Dye Comments about Basketball

To the Editors:

During the 2001-2002 basketball season, Oberlin’s men’s varsity basketball team included a player who was ineligible to compete in intercollegiate athletics. As a result, Oberlin College had to forfeit all of its victories in men’s basketball for the season just ended, leaving our record at 0-25.
Oberlin College accepts full responsibility for this violation of the athletic eligibility standards of the College, the North Coast Athletic Conference, and the NCAA. I have initiated a full investigation of this matter so that the College may learn how and why this institutional failure occurred and determine how the College can prevent such a lapse in the future.
I have charged a special committee with conducting an investigation of the institutional decisions by which Oberlin admitted the student in question and declared him qualified to participate in intercollegiate athletics. And I have asked the committee to make recommendations to improve the quality, reliability, and credibility of our institutional decision-making and oversight at Oberlin with respect to student athletes and our athletic program.
The committee is chaired by T. Scott McMillin, Associate Professor of English and chair of the General Faculty Committee on Athletics. It includes faculty members Patricia DeWinstanley, Associate Professor of Psychology; A.G. Miller, Associate Professor of Religion; Roger Laushman, Associate Professor of Biology; and Jeff Witmer, Professor of Mathematics. The committee also includes James Pohlman, Esq. (OC ’54), an Oberlin trustee from 1986 to 2001 and partner at the law firm of Porter, Wright, Morris, and Arthur, in Columbus, Ohio; and Danette Wineberg (OC ’68), General Counsel of the Timberland Company in Stratham, New Hampshire, and former president of the Oberlin Alumni Association.
Once the committee has completed its work and submitted its findings to me, I will make a full report to the North Coast Athletic Conference and the NCAA about this matter and how Oberlin is addressing it. In addition, I will make a public report on the committee’s findings and recommendations to the entire Oberlin community.

–Nancy S. Dye
President