To the editor:

In regard to Dave Ranney’s excellent article on Jan. 18 concerning Vanderbilt athletics: Much has been made recently about integrating student-athletes back into the mainstream of campus life. The most common symptom of separation seems to be a lack of interaction with other students.

As a former Jayhawk athlete, I would argue that the time commitments preclude much of that interaction. With an in-season commitment of 40-60 hours per week, there’s not much time for lounging at the Union or attending a 4 p.m. study group after classes. It is completely unrealistic to think that a student-athlete will ever have the same experience as a “normal” student.

While I applaud Vanderbilt’s efforts to provide a broader college experience for its student-athletes, one need not dismantle athletic departments to do so. The sought-after interaction starts at the top and I believe both Chancellor Hemenway and Director Perkins have shown exemplary leadership at KU. There is much less of an “ivory tower” mentality at KU than in other institutions.

And if athletes primarily socialize with other athletes, so what? Like many other athletes, I was a member of a fraternity during my years at Kansas University. I made enduring friendships within the greek system, but I quickly realized that no other group on campus provides the diversity of the student athlete population. Politically, socially, economically, ethnically and geographically, my fellow student-athletes represented the entire spectrum. The Jayhawk student-athlete is part of the most diverse, yet closest-knit group on campus. We should all be so lucky.

Chip Budde,

Wichita