Evening star., 1933-01-16
POLICY TOO LOOSE,
AUTHORITIES HOLD
Better to Give Up Sports
Than Abandon Academic !.
Control Is Claim.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.


n IEW YORK, January 16.-In
N the midst Of preparations
L for students to carry on
with sports, which have
been dropped at various univer-
stiles and colleges, comes the
warning voice of educators who
are concerned, among other
duties, with the conduct Of ath-
leticS.
1T is not in any way certain" said
Prof. Philip o. Badger, vice chancellor
OF New York University and chairman
OF the athletic administration of this
institution, to the writer today, that
any university would be justified In re-
linquishing supervision Of athletes, let
ting them 60 of on their own.
If certain sports must be dropped. I
believe they must be eliminated for the
time being absolutely. Would an insti-
tuition be living up to its responsibility
to its students in letting them pack of
hit or miss in automobiles TO visiting
other colleges for games, permitting
them In other ways to conduct athletics
in loose order? hardly think so.
Very speedily, I think, regrettabls
situations would develop. intercollegiate
sport cannot be carried on in this way,
and so far as my university is con-
cerned, I do not think we would be Of
q mind to sanction It,"
IN this attitude, Prof. Badger is sup
i ported by william ]. Bingham, d.
rector Of athletics at Harvard, who
believes that a rigid. ban upon such
intercollegiate sports as a college feels
1t cannot support would be far less un-
fortunate than giving undergraduates
free headway to do as they please.
''The theory" he says, "of giving the
game to the boys has a fine sound. but
we know that the only safe and sane
conduct Of intercollegiate sport Is one
OF direct supervision and control by re-
sponsible academic authorities. Too
many evils could easily develop. among
them the playing of ringers, Of ineligible
athletes and many other things that
mean little to boys when of on their
own and yet are extremely important
| from the standpoint OF a university.
We are not dropping any sport, but
II we were I am inclined to believe it
would have to be a complete elimina-
ton. with accent being transferred to
intramural activities"
THE writer gathers that Cornells
L wholesale elimination Of tntercol-
! legiate SPORTS came as a surprise
to sister colleges and is regarded BY
them as ill-e dvised in its drastic nature,
The statement of Romeyn Berry,
graduate manager of athletics at Cor
nell, that bows who want to row win
find no towels. no hot water. no soap,
no launches at the boat house, Is re-
garded as pretty disheartening At least
could there not have been hot water?
Certainly there is always an adequate
supply Of hot air in university athletic
centers
| AS for launches, Cornell would be
doing no service to her students or
to parents of boys committed to the
care of the university in letting oars
men in fragile shells go out on Cayug&
Lake unattended by power craft. Far
better that the boat houses be locked
and shells dismantled
1t would seem, in fine, that fll-con-
sidered ditching of sports is not at all
in order and that what Is done should
receive some thought over and above
the fact that some money will be saved.