The Importance of Being Neutral
A priority of any coach or program should be to cultivate a welcoming environment. Rowing ought to be a sport where people of all kinds can find a seat in the boat as long as they want to do the work.
It has become common for all sorts of organizations and institutions to “take a stand” on any number of issues—from the murder of George Floyd to the Israel-Hamas war. Text-only Instagram posts and statements on websites declare where a company, university, or sports team stands on the matter. This includes rowing teams and boathouses.
No matter how well intended, this practice excludes inherently those who oppose the position. The righteousness of the stance aside, it also creates the expectation that once an organization comments on one issue it must comment on all, lest silence be misconstrued as acquiescence.
It’s time for those of us in positions of power to explore how to create a place for open, respectful inquiry while fostering in our athletes a sense of self.
In 1967, against the backdrop of student protests against the Vietnam War, the University of Chicago adopted a policy of “institutional neutrality” that was formalized in the Kalven Report. The product of a faculty committee led by First Amendment scholar Henry Kalven, it states:
“The mission of the university is the discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge. . . . To perform its mission in the society, a university must sustain an extraordinary environment of freedom of inquiry and maintain an independence from political fashions, passions, and pressures. . . . A university, if it is to be true to its faith in intellectual inquiry, must embrace, be hospitable to, and encourage the widest diversity of views within its own community.”
Stanford, Columbia, and the University of North Carolina have adopted similar policies, and faculty groups at Yale, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania are pushing their administrations to follow suit.
This is not a perfect solution, and institutional neutrality has its limits. Not all beliefs and opinions can be entertained while maintaining an environment that is safe and respectful. A university can refrain from releasing statements on racist acts across the country and still oppose racism vigorously on its own campus.
Neutrality does not mean apathy or indifference. Rowers are also citizens and members of society. What goes on outside the boathouse is our business, too, and can affect the way we think, feel, and even perform on the water.
This isn’t to say that individual team members and even coaches should refrain from expressing their personal views. Quite the contrary. By remaining neutral as a team, the stage is set for an honest exchange of ideas and perspectives among members.
As leaders within the sport of rowing who guide young people through their formative years, we have an obligation to help them find their voices and build their own belief systems, not parrot our own.
madeline davis Tully
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