<p>I think that Dr. Weiss will lose this one. If most of the PL schools vote yes, then Lafayette will have no choice but to offer scholarships for football in order to remain competitive. If the majority of PL schools vote no, then certain schools will begin to offer scholarships on their own. Fordham has already done this, and HC was the first PL school to offer athletic scholarships their basketball program. What is quite clear is that is that each school in the PL gives lip service to the need for the league, but when push comes to shove, they look out for their own self interests.</p>
<p>This is an issue of identity, and frankly Dr. Weiss has sent mixed signals as to what LC is, and how the College is to be viewed by both its competitors and the public at large. Clearly, he envisions the College as being like a Williams or Amherst playing on a D3 level. But this ignores the rich athletic history of the school. Support of the art program is admirable, but adds little to name recognition. Like it or not, football becomes a driving force in how a school views itself, and how the public views the school. After all, no one had ever heard of Notre Dame until its football program came into prominence.</p>