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University has various feelings about 'jock' label

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat Engineering sophomore and UA football player Bobby Ramsey does a set of pull-ups yesterday afternoon in the McKale Center gym. The Princeton Review voted the UA the top jock school in the nation.

Although not necessarily in agreement with the term "jock," most of the UA community said being known as an athletic school is a positive thing.

The University of Arizona was named as the number one "Jock School" in the nation by The Princeton Review this week.

"The ranking is friendly to students and athletes," said Athletic Director Jim Livengood. However, he said the term jock is stereotypical and "not necessarily something that is endeared."

The ranking indicates success in interscholastic athletics, as well as a high participation in intramural athletics.

"It is more positive than negative," Livengood said. "I would rather have the term a little more conservative, perhaps active."

Charles Hurt, acting dean of the college of social and behavioral sciences, said rankings like this are either valid or "not quite so good."

"It does have a good aspect," he said. "Some people might take a look at us who might not have otherwise."

Hurt said he was not comfortable with the term jock, adding that the university does a lot of other things well.

"As a graduate of a school that was noted as the No. 1 drinking school 30 years ago (University of Virginia), I understand that this is Princeton's view," he said.

"These rankings are used to get ink in newspapers."

The UA has had a lot of success in interscholastic athletics in recent years, including a 12-1 football season in 1998, a national champion men's basketball team in 1997, a softball team that has won the national championship five times in the 1990s, as well as outstanding individual efforts in swimming and running.

Aside from interscholastic athletics, UA has extensive offerings in both club sports and intramural sports.

"We get a lot of people interested in sports," said Juliette Moore, director of Campus Recreation. "There is an opportunity for so much involvement."

Campus Recreation offers 35 club sports, with 700 total athletes and an intramural system that has 10,000 student participants annually.

"I would prefer they use a healthy name," Moore said. "I would like that better than the term jock."

Moore added that "jock" could be understood as a degrading term.

On the average, the Campus Recreation Center sees 10,000 students in the span of a week, Moore said.

"I think we get a lot of folks who like to watch games as well as play," she said.

Veda Hunn, assistant dean of students, said she would rather the school be known as a jock school than a party school.

"I would prefer to be known for academics but with a balance of social life on campus," Hunn said.

Stephanie Adamson, senior program coordinator for the Honors Center, said she thinks the ranking is great.

"It shows the UA has strength in a lot of different areas," she said. "It doesn't detract from academics, it shows balance with a good social environment and athletics."

Students as well agreed that the UA is a very athletic school but didn't like the term "jock."

Eddie Placencio, an aerospace engineering junior, said the ranking could promote a negative image but could also bring positive publicity.

"If you're not into athletics, you'll view it as a negative aspect of the university," he said.

Placencio noted that the UA is known for academics as well, including one of the top engineering schools and top research programs.

"We do learn a lot," he said.

Placencio said as a child, he wanted to come to the UA because of the success of Sean Elliott and the basketball team, but once he figured out what he wanted to do, that became the focus.

"Kids could be motivated to come here (because of the ranking)," he said.