RPI junior athletes still out
School’s plan to reduce campus population could cost them season
RPI spring-sport athletes returned to practice starting on Monday. They emerged from their one-year COVID -19 hiatus to sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s.
Except for the junior class. They can’t practice or play with their teammates because of the university’s policy that requires junior students to take remote classes this semester to “dedensify” the campus and slow the spread of coronavirus.
Juniors aren’t allowed access to RPI facilities, including athletic venues.
That RPI hasn’t made an exception to this rule is perplexing to Paul Askins of Tehachapi, Calif., whose daughter, Erin, is a junior first baseman on the softball team. She is living in an off-campus apartment in Troy with senior teammates but can’t join them on the field.
“Why are you excluding this group of athletes from just enough campus access to practice and play with their team?” Paul Askins said. “We’re not saying they should be allowed to go to class, be allowed into the (student) union, be allowed into the dining hall. We’re just saying let them play with their team in a safe and responsible manner, which everyone else (at other schools) is going to be doing.”
Paul Askins has started a change.org petition to demand the RPI administration “to reconsider this ridiculous oversight.” His daughter declined an interview request through him.
RPI athletic director Lee Mcelroy directed questions about the policy to the communications department.
“As our top priority, the health and safety of Rensselaer students has been a central focus throughout the creation and implementation of our COVID -19 mitigation plans,” RPI said in a prepared statement. “Ensuring that these policies and protocols are effective and fair for all has required every member of the Rensselaer community to make adjustments and sacrifices. Our campus de-densification plan, which was released last summer, has been critical to the university’s successful operations throughout this pandemic.”
RPI said it will continue to do “what it must do” to enhance campus safety.
RPI was the last NCAA school in the area to allow team activities this academic year until
giving the green light this week. The Division III Liberty League, which includes RPI, Union and Skidmore, begins competition on Friday. While Union and Skidmore are playing games this spring, RPI said its participation will depend on the overall public health situation.
RPI baseball’s Cole Paquin, a Shenendehowa graduate who is one of 10 juniors on the team, said he hasn’t heard the basis for the university’s decision and must trust officials are making the best decision for the school. At the same time, he’d love to play and hopes the university finds a way to create an exception.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing for the 50 of us (juniors) across all (spring) sports because we lost last year, for very good reasons,” said Paquin who batted a team-best .331 as a freshman. “We don’t really want to lose another one. Coming to college, you know you have four years left to play the sport that we played since we were kids and losing a second would kind of be heartbreaking.”
RPI softball coach Amber Maisonet ran her first practices on Monday by splitting her team into smaller groups. She was without her six juniors, including Erin Askins, who batted .406 as RPI started 12-0 last year before the season was canceled.
Maisonet said she has heard there have been discussions about letting the juniors play, but for now, she tries to keep them involved through virtual meetings. Some junior athletes have chosen to
take remote classes from their hometowns this semester instead of living in Troy.
“We’re still going to obviously try to include them as much as possible, even though they can’t physically be on the field with us,” Maisonet said.
If that continues to be the case, RPI coaches will be missing a substantial portion of their rosters when even the available players are coming off a pause that began last March.
“That’s the milliondollar question,” RPI baseball coach Keith Glasser said of having enough bodies to compete. “You’re going to have people who are in pretty good shape. You’re going to have people who aren’t in the shape that you probably wish they were in…. You’re going to get nicks and pains here and there, and if we have shortened-out numbers, and all of a sudden we have eight position guys, it’s going to be a bit tough.”