PAR VALUE

Two days ago the Dartmouth Athletic Council decided to eliminate all the differences between the major and the minor sports, as the Athletic Council of the University of Illinois did earlier in the year. From henceforth the "D" is to be awarded to the members of all teams with no classification as to major or minor. The only difference will lie in the size of the letters used.

Such a move has its definite advantages. The lesser teams have an undeniable right to the letter even though they may not be as prominent as the former "major" sports. The man on the small team may work harder even than the star athlete for the glory of his college, and his work should perhaps be as much recognized as that of his more famous brother.

On the other hand, the field of competition in the smaller sports is vastly less, and the man who enters the small field has a far greater chance of making the team and hence earning a letter equivalent to the major. If it were not for the qualification of the size, this disadvantage would be such as to make the move an exceedingly unwise one. But Dartmouth distinguishes the value of the sport by giving the football man a seven inch "D", baseball, track, hockey, and basketball men a six inch "D", and the men of other sports a five inch "D". Thus, although all the apparent differentiation is removed, the sports are still divided into three definite classes. No man is slighted, yet each receives his just award. Dartmouth seems to have made a wise move in following the lead of Illinois in abolishing the major--minor classification and yet retaining much of the value of the old system.