University of Virginia Library

Athletes-in-Dorms Plan Arouses
Little Opposition From Students

By Frank Refsnyder
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

From a random sampling of
University students, there appears
to be little opposition to head
football coach Blackburn's plan
to house team members together
in Alderman Road dorms.

One graduate coed remembered
that most of the football
players at Boston College, her
alma mater, lived together of
their own volition and liked it.

She noted that they had seemed
to benefit from the required training
meals, which are another part
of Coach Blackburn's plan for
next year.

Policy Questioned

Whether what was good for
Boston College is relevant to
University policy was questioned
by a number of those interviewed. Some felt that putting the players
together was an unnecessary
departure from University traditions.

It would tend to further "isolate"
the team from their community,
or, as one confirmed "anti-jock"
put it, "incorporate a
bunch of animals into a zoo."
He felt, however, that Blackburn's
plan would be a "minor"
break with tradition "compared
to what's in store for this place."

A fourth-year College student
thought the only tradition the
plan would break with was that
of "mediocre athletics" at the
University.

Several students noted the pressure
that a group of athletes living
together might put on the
counseling system. One man
commented, "It would be hard
to maintain discipline in a group
like that but I suppose that if
certain special guidelines were
set to begin with, then order
could be maintained."

Practice Enough

Reacting to Coach Blackburn's
citation of the need for
togetherness among the players,
those who had had and those
who had not had athletic experience
felt that several hours of
practice daily and eating together
should supply enough cohesion
among the team members.

One graduate student suggested
that constant togetherness might
even create harmful tensions
among the athletes.

Most of those interviewed said
that the athletes should be allowed
to live where they choose.

One fourth-year College man
noted, however, that the athletes
who on a football scholarship
have their primary obligation
to the team and are therefore
obliged to live where the
coach thinks best.

"This is not an athletic school,
but we do give athletic scholarships,"
he said. He further noted
that the team had voted their
assent to Coach Blackburn's proposal:

The pressures that the team's
living together might impose on
the Honor System, "would be
negligible," to use a representative
quote. "If can't take
the pressure normally, they'll
cheat anyway," said one coed.

Referring to a former chairman
of the Honor Committee's
objection to Mr. Blackburn's
plan, a fourth-year man said he
had "heard that same objection
used about the fraternities."

No Violent Opposition

No one interviewed took violent
exception to any of Coach
Blackburn's proposals.

One suggested, however, that
the athletes should live together
only on an experimental basis,
even though he thought the plan
was likely to have a beneficial effect
on "the quality of football
that we play next year."