It is no secret that underage drinking pervades Wesleyan culture. This is most evident during Spring Fling and Zonker Harris Day, when University personnel freely turn the other way in the face of blatant excess. This makes the recent developments involving Wesleyan athletes all the more hard to swallow.
With suspensions levied against ten of the twelve seniors on the men’s ice hockey team, the Administration reversed their policy and declared underage drinking to be a punishable offense. This in itself is not an unfair position. Had someone injured himself at the party, administrators would have to deal with parents demanding an explanation of why preventative actions were not taken.
While a valid argument, we are left with the question of why. Why single out this particular event? Why penalize a team for an action that took place out of season and before a coach had been installed? This action will not stop theater groups or CSS majors or other societies on campus from promoting underage drinking.
By taking this action, the Administration penalized more than those responsible. As a result of the suspensions, the remaining fourteen teammates had to bear an unfair amount of ice time, resulting in numerous injuries. On a grander scale, the ice hockey program was dealt an unfair blow. After failing to make the playoffs in eleven of the past twelve seasons, the team was finally finding its legs under first year coach Chris Potter. Instead of a happy conclusion to a season, the program ends another year in disappointment.
A more reasonable action would have put the ten seniors in front of an SJB and allowed the team to compete in the playoffs. Theirs actions were done as members of the community, not as hockey players. By acting as they did, the Administration makes it appear the issue is not underage drinking, but rather athletic drinking. This policy is unfair for the hockey team, and unfair for students who think that they have nothing to risk when they pick up a beer.
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