Athletics is hardly the top priority for Brandeis University. While power programs at Division I schools are able to raise and spend an exorbitant amount of money on athletics, the experience for Brandeis athletes is quite different. Being a varsity athlete at Brandeis is not easy, and in many ways, Brandeis athletes have it much harder than their peers at premiere athletic schools. While the pressure of Division I competition is undoubtedly greater than that found at Brandeis, athletes here face countless other pressures without the amenities given to high-profile college athletes.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Brandeis athletes is balancing the competitive academic atmosphere and the competitive athletic atmosphere. While premiere athletes at bigger schools (such as former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarrett) have been exposed for receiving an unthinkable amount of illegal academic assistance, athletes at Brandeis, thankfully, do not experience that type of special treatment.

But the Judges who suit up every day still face time commitments quite similar to their Division I peers. Sarah Bechtold '06 knows what it's like, having played her first two years at Division I Patriot League Lafeyette College. Bechtold says that basketball is mentally and emotionally much more powerful at larger programs, but the time commitments are quite similar.

"[Basketball] took priority over academics [at Lafayette]," Bechtold said. "I thought most Division III schools would be more laid-back and [most were]. But Brandeis is really unique in stressing the athletic competition, but not at the expense of academics. We still work just as hard."

The balance between academics and athletics is a delicate one. With college aged students participating in more extracurricular activities than ever before, some athletes at Brandeis say their participation in athletics hinders their academics. Indeed, one of the most common complaints is that classes are not favorably scheduled for athletes. With most varsity practices occurring in late afternoon, athletes are forced to choose between a rare class and going to practice.

"It's really frustrating," softball player Marissa Rubin '07 said. "There was a class I wanted to take this semester [and] it was only offered once every two years. But I couldn't do it because I'd have to miss practice."

Amazingly, Rubin does not even view this as a true conflict, readily recognizing the higher place of academics.

"It's made clear when you come to Brandeis and participate in sports that academics are placed first," Rubin said. "I didn't come to Brandeis to play sports, I came to get a good education."

It is a difficult challenge for a student to practice for several hours per week while still maintaining a commitment to academics. Brandeis coaches invariably have to deal with professors who are upset that students will be absent from class, but most coaches seem to echo the sentiment that conflicts have lessened over time.

Regardless, with so much to do in so little time and the demands of both athletic and academic competition, athletes are often left frustrated.

It is important for students to come to terms with their reasons for being at school, and athletes are no different. It is also important to find the best way to reconcile priorities without unnecessary sacrifice.

If athletics and academics often work against each at Brandeis, there must be times when the two forces can help one another.

A major way coaches use academics to help make the most out of their limited resources is in hailing Brandeis' academics to perspective recruits.

Men's soccer coach Mike Coven is at a disadvantage when recruiting players for his program. The soccer field at Brandeis is in terrible shape and is the worst soccer facility in the UAA conference. Coven counteracts this disadvantage by touting the academic opportunities available at Brandeis.

"It's hard when you bring a perspective student and he sees our soccer field," Coven said. "What I stress to recruits is that we have small classes with a lot of personal attention."

The bottom line is that very few of the varsity athletes at Brandeis University will leave college and proceed to make a living with their athletic abilities.

As such, academics should be and always will be primary at Brandeis. Athletic Director Sheryl Sousa likes to see athletics as secondary but still very important to the Brandeis experience.

"Academics has to be the first priority," Sousa said. "Students are choosing Brandeis because of the academics so they're here for the right reasons. Time management is huge and a lot of [athletes] need to make sacrifices. To do everything all at once is hard, but prepares students for what life is about: setting priorities and making choices."

Sousa's point is important, as it is this strive for efficient time management and good decision making that make the experience at Brandeis particularly unique for varsity athletes.

In some ways, athletes at Brandeis have more responsibiltiy thrust upon them than most students on campus. Forced to juggle rigid academics along with intense athletics, athletes often express frustration with their lack of personal time.

What can be even more frustrating to athletes is how they often end up as the thankless representatives for this prestigious university. Athletes on every varsity team work hard every day while wearing the Brandeis colors, but do not receive the level of support from the rest of the school that they would often like.

Attendance at games has always been a problem, and the athletic department has made significant efforts to bring in fans. But rather than herding the masses into Red Auerbach Arena, we must examine why those students need prodding in the first place.

The average Brandeis student seems to be close to indifferent toward Brandeis sports, largely because of the importance of academics. On a campus conducive to quiet stuying with only an occasional a cappella outburst, athletics has slipped to the back of the average student's mind.

Whether standing on a beaten up soccer field or in a sparkling new science laboratory, the rightful place of Brandeis athletics is clear: Practice and play hard, but stick to the books at the end of the day.