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Thursday, October 26, 2000 - Page 2 NEWS Lancaster leaves WM C to aid impoverished countries to make Lancaster a staff member, said Sayre, WMC has experienced tremendous manager for the Maryland Food Committee Sayre. spiritual growth over the past decade. "It's and served on the board of trustees for the After nine years of service to the WMC "As Religious Life Coordinator, he gave not that we are failing to support religious Western Maryland Interfaith HOUSIng Devel- community, Rev. Mark Lancaster, coordina- the invocation at a expression or opment, said Don Schumaker, the associate tor of Religious Life, resigned in May 2000 number of public spirituality . I director of Media Relations. in order to travel around the world events, kept in con- see an increase in Lancaster enjoys his job with Ministry Following his resignation, Lancaster, a tact with religious spirituality [that of Money, and as executive director leads United Methodist minister, began serving as organizations [on has] developed his staff in working with North Americans the executive director of Ministry of Money, campus}. . [and] through the 90's," to examine the relationship between faith and an international outreach program based in if a student needed comments Sayre. money in their lives. Montgomery County, Maryland, in May of counseling, they According to His ultimate goal is to help people see 1999. could go to him," Sayre, much of the differences in what they want and what He explained that his position often re- said Sayre. the slack left by they need, so that the poor of the world might quires extensive travel. Because of his travel Mary Ann Fri- Lancaster's depar- be provided for . . schedule, he was unable to devote himself day, die executive I~~~~~~~~ ture has been "We invite them to travel with us to the fully to his job at WMC. assistant .to the taken up by vol un- poorest countries in the world in order that Soon Lancaster will be traveling to coun- president and advi- teer coordinators tries with a high amount of poverty such as sor for Catholic COURTESY OFTHE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE such as Mark their hearts might be broken open in realiz- lives day after ing how most of the world Haiti, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and India, Campus Minis- Rev. Lancaster speaks at the 1999 commencement. Newman and Josh day," said Lancaster. " to name a few. tries, remembers Lancaster's role in helping Foster, leaders of Inter-Varsity Christian Fel- The hope is that relationships will be built Lancaster became Religious Life Coor- the group become more active on campus. lcwship. with the poor around the world and true shar- dinator for WMC in August of 1991. "Six or seven years ago he encouraged He also stated that other religious groups, ing will take place across the boundaries of According to Dr. Philip Sayre, Dean of me to get Catholic Campus Ministries more such as the Jewish Student Union, are receiv- rich and poor." Student Affairs, Lancaster was not actually visible on campus. He helped me make more ing additional support from staff members Although the religious communities at a college employee at first, but was an em- of a connection between St. John's [Catho- like Grace Almandrez. WMC will continue on without Lancaster, it ployee of-Ecumenical Campus Ministries, an lie church] and WMC," she said. While at WMC, Lancaster's service to the won't be the same, comments Sayre. organization that folded in the mid-90's. However, the college has no plans to re- community was not limited to the campus. "Mark is a great guy," he said. "We're When ECM went under, WMC decided place Lancaster at this time. According to During his term here he worked as a regional going to miss him." Academic awards of athletes and nonathletes investigated leadership scholarships, he said. of preferential treatment was sent to roughly questioned about their beliefs of other Divi- Seidel explained that academic scholar- 160 student s sion III schools Allegations made last spring, that WMC ships are awarded according to a point sys- via email an d Table of responses to student perception survey felt that they athletes receive preferential treatment to non- tem based on a student's S.A.T. scores and phone. Stu were not ca- athletes, spawned much controversy and in- their high school grade point average. dents wer e R pable of an- L vestigation from the offices of Administr~- "For a given number of points earned, asked "Do yo u swering to the tion and Finance and Admissions. there is an established maximum award," he believe athlet e ~ 15 best of their While claims touched on a number of said. ''The maximum might be exceeded in and non-arb p knowledge. -r preferential treatment issues, from academ- instances where the student has taken a sig- letes receiv e ~ IHT One fe- ics to housing, the subject of academic schol- nificant number of honors or advanced equal treat male athlete L arships was focused on specifically and in- courses during their high school career." ment a t S questioned for vestigated over the past five months. Upon researching academic awards given WMC?," "Do the survey, ex- Dr. Ethan Seidel, the vice president of to the entering class of 1998. Seidel found you believ e ~ I S- plained that she Administration and Finance compared aca- that there were no significant differences athletes and believes ath- demic awards among male and female ath- between athletes and non-athletes, and fe- non-athlete s In 1 etes receive letes, and athletes and non-athletes and found male and male athletes. receive equa 1 1ft 'athletic schcl- no significant differences. The student allegations of such inequali- treatment a t Y N NA Y N NA Y N NA arsbips dis- Dan Dutcher, chief of staff for NCAA Di- ties caused much response from the schools other Divisio n #1 #2 #3 guised as aca- vision 1II colleges, said, "Division III does athletic department and administration. Ill colleges?, " <, -o, ',", demic scholar- not permit the consideration of athletics in Dr. Richard Carpenter, Jr., a professor of and "Do you ships." the formulation of financial aid packages. exercise science and the former director of believe male and female athletes receive Sixteen students felt maJe athletes receive Further, aid awarded to student-athletes as a Athletics, explained, "It bothered me that equal treatment at WMC?" preferential treatment compared to female group must be roughly comparable to aid someone thought there were inequalities Only 34 students answered the survey athletes at WMC. awarded to non-student athletes as a group." among students. I've aJways been such a despite multiple attempts to get a higher re- One student elaborated that footbaJl play- "NCAA rules specify that generally, a fanatic about athletics having its place in a sponse rate. ers have multiple unifonns/outfits that are school must treat student-athletes similarly liberal arts institution." Sixteen students felt that athletes and non- new each season, while female athletes wear old, previously used. and ragged uniforms Table of awards for the entering class of 1998 3 All Students Intercollegiate Non-team Team Team Football Athletes members Women Men Team Below 37% 41% 36% 26% 47% 55% As Specified 56% 55% 56% 65% 51% 39% Above 7% 4% 8% 9% 2% 6% to the 'Yay it treats other students," Dutcher Carpenter said that the department has said. always run a clean athletics program and Seidel believes that the perception of feels that the perception that athletes receive preferential treatment for athletes at division preferential treatment may be due to athletes UI schools is not new. "It's a perception that often being in the spotlight. has existed for a long time nationwide," he "If you bring 400 student athletes in to said. an institution of 1600, everyone sees them," Seidel attributes some of the perception he said. "The student athlete is highly vis- about unequal treatment with giving schol- ible." arships to common misunderstanding, he Carpenter also said that he feels other says, students have about awards. division III colleges follow-NCAA rules and Academic awards, he explained, are com- regulations. "I'm convinced to the core of pletely separate from financial aid, or need- my soul that division III schools are doing it based awards. And, WMC does not offer right," he said. non-need based awards such as athletic or A survey measuring student perception /