<p>I don't know the back story, but this is not good news in my opinion. Peter was/is a fabulous positive coach, and I am not sure why he resigned. He says "time to move on " after 14 years.</p>
<p>I know his wife was not happy with all the time he spent coaching. </p>
<p>I also know he was very hurt by the "hazing" episode as well as the protests from the parents. </p>
<p>I don't know about how the administration treated him, or if anything new has turned up.</p>
<p>After all the posts about the hazing incident, I am surprised no one has replied to Midd Swim Coach Resigns. Seems very sad that a well respected coach “resigns” after an incident out of his control. Wondering if the parents/swimmers/alumni of the team came to his defense or let him sink?</p>
<p>I can assure you that the swimmers defended him with all their effort. They all loved him and were distraught when he announced his resignation.</p>
<p>When this thing happens three times in 8 years, it probably was the coach himself who realized something was not working with his coaching style. First time, OK. Second time, uh-oh, but third time? Do you really believe it was “out his control?” Hardly. It is the coach’s responsibility to create a safe and healthy team culture. No matter how loved for good reasons a coach is, if one can’t set the right tone and articulate behavioral expectations, one should not have the responsibility of coaching varsity athletics at a place like Middlebury.</p>
<p>I respectfully disagree. I think he was betrayed by his captains. The incident was stupid, and the administration came down heavy, but when push comes to shove, it was the captains that planned what went down, despite all they had been told about hazing.</p>
<p>It is a very supportive, positive team.</p>
<p>At many schools, it would not have been considered worth noticing, never mind ruining the rest of a season over.</p>
<p>Oldbatesdoc makes good points;
An interesting article about this subject recently in the Middleburyscholl newspaper </p>
<p>[The</a> Middlebury Campus Blog Archive Zero Place in a Liberal Education](<a href=“http://www.middleburycampus.com/2011/05/05/zero-place-in-a-liberal-education/]The”>http://www.middleburycampus.com/2011/05/05/zero-place-in-a-liberal-education/)</p>
<p>OldBatesieDoc — speaking about respectfully disagreeing…that I do with your post. What exactly do you know about the details? Are you aware of the 2003 and 2006 incidents of hazing on the swim team? Do you really think humiliating students, as was done, is “ok?” Vermont has state laws against hazing as a result UVM’s hockey hazing (in the late 1990s) incident, over which the UVM president lost her job. Hazing is no longer tolerated, and I find it stunning that anyone not involved first-hand could speak with such certitude about what happened (and having a S on the swim team does not qualify one for “knowing” what went on: swimmers were hardly forthcoming with teammates or with the coach, let alone parents). Google “NCAA and hazing video” and watch the short video; you will learn about hazing and its pernicious qualities. Those in the know at Midd, including swimmers, condemned the incident, and continue to do so. To conclude it “would not be worth noticing at other schools” is baseless. But again, the larger issue is this: 3 hazing incidents under one coach’s watch; this reflects a lack of respect for the coach on the part of his team. Put it this way: what parent would think it would be “OK” to have his or her daughter subjected to the pranks involved in the swim team hazing? OldBatesieDoc?</p>
<p>Panther, I believe I am in the know. You apparently disagree.</p>
<p>I think students are adults capable of making their own good and bad decisions. How can you blame a coach who isn’t present and met with the captains and swimmers more than once the issue? They let him down, and I imagine, broke his heart.</p>
<p>If my daughter had been a “victim”, (and it was not a swimmer who reported the incident), I think I would have told her to get over it. I have to say that I think a lot of moral high ground is being claimed by hypocrites.</p>
<p>It was pretty standard middle school slumber party fare, and the music awards on network television were as racy.</p>
<p>And I ask , why weren’t the hockey team members involved disciplined? </p>
<p>I don’t think that no punishment should have occurred, but I think it was out of proportion. Read the article in the Campus. I think the writer has some very good points.</p>
<p>But seriously, Peter was all about the positives. His team was ethnically,racially, and socioeconomically diverse, which if you look at the rosters at Midd, is an accomplishment. It was also OK to be a “rainbow person” on the team, and I really feel he is/was the kind of coach a college should try to keep.</p>
<p>One reason I feel so strongly about this is I have 2 friends with kids on other teams at other schools-one swims at an Ivy-and the coaches are unbelievable. I can’t print what they call the kids on CC. And there is a lot of homophobia. The real, life-threatening hazing that occurred would curl any parent’s hair.</p>
<p>It’s good that Midd doesn’t tolerate hazing. Parents and prospective athletes should feel good about it. It’s a great school. I’ll keep sticking up for Peter, tho, because I don’t think he is any more responsible for the incident that you were, mrshowell.</p>
<p>OK, last comment from me on this one.</p>
<p>I happen to agree with you, OldBatesieDoc, that Peter is fine individual. An incredibly nice person. The issue, however, is his control over a group of 70 young adults. That is most definitely a major part of a varsity coach’s job at a place like Middlebury, just as controlling one’s classroom is part of a faculty member’s job. There Peter failed…not once, but three times in 11 years. While some elements of the team culture were admirable (which you list), all of that is overshadowed by whatever it was within that same culture that led this year, and in years past, to haze first-years. Peter himself recognized this by resigning.</p>
<p>And my last comment-and I’m sure we can agree to disagree-</p>
<p>I have given this issue a lot of thought. I think it comes down to whether you believe in free will and the responsibilities of the individual. Kind of a “Doris Lessing” moment.She said that women can not be simultaneously equal to men, and fragile creatures in need of special legal protection.So it is with college students.</p>
<p>For me this incident is a natural extension of helicopter parenting. Hell hath no fury like a mother with the law on her side…</p>
<p>Anyway, when I was a young teen, I was bullied and picked on. I begged my mom to stop making me ride the school bus, where most of the abuse occurred. She told me that there would always be people like this, and I had to learn to deal with it.So I did. My ego seems to be intact, and I became more resilient because of it. I also learned that if someone who purports to be your friend suggests that you perform an action that sounds embarrassing, a strong refusal usually will get the best results . But if you do make the mistake of doing something embarrassing when encouraged by the “in crowd”, the best thing to do is get over it and live it down.</p>
<p>This is how I have raised my children. I doubt they’ll be living in my basement when they are 28. I can get back to you on that one.</p>
<p>College students have free will and are responsible for their actions, in my universe. I also do not believe that alcoholics have no power over their drinking, and that the bigger government is, the better. I think we all choose our path in life, for good or ill. </p>
<p>Blaming a coach for the actions of a few selfish people isn’t a part of my world view. I also feel that saying these girls will suffer more damage from the “hazing” than the break up of their team and loss of their coach and season is ridiculous and out of proportion.</p>
<p>The classroom analogy only holds if you are responsible when the students who took your class vandalize their dorm during a study group that you had no knowledge of and were not present for.</p>
<p>And I guess we’ve beaten this one to death-for the second time.No pun intended.</p>
<p>Is there any reliable, responsible account of the details of the incident? I do respect the privacy of those involved but wonder if any details have been released. The accounts I’ve read are maddeningly vague (bravo to the PR and legal teams; that is some awesome message control). The word “hazing” seems to encompasses a lot of territory. Hard to form an opinion. Not that I need to know, exactly, but I’m curious.</p>
<p>While I think the school may have overreacted on the suspension of the team, I don’t think it was “nothing” or that those who felt humiliated and embarrassed should have sucked it up . I bet they feel absolutely horrible for the ensuing fallout, but let’s try not to blame the victims here.</p>
<p>If I had a young and maybe naive daughter who I had just sent to college thinking they would have the BENEFIT of being on a team (who often becomes like family), I would have been livid. There are a lot of ways to create bonding on a team and this, plain and simply, wasn’t it. I don’t know all the details and in an age of rumor, misinformation and just plain bad information, I wont say what I know. But this wasnt asking newbies to sing in public, give up their seats in the dining hall, being last in line or doing chores for the upper classman or other typical “hazing” rituals. Let’s just say that there was a good deal of sexual innuendo going in, blindfolds and the fact there was an audience the girls weren’t aware of. It was definitely crossing a line. Calling them “selfish people” is just absurd.</p>
<p>I am not sure what I would have done had my daughter called me upset and hurt. But I very well might have voiced my concerns to the coaching staff - mostly because I would want some support and concern for my kid and have it never happen again. It would NOT have been to get them all in trouble. </p>
<p>Do I think the coach should have resigned? Not necessarily, but because a few incidents got a lot of publicity and, of course, that reflects badly on the college itself (and we have no idea what smaller issues never reach the light of day), I think there might have been little else to do.</p>
<p>And in fairness here, if you don’t have daughters… maybe you don’t quite get it. The “selfish people” remark, again - truly bugs the crap out of me. </p>
<p>Like I said at the beginning, maybe there was some overreach here, but it wasn’t nothing.</p>
<p>Next controversy in the coaching fray - what do we know about the latest Hockey incident and the school being sued by a kid being cut from the team. I have to believe there is far more to the story than a kid merely leaving a banquet early to spend time with his father. And frankly, at a school where there is no athletic scholarship, I don’t see where there is cause for 75K in damages.</p>
<p>Moda-always respect you, but I do have a daughter.I I continue to think the entire event was blown out of proportion, tho shouldn’t have happened.</p>
<p>What I mean by selfish people is that the young women who planned the event clearly weren’t thinking about the ramifications their actions could have on the team, the underclasswomen, the men’s team, and the coach. You can substitute a different word, perhaps I should have used narcissistic?</p>
<p>And it is another example of sucking up to lawyers.</p>
<p>OBD - I wrote a long reply that didn’t really work … so I’ll try the shorter version. SecondToGos first coach ever was just terrific and one of his saying was “either you will sent the culture of the team or the kids will set the culture” … and in this case I know nothing about the specifics but I do know there have been at least 3 hazing incidents in the last few years … and in the last case captains designed and 30+ teammates went along with and did not stop/report an activity that should not have happened. Whatever his other positive traits certainly sounds like a coach that has not set (and/or enforced) expectations for a team culture (at least along one dimension) that I believe should exist for any sports team.</p>
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<p>Again, had this happened to my daughter and had she been very upset and mortified, I would have called the coach or the AD to question the culture of the team and the support offered to my kid. I would not have called the larger administration unless I had been blown off or stone-walled. And whether I had contacted the coach or the AD would have been dependent on how deep or complicit I felt the culture went. But just because there were deep ramifications for the entire program, the humiliated and embarrassed girls should not be forced to add guilty to the mix, nor would I consider a concerned parent in this case a helicopter parent. Just because my kid is away at college does not mean I abdicate all responsibility to protect their welfare, especially when I am paying over 50K a year for it. </p>
<p>But much like the latest hockey issue… I just think there is probably a lot more to the issue and behind the scenes than any of us are fully aware, including the other members of the team, their parents or alumni or some random person on a CC forum (that would be me). :)</p>
<p>Well, I played HS and college sports and have experienced hazing and really didn’t find it so terrible. It has been part of team sports forever. I’m pretty sure in my case the coaches knew what was planned. </p>
<p>But unfortunately there’s lots of people that can’t figure out where the lines are. Being made to sing a silly song in the dining hall while wearing a silly outfit is ok by me. Anything that involves sexuality or health risks is not. </p>
<p>But by having a complete ban on hazing, it gets driven underground and adults (the coaches) have no control. </p>
<p>All that said, if you are going to have a rule against something it has to be enforced, even if you don’t think it wise. And if a coach continually has hazing incidents involving his team, well at some point he or she has to pay.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any insights from admin or swimmers who were involved in the interview or hiring process? The new coach Bob Rueppel does not seem very impressive “on paper”. His background doesn’t lead me to believe he will bring anything new or exciting to the program. You would think if Middlebury is shaking up the program they would get someone younger or with a more impressive coaching backgroud, Too bad they missed out on the Midd grad who took the Pomona job. The Centennial Conference doesn’t come close to NESCAC in terms of academics or swimming talent and Franklin and Marshall ended up 4th in their conference this year. My son, a rising senior met and loved Coach Solomon and Middlebury but he is not sure he will keep considering it. He knows you don’t pick a school for the coach but with many good coaches and programs in the NESCAC why risk it.</p>
<p>Belle10: tell your son to withhold judgment till he speaks with and meets Coach Bob R. According to all reports, he is A++. Hardly ever was a search committee in athletics as impressed with a candidate as was the committee that recommended Bob (and the men’s tennis, coach, too). From all the committee heard and saw in their interviews, this guy brings exceptional coaching qualifications, lifting programs from bottom to top, establishing great team (first) goals and meeting them, and setting great examples for scholar athletes in terms of character. There is too much snobbery surrounding “conference” comparisons: is Wheaton’s program more impressive than what Bob R did at F&M?? As I said, judging from all I heard from members of the search committee, this guy will make a huge difference in attitude and performance on the team.</p>
<p>[Interview</a> with Middleburys New Head Coach d3swimming.com](<a href=“d3swimming - a site for the division III swimming & diving community”>d3swimming - a site for the division III swimming & diving community)</p>