EDITORIAL: A centsible proposal

Auditing Ivy LeagueAuditing Ivy Leagueathletes' financial aidAuditing Ivy Leagueathletes' financial aidpackages is a worthwhileAuditing Ivy Leagueathletes' financial aidpackages is a worthwhileand overdue project.Auditing Ivy Leagueathletes' financial aidpackages is a worthwhileand overdue project.________________________ Although the no-scholarship rule has been in effect for more than 40 years, rumors continue to run rampant that Ivy institutions routinely break it, sweetening the deals they offer athletes in hopes of enticing them to choose Penn over Princeton or Yale instead of Harvard, for example. The audit of Ivy athletes' aid packages that will soon get underway has the potential to -- finally -- lay these vicious rumors to rest. We commend the Council of Ivy Group Presidents for initiating the audit, and hope that its findings will be exactly what they expect -- that none of the Ancient Eight athletic departments or financial aid offices are engaging in unethical conduct to woo prospective student-athletes. However, if the audit reveals questionable practices of any sort, the presidents should sit down again to review league policies and improve enforcement. There's absolutely no reason to scrap the no-scholarship rule, and we are pleased to see that this option is not being considered. It's always been a mark of pride that the Ivy League can field competitive athletic teams whose members are also intelligent, who excel in the classroom and on the court, track or field. Despite the lack of athletic scholarships within the league, member schools still produce championship-caliber teams that can, for example, beat national powerhouses like Michigan and UCLA in basketball. This audit will ensure that Ivy athletes are being recruited and choosing their eventual alma maters without unfair or undue influence. If that's the case, everyone wins.