Ivy Group Administrators Defend Stand on Coaches

High administration officials at Dartmouth and Princeton defended their schools' "liberal" stands on recruiting by coaches.

Davis Jackson, assistant Director of Admissions at Dartmouth, stood by his institution's policy of allowing coaches free rein in approaching candidates, and William D'O. Lippincott, Dean of Students at Princeton, advocated reliance on a "healthy" attitude toward athletics rather than on restrictions.

In Cambridge, President Pusey said that he did not expect the members of the Ivy group to reach an agreement on the coach's role in recruiting in the foreseeable future. Although discussion is going on at several levels, he noted, there is no Ivy agreement on the point, and no college has broken a specific rule.

"Dartmouth's policy is governed by a sort of multi-lateral treaty that does not prohibit coaches from contacting or writing to candidates," Jackson said. "Harvard, either officially or for public consumption, may operate unnecessarily conservatively within the Ivy agreement."

"I know our coaches look for boys, write to them, and try to influence them to come to Dartmouth," Jackson commented. "Coaches have interests of their own not necessarily contrary to admissions policy," he declared, but did not concur with the oft-heard argument that Dartmouth needs recruiting by coaches to get a good student body.

"We have alumni working on enrollment in all the major cities in the United States," Jackson said. "We even have one in Tokyo. Dartmouth pioneered the use of alumni for enrollment."

Jackson asserted he thought Harvard coaches must recruit, too. "In my personal opinion," he observed, "it would be a most amazing situation if this were not done. What else do coaches do in the off-season?

At Princeton, Lippincott explained, the prevailing philosophy is that coaches can serve beyond the area of athletics and can be trusted to maintain a sensible attitude in their activities. Princeton has "no network of unenforceable rules," he said. "We're pretty relaxed about it."

Princeton's restrictions on coaches are in most cases less specific and less strict than Harvard's rules. Coaches are not allowed to initiate application procedures. They must consult admissions authorities before venturing into an area of the country, and they must obtain consent from the principal of a school before visiting it.