Student-athletes react to Brown’s cutbacks

Anika Breker describes herself as a student-athlete.

Committing to Brown University put the Barrington native in position to continue in both arenas at the highest level. Breker was accepted into the school’s prestigious Program in Liberal Medical Education and recruited as a varsity fencer.

Thursday’s news represented a jarring change for Breker and roughly 150 current and future Bears. The university announced the demotion of 11 varsity sports to club status, and fencing was on the list. Brown athletic director Jack Hayes informed the affected student-athletes during an afternoon webinar and offered public comments later in the day alongside Brown president Christina H. Paxson.

“I walked back to my car and I pretty much just started crying,” Breker said. “I didn’t know what to do. It was so devastating.

“When you’re a student-athlete, you’ve got the student part, but you’ve also got the athlete part. It was like one part of it was being cut away. It was terrible.”

Breker also received interest from Northwestern, Yale, Cornell and Temple during the recruiting process. Her decision to attend Brown was cemented when she was accepted into Brown’s PLME program, a status reserved for approximately 60 applicants annually. Breker is already enrolled in medical school — the eight-year course of study removes the requirement for students to take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).

“It’s such an amazing opportunity academically,” Breker said. “It’s very difficult for me to walk away from that even in the wake of something like this.

“Either way, it’s just a devastating choice. I’d either be missing academically or athletically.”

Breker trains at the Rhode Island Fencing Academy & Club, and one of her teammates wasted no time in advocating on her behalf. Barrington High freshman Anna Saal spoke with an emotional Breker on Thursday and immediately launched a petition at change.org to have all 11 sports reinstated. Saal targeted the Brown University community, Hayes and Paxson while asking signees to “stand in solidarity with the athletes and coaches who have had their futures turned upside-down in a matter of hours.”

“I didn’t want to be the person who was telling everyone about this,” Saal said. “I wanted to make sure they had their stories heard as well. I’ve been asking people to put their stories in the petition.”

Saal’s online effort attracted more than 5,100 signatures as of Friday afternoon. Dozens of testimonials from current, former and aspiring future student-athletes appeared in the designated section for feedback. Saal is hoping to make direct contact with the Brown administration in the coming days to share the results.

“You never know what people are going to find that passion in — equestrian or in skiing or in squash or, for me, in fencing,” Saal said. “Everyone has their own level of athleticism that they’re going to be able to break through when they enter a specific sport.”

Opportunity and diversity stand out among the concerns mentioned by Saal and others critical of Brown’s decision. Men’s track and field, in particular, brings student-athletes of color to campus in much the same way as football or men’s basketball would. The elevation of co-ed sailing and women’s sailing to varsity status does not erase the cuts made to five women’s sports — fencing, golf, skiing, squash and equestrian.

“(Fencing) is a niche sport, but you’ll notice that people from all different socio-economic and racial backgrounds are able to participate in the sport because of initiatives at the local level,” Saal said. “It’s a great sport for both women and men because it really doesn’t openly discriminate against anyone.”

Morgan Chall, the outgoing chair of the national Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, said Brown student-athletes she spoke with were given no warning of the coming cuts. Chall was a gymnast at Cornell University and was elected to her position for the 2019-20 academic year. She questioned the lack of voice Brown student-athletes appeared to have throughout the review process, which was conducted by the Committee of Excellence in Athletics.

“I think the biggest disappointment in what transpired at Brown [on Thursday] was in how it was communicated to the student-athletes,” Chall said. “It seemed to be with complete disregard for the well-being of the student-athletes whose sports and whose lives were just upended.”

Chall missed her middle two years with the Big Red due to a knee injury, competing only as a freshman and as a senior. Her daily schedule often included studying in the training room while undergoing physical therapy or taking an ice bath. It’s an experience she wouldn’t change and one she fears might be lost for those at Brown who were affected.

“Everyone has their one thing in college, whether it’s being a part of an a cappella group or being a part of a dance group,” Chall said. “Student-athletes are really good at their sport. That’s their thing in college, and that got taken away from them.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25