After spending their collegiate careers bearing the name of “Hillsdale College” on their jerseys across the nation at all levels of competition, senior student-athletes should have a chance to don the title of “Hillsdale Charger,” and for most, the title of “athlete,” one last time. Athletes deserve a cord to wear at graduation to represent their time competing as Chargers.
Graduates wear caps and gowns to physically represent their academic achievement. The same goes for the cords and stoles adorning the simple black gowns. These highlight campus involvement, honoraries, and academic accolades. They represent the higher goods that students have worked toward during their college years.
At Hillsdale, the valedictorian and salutatorian wear gold honor cords. The college policy states that “honor cords worn by graduates signify membership in discipline-based organizations or academic honorary societies.” Students can purchase stoles and cords for their achievements, and many do. Members of campus sororities represent their sisterhood with specific stoles of their sorority’s color, and many student clubs will purchase cords to represent their involvement with that group. Charger athletes should too have the option of a uniform cord that represents their athletic career.
Hillsdale boasts more than 350 varsity athletes, according to the Athletics Department. That equals roughly 23% of students participating in varsity athletics. Sports are a part of education, and these athletes deserve recognition. In my own experience, being on the track team as a high jumper has taught me valuable lessons of sportsmanship and teamwork, resilience through the physical and mental challenges of my sport, and humility to accept results, buckle down, and keep practicing. All of these virtues taught in sports translate to the classroom, fostering an education found outside of Lane and Kendall halls.
Student-athletes at the University of Notre Dame petitioned in 2014 for specific stoles recognizing their athletic achievements. After fundraising and working with their athletic department staff, the senior athletes scored big for the last time and donned their special stoles on graduation day.
The University of Mary Washington, a small liberal arts college in Virginia, provides cords for athletes who have competed in two or more seasons of their sport or stoles for four years of athletic participation. Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, also provides stoles for athletes. Hillsdale should join these other schools in recognizing its student-athletes’ commitment.
Donning regalia isn’t just for the purpose of recognizing achievements and boasting the numerous accolades a student has received. The symbols of stoles and cords mimic representative symbols worn in regular life. My crucifix tells that I have faith; a wedding ring shows that a person has entered the covenant of marriage; a stole and cord represent academic achievement. All these symbols signal a person’s values, commitments, and interests.
As students walk the stage wearing their regalia from all the corners of campus, student athletes can represent themselves as Chargers for a final time.
Elaine Kutas is a junior studying English.
