Rules hinder well-roundedness

Going to a private university can weigh heavy on one's wallet and leave a person looking for new places to finance an education.

A simple solution is for students to turn to scholarships to help them through, but some students have stumbled upon a fork in the road.

The Ottawa University policy on scholarships allows students to have an academic and an athletic scholarship, but not an activities and athletic scholarship.

This leaves student to make a choice between a sport and an activity such as theater or debate.

DJ Grayson, a junior from Chicago, participates in football and wishes that he had an opportunity to branch out and experience different aspects of school.

He thinks of himself more than just an athlete, and that by not allowing students to receive scholarships for both athletics and activities is setting a double standard.

"[The school] preaches to me that I am a student athlete, but [the school] doesn't want to help me out on the student part," Grayson said. "[The school] wants us to be diverse, but by making us choose, it is stifling the liberal arts education."

Provost Dennis Tyner says that the school has made some changes in the way that scholarships are issued, but this does not change the dilemma between sports and activities.

Tyner said that the changes are more to do with the amounts of scholarships and the stipulations that are placed on them. He said that in the past students have come in on scholarships and failed to fully participate.

The school would like to set standards and build programs by having requirements that must be met in order to receive scholarships.

The changes that have been made will not affect those students who are currently on scholarship, but will affect incoming students.

Ali Salter, senior, softball player feels that this circumstance slims down the fields that she could explore.

"They changed the scholarship amounts, but why didn't they look into bridging the gap between activities and athletics," Salter said. "If students had the chance to participate in other programs it would allow students to have more opportunity."