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An Open Letter on Academics and Athletics at Colgate
If you are a former Colgate student-athlete and would like to sign Mike Yeager's open letter, please send an email to Ryan Dowgin at colgatefootball@gmail.com with your name, class year, and sport.

- By Mike Yeager '13

       During my time at Colgate, I preferred to remain quiet on my opinions about the rift between the student and the athlete sides of me battling internally for time and energy on a daily basis.  I am not sure if everyone is aware of this, but being a student-athlete at Colgate University is HARD.  I will not lecture on the importance of athletics in a person’s life, however the ability to attract prospective students from all walks of life who know how to work together, communicate clearly, and have the discipline to play a Division I sport benefits the university immensely with the success they will bring on and off the playing field—and after Colgate.  These are people who have most certainly faced adversity, and have overcome it to succeed.

       Obviously athletics at Colgate will not disappear, but the push for less emphasis on athletics will have its own consequences.  The high level of competition that Colgate student-athletes are able to participate in offer a “best of both worlds” scenario where a high school athlete does not have to necessarily choose whether athletics or academics are more important to him or her because Colgate offers both.  There is no better example of this than the recent rankings by the Association for the Protection of Collegiate Athletes that ranked Colgate football #1 in the nation based on a strong academic program, a successful team record, diverse academic opportunities, university commitment to the athletic program, the ability to play in front of a crowd and during the postseason, and a sufficient athletic scholarship (when a scholarship is applicable).  These are the qualities that are most important to prospective athletes, and Colgate is #1! This is a tribute to Coach Biddle and his staff and everything that Colgate has to offer for bringing alumni such as myself such pride. 

       However, during my time at Colgate I encountered (reminder, this is my own opinion) an attitude by the administration toward athletics as a necessary evil—something that has had a long tradition at Colgate and will never fully go away, so they have to deal with it.  I did not feel Colgate pride.  Instead, I felt a burden.  In fact, there were times that I woke up in the morning and chose not to wear my Colgate Athletics sweatshirt because I did not want my professors to perceive me in a way that would be detrimental to my academic standing.  Don’t get me wrong, I was and still am extremely proud to have been a football player at Colgate; the 6 am running sessions and hours spent in the film room analyzing the opponent made the experience of holding the Patriot League Championship trophy one that I will never forget, ever.  But I want to remind everyone that I signed up for it; I chose Colgate because of its academics AND athletics; I wanted to offer myself the best opportunity to succeed after my football career ended, while also playing at the highest level of competition that I could.  I chose to work out at 6 am to the point that I wanted to pass out and study film until the point I wanted to fall asleep.  However, I always got my school work done—always.  I never turned a paper in late; I never missed an exam; I never let football get in the way of my academic standing.  People who do not have the will and discipline to devote their time to succeed in the classroom and on the playing field do not belong at Colgate.

       I understand that there is a disconnect between some professors and athletes because of differing priorities.  Being open to differing views is something that was taught to me by a few of the professors who signed the open letter posted on www.colgateaaup.com.  I truly respect the professors who signed that letter because of the concerns they hold for the future success of the university.  However, I believe their approach is flawed.  Simply pointing out an issue and citing other prestigious school’s methods of doing something without compromise is not—for lack of a simpler word—fair.  I can look at the list of 64 professors who signed that letter (fully knowing that they constitute roughly 25% of Colgate’s full-time faculty) and bet they don’t attend sporting events when it is not an important game—maybe not ever.  We walked in to big games knowing that whether we win or lose would only affect us, our families, and our faithful football alumni.  I personally remember a high ranking administrator at Colgate ask our ALL-AMERICAN quarterback, Gavin McCarney, what position he played.   How is this possible?  A person who brings such positive press to Colgate by exemplifying how a person can be a student at a prestigious university while also being the best at something so incredibly difficult is unknown by administrators for his excellence.  I was always told to try and build relationships with my professors but how can I forge a relationship where we only interact about the half of me that is a student.  I, and my teammates, accepted this.  Like I have said, I was a student-athlete.  Obviously the student comes before the athlete.  But what happens when the athlete is ignored completely?  It forces student-athletes to choose and prioritize when they should not have to. 

       Instead of simply stating that this is a problem, I am offering a solution.  Instead of saying that you, as an administrator, are cognizant of a student-athletes situation, build a relationship with that student while you are in the classroom while also showing an effort from your end to make them feel like what they do is appreciated.  Make an effort to attend one sporting event per week that one of your students plays in.  Understand that outside of your three hours per week with these students that they are indeed putting in more time than the NCAA maximum BY CHOICE; I want to make it known that anything performed on top of the 20-hour limit is a CHOICE.  Like I said, if they cannot handle this responsibility to achieve academically in a division one athletic environment then they should not sign up for it. 

       One of the most beneficial things I learned from all of my professors at Colgate was how to communicate myself.  This is me communicating myself and trying not to be uncompromising.  Like it was pointed out in that letter, one out of every four students at Colgate is also an athlete.  I do not believe the solution would be to put less emphasis on athletics.  Doing so would only deter potential student-athletes who would like to come to Colgate because of its ability to offer such quality academics and competitive athletics.  There is a reason that Colgate consistently ranks in the top 5 of schools with its 98% graduation rate of athletes—because of the type of people who are willing to accept the challenge that is Colgate University. 
Signed,
Mike Yeager '13 Football

Co-Signed,
James Buebendorf '92 Football
Matt Policare '99 Football
Paul Verbitsky '94 Football
Adam Lock '12 Football
Dave Reed '86 Football
Tyler Danielsen '13 Football
Daniel Basil '12 Football, Track
Kevin Morgan '12 Football
Caroline Potolicchio '14 Women's Hockey
Mike Gallihugh '08 Football
BaRack Little '12 Football
Chris Looney '13 Football
Christopher Young '97 Football
Brian Crockett '13 Football
Dan Cason '14 Football
Paul Mancuso '10 Football
Brendan Walsh '15 Football
Austin Dier '14 Football
Greg Kafaf '12 Football
Lulu Brase '13 Women's Basketball
Joseph Hopko '91 Football
Chris Horner '13 Football
Eric Tupta '09 Football
Carlton Walker '10 Football
Lauren Dittman '13 Field Hockey
Steve McAuliff '75 Men's Swimming
Alec Goldstein '13 Men's Tennis
Mari Faines '15 Volleyball
Patrick Letourneau '13 Men's Soccer
Gavin McCarney '14 Football
Tenley Barr '15 Women's Swimming
Andy Heagle '13 Football
Chris DiMassa '11 Football
Lia Kunnapas '13 Women's Swimming
Brian Soudant '97 Football
Eileen Ornousky '14 Softball
Sam Breslin '09 Football
Emmanuel Edouard '13 Football
Ryan Risch '13 Football
Gabe Harrington - Strength Coach '09-'13
Jackie Adlam '09 Volleyball
Olivia Rauh '15 Women's Tennis
Jeremy Wurst '06 Football
Rich Grant '02 Football
Will Herling '12 Men's Tennis
Bill Nash '91 Football
Jamie King-Prunty '14 Women's Track and Field
Martin Johnson '90 Football
Bill Smith '89 Football, Lacrosse
Elias Atamian '08 Men's Lacrosse
Kelsy Hill '04 Women's Lacrosse
Rob Bosco '11 Men's Lacrosse
Marc Fulton '09 Men's Hockey
Nicole McDonald '10 Women's Hockey
Matt Levitsky '13 Men's Track
Jon O'Flynn '96 Football
Ashley Steinmetz Belanger '95 Volleyball
Leslie Strobel '10 Women's Swimming
Elizabeth Arnold '82 Field Hockey, Lacrosse
Douglas Stay '67 Men's Hockey
Marisa (Bond) Smith '94 Football Manager
Arthur Fox '54 Football
Thomas Lyons '79 Track, Cross Country
Leigh Schaffler Finn '93 Women's Soccer
Lori Eaton '81 Volleyball, Basketball, Softball
Lindsay Pittard '08 Women's Lacrosse
Missy Giusti '11 Women's Lacrosse
Brendan Buglione '10 Football
Kevin Osborn '85 Men's Soccer
Sean Cusick '04 Golf
Porscha Albert '08 Softball
Stephen Jonas '09 Football
Ashley (Mecone) Jonas '09 Women's Track and Field
John Eaton '76 Baseball
Donald Charney '89 Football
Steven Simmons '91 Men's Rowing
Rodney Green '88 Men's Swimming
Mike Gouldin '91 Men's Swimming
Emily Hepworth '11 Women's Track and Field
Susie (Sweeting) Perry '04 Women's Swimming
Ted McNulty '80 Men's Lacrosse
Jim Allhusen '71 Men's Track
Anthony Caravetta '97 Football
Tom McCarroll '00 Football
Bryan Pape '08 Men's Crew
Tara (Casey) Hulme '07 Women's Lacrosse
Samantha Inacker '10 Women's Tennis
Ian Aguilar '10 Football
Abby Russin '98 Field Hockey
Scott Lesperance '87 Football
Paul Visgilio '11 Men's Soccer
Bob Relph '78 Football
Robert Smoler '79 Baseball
Susan Fortkiewicz '10 Track, Cross Country
Christian Pesci '03 Men's Tennis
Melissa (Parkinson) Pesci '03 Women's Hockey, Field Hockey
Nicole Al-Greene '03 Women's Swimming and Diving
Mike Namian '87 Men's Basketball
Scott Avanzino '91 Men's Lacrosse
Cathy Frank '81 Women's Hockey
Jim Courter '63 Track and Field
Erin Caretti '95 Football
Todd Garvey '89 Basketball
David Debusschere '97 Men's Hockey
Kira Debusschere (Dirago) '96 Women's Soccer
Gerard Waslen '86 Men's Hockey
Loren Luddy '96 Softball
Jeff Jakob '08 Men's Swimming
Art Irwin '63 Football, Track
Mary Charles Anderson '10 Field Hockey
Eric Chubenko '94 Football
Tyler Coolman '11 Men's Swimming
Mike Batza '63 Football, Lacrosse
Jennifer Critchley '98 Women's Basketball
Dave Buran '62 Football
Jesse McCarrick '10 Softball
Norm Platt '64 Football, Baseball, Basketball
Mike Dowgin '76 Football
Laura Dowgin '06 Cheerleading
Ryan Dowgin '09 Football




Kevin O'Connell '15 Football
Gretchen Polinski '09 Women's Basketball
Ryan Vena '00 Football
Greg Hadley '10 Football
Chibuike Achuko '13 Football
Ryan Marynowski '13 Women's Swimming
David Joyce '14 Football, Track
Kurt Roskelly '13 Football
Kelly Reid '15 Women's Basketball
Kathryn Taylor '14 Women's Basketball
Antranig Almasian '15 Football
Kate Zucker '15 Softball
Tricia Oakes '12 Basketball
Brendon Biddle '03 Football
Mike Jasper '91 Football
Alex Relph '09 Football
Marc Fertik '80 Hockey Mgr., Football Staff
Joe Parker '02 Football, Lacrosse
CJ Stempeck '15 Football
Jonathan Mputu '13 Football
Jimmy DeCicco '15 Football
Harlan Abeshouse '13 Football
Marisa Dowling '16 Softball
Luke Graham '05 Football
Ryne Morrison '14 Football
Ken Beitz '75 Men's Soccer
Hannah Milan '11 Women's Hockey
Quinneil Simmons '14 Football

Carly McNaughton '07 Women's Hockey
Jim Ashenfelter '73 Men's Swimming
Vincenzo Nicosia '12 Football

Nicole Halper '15 Women's Rugby
Kendall Zaharris '13 Field Hockey
Brad Oastler '06 Men's Swimming
Andrew Nairin '14 Football
Rick Gould '71 Soccer, Lacrosse
Emma Santoro '13 Women's Swimming
Austin Douglas '10 Football
Dustin Gillanders '08 Men's Hockey
Steven Miller '11 Men's Soccer
Brandon Tinson '01 Football
Patrick Friel '13 Football
Sami Wary '15 Women's Swimming
Joe Martin '91 Football
Nicholas McKoy '13 Football
Adrien Schriefer '10 Football
Franco Brunet '16 Football
Jaime Heilbron '12 Men's Hockey Mgr.
Katie Case '15 Women's Hockey
Sean McCarthy '93 Football
Jim Muzzy '67 Track
Pam Shelton Anderson '88 P'16 Field Hockey
Michelle McCarthy '13 Volleyball
David Tucciarone '11 Men's Lacrosse
Clayton McCaffery '95 Men's Hockey
Norman Platt '64 Football, Baseball, Basketball
Hunter Southworth '02 Men's Crew
Laurence Donahue '77 Men's Track
David Treene '85 Men's Lacrosse
Wyandt Holmes '89 Men's Swimming
Paul Craig '77 Men's Swimming
Justin Polk '03 Football
Arthur Davies '81 Men's Crew
Patrick Simonds '10 Football
Cameron McNaughton '77 Men's Lacrosse
Andrew Woizesko '11 Football
Will Griffin '10 Football
Raina Gay '96 Field Hockey
Tom Rogers '82 Football
Heather Young '95 Cheerleading
Hilary Hooley '11 Cross Country, Track
Damon Phelan '89 Football
Maurice Robertson '03 Football
David Traini '07 Men's Swimming
Kathleen Head '08 Women's Soccer
Laurence Goodman '60 Track
Kevin Kurimsky '98 Football
Marissa Dombovy-Johnson '10 Women's Hockey
Bob Safford '79 Men's Swimming
Dominic Zanot '00 Football
Jon Thornton '83 Football, Baseball
Heather (Collins) Houde '92 Volleyball
Jaye Martin '77
Joe Pizzarelli '90 Football
Dennis Kelly '87 Football
Mark Murphy '77 Football, Baseball, Basketball
Chris Koontz '10 Men's Soccer
Richard Swanson '80 Track
Robert Fox '59 Men's Swimming
Cameron Williams '10 Women's Tennis
Gary Marshall '11 Football
Rich Burke '92 Football
Julie Tarallo '11 Track, Cross Country
Bill Davidson '63 Football
Gail Schreier Tulcin '74 Women's Tennis, Basketball, Volleyball
Spencer Cooperman '09 Men's Lacrosse
Caitlin Dwyer '10 Women's Swimming
Richard Sarajian '73 Wrestling
George Mead III '76 Rugby, Lacrosse
George McFarland '13 Men's Soccer
Stephen Whitman Jr. '81 Men's Lacrosse
Vail Taylor '53 Baseball
Tom Fanning '88 Men's Basketball
Carolyn Fanning '89 Women's Lacrosse
Madeline Watrobski '09 Field Hockey
Nick Monastero '09 Men's Lacrosse
John Baclawski '07 Football, Rugby
Raymond Masterson '74 Men's Lacrosse
Kate Bergstrom '11 Women's Lacrosse
Christopher Lozinak '92 Football
Donald Franklin '86 Football
Ron Roy '63 Lacrosse
Doug Wilson '57 Soccer, Wrestling
Jim Carroll '11 Men's Lacrosse
Ben Kuckel '63 Football, Baseball
Carolyn (Stuart) Benz '93 Women's Soccer
Dirk M. Van Doren '81 Men's Soccer
James Tierney '92 Football
Art Brandon '60 Basketball
​Geoff Blyth '80 Baseball

If you are a former Colgate student-athlete and would like to co-sign Mike Yeager's letter please send an email to Ryan Dowgin at colgatefootball@gmail.com. Be sure to include your name, graduation year, and sport.