Reply to comment
Letters to the Editor
Recruits must be responsible if they want to compete as Michigan athletes
To the Daily:
The name "Michigan" does not stand only for athletic excellence (Informal rules do not deter recruits from drinking, 09/16/03). First and foremost, it represents a great academic institution that has an amazing athletic department and both operate according to the mission of being "leaders and the best." When high school athletes are recruited by the different Michigan coaches, they are not recruited just because of their athletic skills. It takes much more than that to be a successful Michigan student athlete. You need to be a team player; you need to be self driven and achievement oriented, you need to be ready to work extremely hard both in the classroom and on the field and you need to realize that you are a part of a program that is greater than anything you have done before.
There are exactly two purposes for coming on an official recruiting trip: first, so the high school seniors can get to know this program better and decide whether or not they would be happy here, and second, so that the team can decide whether or not a recruit has what it takes to fit in here and make a difference.
Recruits have 48 hours on campus according to National Collegiate Athletic Association rules. During that time, they go to a couple of classes, they get a campus tour, they meet with the head coach, they meet with the academic advisor, often they meet with an administrator, they watch the team practices, they work out (during a separate time), they take part in team functions and they go to an athletic event. All of these activities are designed to give the recruits a feel for what Michigan is about - to learn how demanding this program is, but also to get to know the amazing teams and student athletes we have here. Given all this information, now the recruits can make a much more educated decision whether or not they would like to attend the University.
On the other hand, this is virtually the only opportunity for the team to get to know the recruits and make sure that indeed they would fit well into this program. The hosts, especially, can get to know them pretty well and learn what is important for them, what their goals are, how they conduct themselves and how responsible they are. It is crucial for the future success of the program that incoming freshmen will fit in well.
Our head coaches promise the recruits' parents that their children will be safe and that they will return home healthy. However, the responsibility for the well-being of the recruits is usually on the hosts, as they are the people that end up spending the majority of the time with the recruits. It is our responsibility to make sure they come back home safely. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden for a student-host to consume alcohol. The only restriction on recruits is the law, as the vast majority of them are not 21 yet. It is not the team's responsibility to preach to the recruits about alcohol consumption; our responsibility is to create an environment in which they would not feel pressured to do anything against their will. This is another opportunity to learn about the recruits and their social conduct.
Recruits that come on a trip just to party are probably not going to be successful here. The official visit is a great opportunity for the recruits to both be impressed and impress - be impressed by everything that Michigan has to offer and impress the teams and coaches so when signing day comes around, Michigan will still be interested in them.
Maya Mandel
Engineering senior
Women's swimming and diving
Notre Dame fans as bad, if not worse, than Michigan's
To the Daily:
In response to the article from the Notre Dame grad the other day, (Michigan fans show lack of class at Saturday's game, 09/16/03), I would like to add that the atmosphere at Notre Dame is quite identical to the one here in Ann Arbor. As a resident of northern Indiana, I have been to my share of Notre Dame athletic events. I recall one time, about three to five years ago, when I attended a basketball game where Notre Dame was hosting the University of Connecticut. Khalid El-Amin was the point guard at the time, and everytime he touched the ball, the students would chant "Bastard Child" to the tune of us chanting "Houston's Bette" at last Saturday's rout over Notre Dame. If my memory serves me correctly, the student section was given a warning and Notre Dame was penalized with a technical foul. Therefore, instead of this grad challenging us to experience the same type of atmosphere in South Bend, he should get over his bitterness from the loss and face the fact that college sports fans are known for expressing their dislike for the other team.
Jonathan Githens
LSA freshman
