create a category of elitism if we are to understand that this focus is the yardstick used primarily in deciding whether someone should be admitted, specifically the athlete.

What the committee which determines the standards for the admission of athletes should try to understand is that rising to the physical challenges of athletics can be as instructive and rewarding as rising to the mental ones.

Athletes recognize the need for liberal and professional education as much as non-athletes.

Grades are important and every athlete knows this. The athlete must maintain his grade point average to stay eligible to participate in sports. Most athletes are not satisfied with a "passing" grade.

They exert themselves with the same dedication in the classroom as they apply to their chosen sport.

However, because we are student-athletes, we suffer the penalty of not being able to devote our full time to the pursuit of a 4.0 average.

There just isn't sufficient time to achieve success at every level for the student-athlete.

Some of us would definitely not be students at Rice if it were not for what we can offer as athletes. Should the door be closed to us because we don't have the grade point average which is characteristic of the non-student-athlete who is admitted?

As athletes, we contribute positively to the mosaic that makes up the student body at Rice. We represent the University nationally and this is a responsibility which the student-athlete does not take lightly.

We do succeed academically, not in every case, but in most. As an athlete we know disappointment, success, pain, teamwork, frustration and elation in a way that few others understand.

In the final analysis, who is better prepared for life and who will represent the University more effectively in the years to come?

As the Duke of Wellington stated, "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton."

Depriving an athlete of participation as a student judged primarily by a GPA is detrimental to all who are involved in the learning process. After all, isn't this what Rice University is all about ... or is it?

Rob Kligman

Wiess '97

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the November 17, 1995 issue.

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