FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[DPU3619]

Wes,

As much as I like and admire you, this is simply not true.  If you look at nationwide trends, more women are attending college than men and it's not unusual to see schools where women make up 60% or more of the student body.  DePauw is actually doing a better job of attracting men in a shrinking pool than most.  But I can say definitively that there is and has been no "plan" to reduce the # of freshman males.  If anything, DePauw is fighting hard (like other schools) to find quality male applicants in a pool that has been shrinking for some time now.

That may be true.  Perhaps that's a salty opinion from me.  I've got a pretty clear bias about that.  I'm willing to admit that.  But, as somebody who sat in that Greek system for 4 years and fought hard for it, I think it's pretty clear that this administration certainly isn't crying themselves to sleep at night over a Greek system that is thinning dramatically.  Maybe it's not DePauw's fault that the female/male ratio is widening, but I'm certain that DePauw is pleased that there are no longer 11 active fraternity houses on that campus.  They'd probably be even happier if they lose the 1 or 2 more that are circling the drain.  Like I said in my last post, the Greek system being put out to pasture is happening.  There's no arguing that it isn't.  Whether there's a intention to do it or not is up for debate.  Nothing surprises me with the decision makers at DePauw anymore.  That certainly wouldn't.

Either way, with fewer males, there are fewer football players, which was my original point.  We've gone a long way to get there, but that's it.  I've got my own theories on that, and that may make me a tinfoil hat-wearing lunatic. 

Honestly, I don't know enough about the admission process to form an intelligent thought, but I'll sure ask questions anyway.  Is that ratio widening because of a lack of qualified male applicants?  Does DePauw currently accept every single male who meets the criteria?  If so, do they just go somewhere else?  For a long stretch of years there we heard that applications were at an all-time high!! Yeah the economy tanked, but if DePauw doesn't accept 100% of the males who meet the minimum admission requirements, then I find it hard to believe that they aren't maniuplating the student body as I claimed.

[wabco]

64

Wab66, the history major speaks .... and man was Napoleon accurate at least in this quotation.

[ExTartanPlayer]

But, as somebody who sat in that Greek system for 4 years and fought hard for it, I think it's pretty clear that this administration certainly isn't crying themselves to sleep at night over a Greek system that is thinning dramatically.  Maybe it's not DePauw's fault that the female/male ratio is widening, but I'm certain that DePauw is pleased that there are no longer 11 active fraternity houses on that campus.

Wes,

Although I was not a member of the Greek community at Carnegie Mellon, I can vouch that the same thing is occurring at CMU, although I think the fraternities are asking for it to some extent.  There's quite a bit of debauchery that goes on in the frat houses (including the death of a non-student last year) and the University certainly has a right to crack down on fraternities whose behavior is truly unacceptable.

That said, plenty of the frat guys are good guys that haven't really done anything wrong, and there's a good deal of resentment within the Greek campus there that the University higher-ups are out to destroy the fraternity system (or at least squeeze it until it dies).

[smedindy]

A couple of things:

1. For some reason, males are not attending colleges in the numbers that females are. Which makes it more difficult to become selective in male students. Yet many in the NCAC are keeping their selectivity high. This is why Hiram, Oberlin, and Kenyon won't ever drop football - they'll lose male students.

2. College kids are going to screw up - but fraternities and sororities can make for easy targets for lawsuits if something does happen. Speaking as an alum and a member of a closed-down Wabash fraternity, it's sad that it happened the way it did but the spectre of a huge lawsuit hung over the campus and the fraternity.

3. The behavior of the sororities and fraternities at their formals in Ohio last year (which kind of became a running gag on Fark and Deadspin) gave the anti-Greeks more ammunition.

4. With a more inclusive and diverse society, it will become harder to justify some of the exclusionary practices of some fraternities.

5. Because #2 and #3, fraternities will become more expensive to pledge and become a member due to insurance. Because of #1, in conjunction with the higher cost, more fraternities will close.

6. There is a huge difference between a State School Greek and a Small College Greek. My wife was shocked when I said I was in a fraternity. At Kansas, it was a small amount of jocks and snobs (as she said) that were in fraternities.

Anyway, it's late and it's cold...and I think I was typing just to keep warm.

[ADL70]

Oberlin may have trouble continuing if it doesn't improve on last season's 9 palyer frshman class.

BTW the Monon Bell got a mention in last night's Butler BB broadcast.

[wabco]

Anyone have any information on fifth year returners for any of the NCAC teams?

[formerd3db]

Oberlin may have trouble continuing if it doesn't improve on last season's 9 palyer frshman class.

BTW the Monon Bell got a mention in last night's Butler BB broadcast.

Wow, I did not realize that i.e. regarding Oberlin.  Reminds me of when they had that same trouble in the late 1970's and had considered almost dropping the program.  For an historic program standpoint, I hope they do not - it would be sad.  Perhaps they can bring back someone of the calibur of Heisman or their player Pearl Fuller as coaches (both from the same era),  Hopefully, Ramsey will get them back on the track he had them for a couple of years.  They also used to have over 3,000 in enrollment, however, I see that has dropped under that number in recent years.

[1837Tigers]

But, as somebody who sat in that Greek system for 4 years and fought hard for it, I think it's pretty clear that this administration certainly isn't crying themselves to sleep at night over a Greek system that is thinning dramatically.  Maybe it's not DePauw's fault that the female/male ratio is widening, but I'm certain that DePauw is pleased that there are no longer 11 active fraternity houses on that campus.

Wes,

Although I was not a member of the Greek community at Carnegie Mellon, I can vouch that the same thing is occurring at CMU, although I think the fraternities are asking for it to some extent.  There's quite a bit of debauchery that goes on in the frat houses (including the death of a non-student last year) and the University certainly has a right to crack down on fraternities whose behavior is truly unacceptable.

That said, plenty of the frat guys are good guys that haven't really done anything wrong, and there's a good deal of resentment within the Greek campus there that the University higher-ups are out to destroy the fraternity system (or at least squeeze it until it dies).

As a product of the fraternity system myself, I'd add that liability issues (which have affected many facets of American life, often for the worse) have more to do with the waning of frat life nationally than anything else.  

To amplify my earlier point about males & college:

USA Today 2005 "College gender gap widens: 57% are women " http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-10-19-male-college-cover_x.htm

2007 follow-up: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-09-whyboysfail09_ST_N.htm

Another 2007 article: "It is fairly well known that women today outnumber men in American colleges. In 2003, there were 1.35 females for every male who graduated from a four-year college and 1.3 females for every male undergraduate. That contrasts with 1960, when there were 1.6 males for every female graduating from a U.S. four-year college and 1.55 males for every female undergraduate. How come this switch?"
http://www.nber.org/digest/jan07/w12139.html

[aueagle]

Looked at the 2011 Schedule (Revised)
OWU opens w/Big Red at Selby then has Witt (home) & LG's back to back. Ouch!
DePauw & Chicago are in  Delaware....Bishops have a very good home slate, for the fan. Could be very tough again, until the last 3 games (Puppy/Lords/Yeoman).
Wabash looks like the only team not playing on Sept 3.
Not a great home stand for Wabash...only Washington & Witt.
BUT, LG's have to play the Tigers on Nov 5 and then go to Greencastle on Nov 12.
C'mon September 3....GO BISHOPS

[hiramterriers]

Hiram College has been called the PUPPIES by numerous people, today the College approved new facility upgrades. New FieldTurf is to be put down and lights put up for this upcoming football season. The team will also be dressing in a brand new locker room.  2011 will no doubt be a great year for the NCAC and the Hiram Puppies.

[Li'l Giant]

As a product of the fraternity system myself, I'd add that liability issues (which have affected many facets of American life, often for the worse) have more to do with the waning of frat life nationally than anything else.  

To amplify my earlier point about males & college:

USA Today 2005 "College gender gap widens: 57% are women " http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-10-19-male-college-cover_x.htm

2007 follow-up: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-09-whyboysfail09_ST_N.htm

Another 2007 article: "It is fairly well known that women today outnumber men in American colleges. In 2003, there were 1.35 females for every male who graduated from a four-year college and 1.3 females for every male undergraduate. That contrasts with 1960, when there were 1.6 males for every female graduating from a U.S. four-year college and 1.55 males for every female undergraduate. How come this switch?"
http://www.nber.org/digest/jan07/w12139.html

This has been the case for a long time now. In 1999 US News & World Report had an issue that contained an in-depth report about the same thing: more women than men in colleges. I only remember this because there's a copy of it hanging on a wall in my office with a picture of my fat mug in the article about Wabash. 

[Pat Coleman]

I moved the Hiram post into this board.

[wabco]

Great for the Puppies.  This upgrade should not only make it better for play but also advance the quality and quantity of Puppie football players. My sense is that Hiram will also see increased financial support.  A good thing all the way around.  Huzzah Hiram !

[aueagle]

ANYTHING will help Hiram get a program that can be competitive...
Their stadium has some history...The Cleveland Browns held training
camp at Hiram in the early-mid 1960's....Maybe the days in the
President's Athletic Conference weren't so bad after-all.

[BashBacker#16]

Wabco,

I believe it is official that both CJ Gum and Wes Chamblee are returning for a 5th year!  Although I sure would feel more confident if BashDad#84 would post it... 

Bummer on the recruiting front losing Jonathon Horn's younger brother (Reece Horn) to D2 UIndy.  He and his QB from Cathedral have both signed to play there.     I really thought we had a good shot.

Congrats to the Wabash hoops team with a big win yesterday at previously undefeated Wooster!

Wabash Always Fights!