SMART COOKIES

This fall, 78 members of the Bowdoin athletic community have been recognized as Academic All-NESCAC. Even though there was no formal athletic competition this fall, the conference acknowledged athletes’ academic achievements as they do every year. Recipients varied by class year and team. To achieve this award, athletes must be in good standing with their team and maintain a GPA of 3.50 or equivalent on a 4.0 scale. In total, 694 students across the NESCAC received the honor, meaning that Bowdoin had just over 11 percent of all recipients. As the NESCAC is only composed of 11 teams, Bowdoin had more than its fair share of recipients this year.

INDIANA BOUND

Due to concerns over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has decided to change the way it holds the Division I men’s basketball championship (March Madness). Instead of allowing teams to compete in 13 locations around the country, the NCAA is planning to hold all 67 games in Indianapolis, Indiana. The city was already expected to host the Final Four this year. The NCAA hopes that bringing all competition together will mitigate the risk of travel and keep athletes from contracting COVID-19.

DAMAGING DEFICIT

The NCAA Division III strategic planning and finance committee reported an overall deficit of $7.2 million for the 2019-20 academic year due to issues related to COVID-19. This includes a massive $5 million catastrophic insurance payment that was received by the Division. The deficit is being covered by the Division’s mandated reserves. As a result of the deficit, the committee in June approved $2 million in cuts over the next three academic years. Looking to the future, the committee also approved a one-time, three-year budget cycle for 2021-22 through 2023-24 because of the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. Usually, the committee only approves two-year cycles. It plans to return to that length of budgeting after the 2023-24 season.