How Will Lacrosse Scandal Affect Recruiting?

April 18, 2006 — -- Archith Ramkumar received his acceptance letter to Duke University the same day the lacrosse scandal broke, but the prospective freshman from Norman, Okla., still plans to make his home in Durham, N.C., next year.

"It's had absolutely no effect on my visit here. I've loved the university. I've loved every bit of it, and I view the lacrosse incident as a small minority and not at all representative of the university," he said.

Archith was on campus Monday with his mother, Priya Ramkumar, for Blue Devil Days, an annual tradition that allows admitted students to explore the campus and decide whether or not they will attend the school.

Priya Ramkumar said Duke President Richard Brodhead had attempted to persuade parents and prospective students to look favorably upon the university's response to the allegations made by a 27-year-old black student from North Carolina Central University. The woman -- a stripper -- told police that she was attacked March 13 by three white men at an off-campus party thrown by members of the lacrosse team.

"He said that he has been talking to other university presidents and unfortunately this kind of situation seems to happen a lot on campuses, and it's about how the universities react. In his mind, the university has acted with a lot of class," Priya said.

Hours later, two lacrosse players were indicted on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. Sophomores Colin Finnerty and Reade Seligmann were being held today on $400,000 bond.

Jesse Longoria, Duke's student body president, would be heartened by Archith's enthusiasm. Longoria is one of the few Duke representatives to speak to the media in recent weeks. He said the incident had revealed many misperceptions about Duke, namely that it is a campus of rich, white students who isolate themselves from the rest of the community.

"That's going to be a big part of the days, weeks and months ahead. How can we come together as a community and show that, you know what, Duke's a lot bigger than what the perceptions are showing?" said Longoria, as he made his way to an interview with CNBC.

News of the indictments spread among Duke students, competing with impending exams for their attention. Dorm rooms, lunch halls and even classes became forums in which to explore the latest developments in the case.

Ming Ming Yang, a sophomore from Tennessee, says he's keeping an open mind. "It's very much an open debate. People have opinions, but they don't say decisively just like I do."

He attends class with one of the lacrosse players, whom he declined to name. He said he hadn't observed any stress in the athlete. "He's just a regular guy. He acts quite normally, I would say. He's been to all the classes. Philosophy is one of those participation classes and he still speaks out in class, does his part. I wouldn't say it seems to have affected him, at least academically."

Brodhead's speech and the media presence may have been the only obvious reminders to campus visitors that a grand jury had convened across town.

Robin Friehling and her son, Jeremy, 17, who were visiting the campus from Rockland County in New York said the tour guides carried on without addressing the lacrosse incident or the news from the courthouse.

Even with the omission, the case was still present on Friehling's mind, as though it were one more feature to see on their visit.

"That young woman apparently found the need to exploit herself. The students who invited her to the house that night to dance -- even without a rape -- were exploiting her. And everything that's happened since then is further exploitation of that situation," she said.

What made the incident hard to forget, Friehling said, was what the admissions department didn't say. In information sessions on Monday, officers discussed an array of Duke programs and sports teams. Notably absent was lacrosse.

"It wasn't even mentioned," Friehling said.