Equality in College Hockey

Equality in College Hockey

This postseason the Michigan hockey team had an early exit from the NCAA tournament at the hands of the Air Force Academy, effectively closing Yost Ice Arena for the year. Only seven months until the Wolverines are back on the ice, but there's a revenue stream the University is overlooking. We could still be enjoying college hockey this year if it weren't for a glaring hole in the list of varsity sports supported and funded by the University Athletic Department. Many universities have it but Michigan does not: a women's college hockey team. There may be informal club teams, but wouldn't it be more appropriate if a second Michigan hockey team was occupying Yost Ice Arena after the Men's Hockey team finishes their season? The main benefit of course being that the University itself gets to attract a whole new demographic of students, and strengthens diversity on campus and could serve as a model for major college athletics for women everywhere. It's the least the University could do when it's trying to scrounge up interest in what I call the "other" sports, meaning, anything that's not football or basketball.

Major women's hockey programs are not unprecedented in NCAA athletics, but not on quite the same stage as Michigan's. The Big Ten has two major programs, and the NCAA has total oversight of awarding a national champion, and instead of the traditional conferences there are Associations just like in Men's Hockey. Minnesota and Wisconsin have nationally-recognized programs, and Wisconsin won the 2009 National Championship back in March, but why doesn't Michigan have a program?

Consider a scenario: Athletic Director Bill Martin authorizes funding for a varsity-level Women's hockey program. Said program joins the WCHA, and Martin pulls away one of Red Berensen's assistants or someone from another program. Suddenly an entirely new group of high school graduates are compelled to apply for the University with the hopes of playing hockey on the national level for a power school that has the name weight of the University of Michigan. Athletic recruiting has always been an enrollment tool for this University, and adding another varsity-level sport can only improve the diversity and quality of the student body.

I view this as another showcase for the University. Attendance at many women's sporting events -- and even men's -- is lower than what it should be (with the exception of women's softball). The athletic department only needs to offer tickets to a women's hockey game for half price when a student or alumnus buys a ticket to Yost Ice Arena to see the men's team. Granted there are certain logistical issues with use of Yost Ice Arena at the tail end of the season, but the University always works those things out. They've done it with Crisler Arena for men's and women's basketball.

My family has a line of enrollment at the University, starting with my father, and I have one cousin who would love to attend Michigan, but she is not too keen on going to a school where she can't play hockey. She has repeatedly told me she would instantly apply to Michigan next year if they offered more than a club hockey team. If one extrapolates that out beyond my family circle, the University has glaring holes in its appeal. There are thousands of people who would love to come to Ann Arbor, but can't make that commitment due to the University not offering an athletic sport or an academic field. This issue goes beyond ice hockey, and if the University is so concerned about maintaining a high level of diversity in the student body, post-Proposal Two, it should think of expanding its offerings to bring in more students. It can't survive on the merit of simply being "Michigan" forever, it has to constantly improve or change its image to adapt to the needs of potential students. A women's hockey program is a small microcosm of what it must do. When it makes those kinds of changes, a thousand "my cousin"s will come flocking to the best puclic University in the country.