When last we encountered the name Dan Weiss on this board he was seen as the embodiment of evil. Based on his interview with the school newspaper, he had come out against football scholarships a few days before the mid-December Presidents' meeting. When the press release was issued saying that no decision had been reached and that it would be status quo for two more years, most fingers pointed at Weiss as something of a one man/one school arbiter of this process. Some, without evidence, stated that he threatened to pull Lafayette out of the Patriot League if scholarships were approved.

Since those first few days of disappointment and rage things have settled down and cooler heads have prevailed. What, then, has become of Dr. Weiss? Has he dedicated himself to an anti-athletics path that will take Lafayette God knows where and doom the Patriot League? There have been no pronouncements, nor is there likely to be. We have to make our judgments using bits and pieces of evidence. For instance:

Word has leaked out that Dr. Weiss addressed football recruits at a recent recruiting weekend. No details as to what he said are available, but it is common knowledge that his remarks were relevant, well delivered, and well received. Rumor has it that a very high percentage of recruits in attendance that day signed on the dotted line.

A Lafayette blogger named Bill Rappolt wrote a piece on scholarships. Mr. Rappolt normally blogs on field hockey which is a scholarship sport at Lafayette, so bear that in mind if you choose to read his well reasoned opinions:

http://blog.lehighvalleylive.com/laf...re_horses.html

The point here is that Mr. Rappolt had some encouraging things to say about Dr. Weiss:

"Being president of a college is a difficult job as he tries to balance the interests of various constituencies and in an economic environment as challenging as we are in, his/her task is that much more frustrating. Based on my early conversations with Lafayette president Dan Weis, I believe he understands the culture that includes Lafayette/Lehigh games as part of its student's experience and the attraction athletics makes to unifying alumni. I also believe he understands that Lafayette's continuation in Division 1 is part of that package. The role of athletics in bonding an undergraduate community and stimulating a giving alumni base cannot be underestimated at a school like Lafayette. Given the events of the past month and talking with people who are decision makers, I believe that fact is well understood."

Finally, Dr. Weiss is a big supporter of Lafayette teams. He will frequently be seen at sporting events with his family. This week, for instance, he attended a women's basketball game in the middle of a major snow storm, and was seen sitting with Lafayette defensive coordinator, John Loose, and thoroughly enjoying himself.

We, in the Lafayette community will, I guess, continue to take issue with Dr. Weiss on many fronts, and will, unfortunately, use the anonymity of the internet to resort to clever name calling. I bring all of this to your attention however, because there are mixed signals and it is probably a little early to be placing all the blame on Weiss's shoulders, batching it up and stuffing it in a Danny Boy doll to be burned in effigy.