I think most Jeffs agree that there is an existing divide on campus between athletes and non-athletes. Teams tend to stick together and drink together. As a student-athlete, I dislike this gap and wish that we as a school could find more ways to bridge it. The divide certainly makes for a less than perfect social culture, but I would say that is just about the only part of Professor Dumm’s article recently published in The Student that I agree with. The letters to the editor published in the most recent issues say it well. Teams provide another place of learning outside the classroom. The Amherst LEADS program teaches student-athletes how to be leaders, to take responsibility for their actions, and to hold themselves and their teammates accountable. Every team at Amherst is required to participate in some type of community outreach. There is no evidence that athletes are more likely to engage in sexual assault than non-athletes.
As Professors O’Connell and Hunt both point out in their letters, there is a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and sexual violence. According to the Campus Sexual Assault Study conducted in 2005-2007 and published by the U.S. Department of Justice, the majority of cases of sexual harassment on college campuses occur when alcohol is involved. Perhaps the fact that teams are often some of the most visible partiers on campus has resulted in an association between athletes and sexual harassment. We all know, however, that binge drinking is not exclusive to athletes. Such thinking only furthers the divide between athletes and non-athletes.
I feel that Amherst took a step in the right direction in obtaining a liquor license for Schwemm’s. Creating an alternative drinking culture, one that is casual and includes equal parts athletes and non-athletes, could help bridge the social gap and alter the current campus drinking habits. Obviously this will not completely solve the less than ideal social dynamic at this school, but we’re taking baby steps here. My friends who went to the first beer and wine night at Schwemm’s on Thursday said the event was well-attended and lots of fun. I hope that the college continues to sponsor similar events, which can hopefully strengthen the campus community rather than pitting groups against each other with unconstructive, misinformed, biased accusations.