Letters to the Editor | Declining intramural program requires serious boost

At a school like Vassar, where many students choose to forgo varsity athletics due to rigorous academic challenges, intramural sports are a vital extracurricular outlet. Until the unfortunate departure of former Intramural Director Steve Buonfiglio, Vassar had a superb program. Under Buonfiglio, intramural sports enjoyed a high level of popularity, reliable scheduling and widespread publicity (partially due to his often hilarious weekly column in The Miscellany News).

In the past year and a half, the intramural program has seen a dramatic decrease in quality. No fewer than three different individuals have been anointed “head” of intramurals. Most recently all of the scheduling was delegated to a sophomore (who, in her defense, did a fine job at a nearly impossible task).

These shake-ups and inconsistencies have led to seasons where signups are barely publicized, teams are scarce, schedules are sent out the night before the beginning of competition, and t-shirts for season champions are delayed for months (if not indefinitely). Most alarmingly, the program seems to have disappeared entirely this season.

The Athletic Department’s lack of attention to such a vital Vassar institution is unacceptable. The number of individuals (formerly) involved in intramural athletics more than warrants a dedicated part-time position. We urge the Department to restore its support so that those athletes not interested in varsity athletics can still have a chance to compete at the sports they love.

—Sean Boley ’08 and Zev Nakamura ’08,