Ivy League Odds and Ends

In homage to a certain columnist of yesteryear, looking around Columbia and the Ivy League, here are a few stories that I see:

Columbia Football Begins Spring Practice

Columbia moves forward into their 2007 campaign with momentum from their strong 2006 finish. But the team's strength from last year, its veteran defense, takes a hit with the graduation of its leaders, including defensive lineman Darren Schmidt and safety Tad Crawford. The offense, on the other hand, will have experience with returning players at a number of skill positions, including Jordan Davis at running back and Austin Knowlin at wide receiver.

The challenge for head coach Norries Wilson and his staff will be to handle the quarterback situation with questions surrounding Craig Hormann's health. After the team's performance this year, they will not be taken lightly by any opponent. If Wilson can avoid the sophomore slumps that other Ivy coaches have experienced across the league, Columbia fans could have some real hope for the long-term success of the program for the first time since the mid-1990s.

Tommy Amaker Hired as Harvard's Men's Basketball Coach

Amaker will make for a very interesting Ivy basketball case study. On one side of the equation, there is a lot of upside in taking the Harvard job-the school is, after all, the premier brand name in higher education. With new facilities due within the next decade, there's no reason why Amaker should not be able to immediately upgrade the basketball program's talent level.

Amaker is coming off a disappointing stint in Michigan, however, where his teams failed to make the NCAA Tournament. While his in-game coaching raising eyebrows at Ann Arbor, the former Duke assistant also came under scrutiny at Seton Hall, where he struggled to control his team towards the end of his tenure. I'm of the firm belief that you hire coaches who are on the upward track-hungry, young coaches who can use the Ivy League as a stepping stone in their careers, rather than coaches who are moving down the coaching ladder. Traci Waites's failure at Columbia was an example of this phenomenon (though, clearly, there was more than that to her failure). Only time will tell if Amaker can buck the trend.

Columbia's Women's Lacrosse Team Loses to Brown by One Goal for the Fourth Consecutive Year.

Once again, the Lions are currently without wins in the Ivy League with just two conference games remaining. The team has won only one conference game since the inception of the program in 1997, and although they have managed to string together competitive stretches, the program has failed to maintain consistent performance and translate their efforts into victories.

Head coach Kerri Whitaker, now in her fifth season, has led Columbia to victories in its nonconference campaigns, but the squad has struggled in one of the nation's toughest leagues. In what appears to be a recurring theme, the team has just three seniors, but with the heightened emphasis placed on creating a winning culture by athletic director Dianne Murphy, the progress of the women's lacrosse program should be scrutinized in detail over the course of the final games of their season.

John Kluge Donates $400 Million to Columbia

Congratulations to President Bollinger for helping bring in a signature contribution that could help Columbia bridge the financial aid gap that separates the school from Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. The pledge is a significant step towards reconnecting alumni with the school, and the recent growth in the endowment is an opportunity for Columbia to separate itself from schools such as Penn and Dartmouth. These types of donations are necessary for the athletic department, along with all other parts of Columbia, to keep the school affordable for recruits who are considering other Ivy institutions.

With his fine work on Manhattanville, Bollinger (along with Robert Kasden) understands what Columbia needs to do to keep pace with its competition. Next up for Bollinger: What about the Henry Kravis School of Business? Kravis, who is soon to become one of the wealthiest men in the world if rumors of KKR's IPO come true, would make a great sponsor for Columbia's new business school. And while we're on the topic of improving the University, maybe he can take advantage of Judith Shapiro's resignation and annex Barnard. While far-fetched, nothing would serve the University better than if Columbia could use Barnard's space for the betterment of the entire University as opposed to acting as some type of semi-independent college that sometimes acts as an admissions backdoor (see: Harvard/Radcliffe). Using this additional space, the University could turn the buildings into undergraduate housing or provide necessary space for science and athletics. Moreover, it would show the type of commitment to undergraduates that separates schools like Princeton from Columbia, against whom Columbia continually fights for talent on and off the field.

David Charlow Placed on Administrative Leave Due to His Involvement With LoanXpress

David Charlow was a huge asset for Columbia's athletic department-a former athlete who was very open about his support of Columbia athletics. He was often involved in the recruiting process and ensuring Columbia offered competitive financial aid packages to recruits. He will be missed by many of Columbia's coaches (although he could be back, depending on the outcome of the investigation).

SDS is Back on Campus. Minutemen Protesters Scream Racism.

I'm keeping short because this almost speaks for itself. Organizations that make students feel uncomfortable on campus contribute toward this school's image problem, which in turn keeps Columbia from bringing in talent. Such groups, for example, have contributed to the destruction of Columbia's athletic programs since their upheaval of the Morningside Park gym. Over the course of four years on this campus, it has become comical to see embarrassing protest after embarrassing protest by small subsections of campus that do not represent the majority of students. To see so-called "activists" who come from some of the most privileged backgrounds in America commenting on issues that they can't even identify with is oh-so typical of the pretentiousness that unfortunately rears its ugly head at this University. Here's to hoping that, going forward, Columbia can produce a more intelligent, sensible community of activists who actually go on to improve society and become the world leaders of tomorrow, rather than the laughing stocks of daily conversation. Here's a hint: pick issues where you can actually effect change, such as student loan policy, as opposed to ranting and raving about massive failures on the part of the federal government and international community, where, sorry, your voice does not matter. Welcome to reality-quite the change from your cocoon of self-importance.