Athletes voiced concerns about athletic dept.

Inadequacies in the department pointed out by students

Oberlin students do care about sports. This year different athletes showed that what goes on in the gym and on the fields is important to them.

Intramurals, varsity women's basketball and green-haired baseball players all managed to attract the attention of concerned student athletes who feel that certain aspects of Oberlin athletics are inadequate.

Thirteen former women's basetball players decided not to play varsity again this winter, citing Head Coach Ann Gilbert's coaching style as the main factor in their decision to quit.

Some of the former players took their concerns to athletic committee member Heather Hogan, professor of history. The players said they decided not to talk to Director of Athletics Don Hunsinger because they believed Gilbert was treated particularly benevolently by the department that prized her as one of their own. Hogan contacted Gilbert after the meeting. Players also met with dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Clayton Koppes. Gilbert, whose contract was up this year, was rehired.

The former players said that Gilbert did not communicate well with them, or grant them the respect they deserve.

"I love basketball," said junior Tina Barksdale, a former varisty player. "But I couldn't go through playing varsity again. The whole experience was traumatizing and emotionally damaging."

"As a coach your job is to move players up a level," said former varisty player sophomore Whitney Smith. "I feel like most of the team left the season feeling worse about themselves."

Gilbert said that she works her players hard and that could have contributed to the exodux to intramurals. "There are different opinions about coaching style," Gilbert said. "Maybe it was too aggressive for them. I don't know. Some of them probably weren't varsity athletes to begin with, but when you're building a program you try to do the best you can with what you have."

The Yeowomen finished the 1995-96 season with a 2-22 record. This year, with a team composed of seven first-year recruits, one sophomore and one senior, the Yeowomen finished with a record of 4-21 and made the playoffs on a coin toss for the first time in six years.

Though the end record was not much of an improvement over last year, Oberlin point totals and rebounding were much better than last year, and the defense held teams to lower scoring as well.

Students also complained about the way the intramural and club sport programs are run, citing the difficulty in getting reimbursed for purchases, confusion over their budgets and funding, inaccessibility on the part of administrators and generally poor organization as major frustrations.

Theories explaining the reasons for the disorganization of intramural and club sports vary. Students cite incompetence on the part of Jeff White, director of the Recreation Center and organizer of club and intramural sports, the scope of White's responsibility and the specific needs of sports.

White said that low levels of student participation are not due to a lack of effort on his part; he said Oberlin's student body is simply not athletic-minded. He also cited his busy schedule and many responsibilites.

Hunsinger said the disorganization in intramurals and club sports is due to a lack of staff in the Recreation Department. He said White's responsibilies are too broad and the department needs funding to hire an assistant director to help White.

Hunsinger said he did not think students' complaints are entirely unfounded. "Sometimes students do get shortchanged," he said.

Some students think a solution to the problems could be immediate. "Maybe the position [of director of the recreation center] should be given to someone who is competent and the powers should be expanded," said junior Jim Woodruffe, ultimate frisbee player.

This spring first-year Daniel Romano left the baseball team after he choose not to accompany the team to Florida for Spring break. He was told by Head Coach Tom Mooney he would be cut from the team and not allowed to go to Florida unless he washed green Manic-Panic dye out of his hair.

Romano said, "He said I would not be able to particpate with green hair. He gave me two choices, either wash it out or don't go. At that point I couldn't wash it out and was sick of this shit, so I didn't go."

Mooney said, "He was not cut, he left of his own accord."

In response, between 20 and 30 people gathered at an April baseball game wearing green wigs and heckling the opposing team in support of Romano.

Senior Matt Meisenhelder, who organized the protest, said, "The smaller issue was that of the green haired kid." He said the deeper issue was addressing the "trend in the athletic department to do what ever they feel like."

Hunsinger said he supports the decisions coaches make. "The rules are what the coach feels is appropriate with the team," Hunsinger said.