Much of the inherent conflict of being a NCAA Div. III student-athlete arises from the student-athlete part. The large majority of Div. III athletes will not advance their game to the professional level. At a school like DePauw, athletes won't receive significant financial benefits from participating in a varsity sport.
This means that most of the benefit from being on a varsity sports team at a Div. III level comes solely from an enjoyment of the game.
However, most athletes understand the benefits of participating in a sport at DePauw do not outweigh something such as a college degree. Academics are important and this belief is echoed by a majority of students at DePauw. But a strong social atmosphere is another aspect that drew students from across the country to Greencastle. The question that arises when we consider student-athletes is when do they and their coaches draw the line between their commitment to their sport and their commit to being a college student?
I ask this because of recent policy changes from DePauw's men's and women's golf head coach Vince Lazar regarding the team's alcohol and drug policies. After two male members of the team were forced to quit because of drug and alcohol related problems, Lazar announced at team meeting last Wednesday that a new 72-hour policy would be applied to the team. Lazar announced that team members must be alcohol free within 72 hours of match-play and breathalyzer tests are a possibility at any moment if he felt players had violated the rules. Drug screenings were also promised, but not given any specific parameters.
From my understanding, any violation of these new rules by team members would not result in any legal trouble or be alerted to the campus.
But, the failure to comply to his rules would result in a suspension and further measures if a problem continues.
The 72-hour portion of the new policy is nothing new. Varsity teams at DePauw have similar rules regarding alcohol that range from arranged "sober periods" before competition to just basic understanding or trust between the coaches and players. What is different is the application of using breathalyzers and urine screens to actually test players.
The fact is of course that the consumption of alcohol by persons under the age of 21 and the use illicit drugs are both illegal, but are generally accepted as part of college campus culture and not always heavily prosecuted.
In almost all respects, Lazar has a total right to test his players, but what becomes more important is how student-athletes will respond to these type of testing measures.
It is widely known that DePauw University is considered one of the nation's top 20 "party schools" from the Princeton Review, partially because of its drinking habits. A recent study by a DePauw committee of drinking on campus confirmed that students make "irresponsible" and "high-risk" drinking decisions on a regular basis. The odds are incredibly high that a portion of the 450 student-athletes also participate in this behavior.
My conversations with DePauw student-athletes show that most students participating in sports do at least refrain from engaging in drinking at least the night before their respective competions.
Many seem to usually follow specific team rules, like no alcohol 48 hours before a competition.
According to a study from the University of Notre Dame's Alcohol and Drug Education Center, heavy use of alcohol can cause extreme dehydration, decrease recovery time after injury, inhibit absorption of nutrients, require increased training and other negative effects on performance.
Students clearly understood drinking alcohol was not a benefit to athletic competition, but would not use their sport as a reason to quit or significantly reduce their alcohol consumption; at least not in the off-season. The value of the sport did not override their desire to drink or, as one student put it, "be a college student."
The plus of being a student-athlete at DePauw is a time commitment that does not dwarf all other interests. Students enjoy the opportunity to still compete at a high level, but draw lines as to where their overall commitment to the sport lies. Simple rules like the 48-hour alcohol-free periods before games seem to be effective, but it is tough to judge if the introduction of tools like breathalyzers and drug screens will deter student-athletes from their sports.
Ultimately, what may be a large factor for athletes to follow team guidelines is where they believe the motives for the rules are coming from. Is it just following DePauw policy? Are coaches just trying to foster successful teams? Or is it an attempt to apply lifestyle choices to their players?
Trust is the largest factor between coaches and players. Players must trust that coaches have their best interest in mind. Coaches must trust their players to respect team rules. No one can argue with the success DePauw teams have had on and off the field. As an ex-athlete, my hope is that players and coaches can come to an agreement about what it means to be a student athlete and still continue the proud tradition of DePauw athletics.
— Fanelli is a junior from Indianapolis majoring in English writing and minoring in political science. He is the sports editor for The DePauw.
sports@thedepauw.com