Sports in crosshairs of campus debates

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CORRECTION

A front-page report Saturday incorrectly stated the founding date of the Ivy League. The official founding date was February 1954.

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DURHAM -- Duke University's lacrosse team crisis has reignited a smoldering argument about whether the institution has a personality split between scholarship and sports.

With the school's image tarnished, some say the time is ripe to question Duke's ambitious pursuit of twin passions -- Ivy League academic excellence and national championships.

"Let's face it, Duke has been trying to have it both ways for 20 years," said Peter Wood, a Duke history professor and former Harvard University lacrosse captain. "That's a difficult task."

Some say Duke can have it both ways and has been a model for excellence in the two realms.

"I think the sad incident that happened is an anomaly and doesn't represent athletics at Duke as a whole," said Calvin Howell, a physics professor and former athletics council member. "Even if this lacrosse situation hadn't happened, I'd say the same thing -- I'm very proud of how we don't compromise in academics at Duke."

Amid a rape investigation that centers on a March 13 lacrosse team party, there's a rising debate among Duke faculty about the cost and wisdom of chasing both aspirations. In e-mail and essays, in casual talks and more formal settings, the tug-of-war between athletics and academics has been renewed with vigor.

Two committees are scheduled to report Monday to university President Richard Brodhead, including a group charged with examining the lacrosse team to see whether it had a long-standing culture of bad behavior. In an April 5 letter to the Duke community, Brodhead said the committee, led by Duke law professor James Coleman, would examine reports of persistent problems with the lacrosse team before the team party, including alcohol abuse, disorderly conduct and the use of racist language.

As these committees and three others continue their formal work, the free-wheeling discussion among professors continues.

"Duke has to do a serious review about what kinds of privileges an athlete gets at Duke -- what do they get away with and what kind of impact does that have on the campus culture?" said Mark Anthony Neal, an associate professor of African-American studies.

Other professors call for nothing less than an end to big-time sports at Duke, a program that spent $39.8 million last year and has won seven national championships, including three in women's golf, three in men's basketball and one in men's soccer. These critics say the pursuit of scholarly excellence should be given unchallenged prominence.

"It's ridiculous to talk about a balance between athletics and academics," said Orin Starn, professor of cultural anthropology, who says his recent News & Observer opinion piece criticizing the role of sports at Duke drew e-mail support from many colleagues. "Athletics should be a subset underneath a university's main mission. ... The idea that athletics should have near-equal weight with academics is just wrong."

Heresy to hoops fans

On a campus noted for blue-faced Cameron Crazies and the mythic status of men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, this debate seems, to some, like rank heresy.

"There is a great sense of community at Duke that is built around the success of athletics, particularly basketball," said university spokesman John Burness. "It is a piece of the culture."

Duke has parlayed the success of its basketball team into a powerful recruiting tool for students. Duke's unofficial slogan -- Work hard, play hard. The pitch goes like this: Sure, you're good enough to go to Harvard or Yale, but you'll have more fun at Duke. "It's what makes Duke unique," Neal said. "Every university is trying to find a way to uniquely present themselves to consumers."