Oxtoby Calls for Renewed Emphasis on Fitness
By Kyle Warneck
News Associate

In a time where some liberal arts colleges are eliminating their football teams, President Oxtoby announced in his Inaugural Address that he intends to increase physical fitness at Pomona. In addition to promoting creative arts and breaking the Pomona bubble, student wellness was one of three themes Oxtoby identified for his presidency.

“I’m delighted that the new Claremont Consortium Wellness Center will by 2006 provide a state-of-the-art facility for health services, counseling, and wellness education. Matching this is a commitment from Pomona College to physical education and athletics,” he said in his address.

Varsity sports are increasingly threatened at small liberal arts colleges across the country because of their expense and because recruiting can take up a large number of slots in incoming classes. At Pomona, being on a coach’s preferred list approximately doubles an applicants chances of being accepted to the College. Varsity sports can also require a large staffing commitment which does not always match with the College’s other goals.

Team sports such as soccer and basketball require experts, but coaches are also needed to teach hip hop dance and yoga to match student interests in Physical Education courses. PE instructors are the only non-tenured faculty and thus can be changed the most rapidly.

Some schools have chosen to make varsity athletics a central part of their college culture. Williams, for example, is a contender for the Division III Sears Director’s Cup, the award given to the school with the most successful all-around sports programs, nearly ever year. 38 percent of the Williams student body plays a varsity sport. Another 38 percent of students plays one of the 18 club sports, although this includes some students who play both. Some small liberal arts colleges, including Swarthmore, have eliminated their football teams to prevent athletics from diverting funding and admission spots away from the colleges broader mission.

It is unclear if Pomona is going to move in either of these directions, but Oxtoby promised to provide “excellent coaching and first-class facilities” while maintaining a commitment to “the ideal of the student-athlete that Pomona has preserved since its founding, in a period where increased professionalism threatens our values.”

Oxtoby has also suggested that he wants to review the college’s support for club sports. Pomona currently handles club sports in an unusual way. While varsity sports and intramurals are managed by the Athletic Director, club sports are managed by the Dean of Students. While not making any commitment to changes, Oxtoby has expressed concern that this split may make it difficult to coordinate resources like access to fields.

Club sports are also dependent on ASPC funds for their support while varsity teams have a much larger separate College budget. While club sports will not receive the funding and support of varsity teams, restructuring this funding may provide them more support and increase their success and student participation.

Pomona also offers a smaller variety of club sports than many liberal arts colleges. A new rowing club was formed this year, and the College may search for other ways to increase the variety of club sport offerings.

ASPC Sports Commissioner Ashley Hovey ‘06 was particularly concerned about club sports. She cites the lack of fields for practices as a major problem. In addition, club sports have recently been told that they will not be provided access to the trainer’s room which raises issues of safety. Hovey was also concerned that budget problems force club sports to collect dues from their members. This is especially problematic for teams with expensive equipment or high league dues. “It is not fair to these students who already work so hard,” Hovey said.

Captain of the Women’s Frisbee Club team, the Greenshirts, Laila Bernstein ‘04 reenforced Hovey’s concerns. “It’s been a frustrating process trying to get things done,” she said. She said that the administrations management had not been well organized, but already things have started to improve. Last Monday, ASPC President Ari Greenberg ’04 and Hovey met with the captains of club sport teams to discuss these issues . “I’m hopeful [the administrators] are starting to focus on making club sports safe for athletes and accessible for everyone,” Bernstein said citing trainer support and cost issues.

Oxtoby also said that he would like to see a dramatic increase in the number of students participating in the intramural program. Intramurals have had a hard time finding students and must always manipulate their schedules to use open fields and facilities outside of varsity and club sport practices. Oxtoby suggests that the solution might be a collaborative 5 College intramural program. He said that he would like “the Claremont Colleges to work together to provide the playing space and facilities for a top-notch intramural program involving far larger numbers of our students.”

Hovey was enthusiastic about Oxtoby’s comments. “5C intramurals is an amazing idea. I’d love to see P-P CMS intramurals.” She said that it would encourage interaction between colleges and help to make the intramurals important to students.

The College may also focus on increasing individual participation in athletics. The Rains Center has extended its hours to midnight on a trial basis in an effort to be more accessible to students.

Pomona’s

Physical Education courses could come under review. In the 1970s, Pomona students were required to take eight semesters of Physical Education at Pomona. The current requirement of one semester could see a change in the other direction. The way the College gives credit for Physical Education courses could also come under scrutiny. The Curriculum Committee is scheduled to review cumulative credit or quarter credit classes later this year. The Committee could choose to eliminate the two credit cap on cumulative courses. The administration could examine ways of increasing the role of Physical Education in the standard curriculum.

Like other themes listed in

Oxtoby’s Inaugural Address, students should not expect to see rapid change. Still, physical fitness might be the issue most easily addressed by the administration since it will most likely not require large amounts of fund raising or construction of new facilities.

“Pomona as a community needs to do more to increase participation and competitiveness in sports,” Hovey concluded. It looks as if President Oxtoby is listening.