Samantha Huge, director of athletics at the College of William & Mary (W&M), has no interest in understanding why people attend the college. People attend to get a superior education, along with participating in the activities they love, e.g., football, volleyball, track, debate. If these student athletes wanted to try to make it at the next higher level, they probably would attend a college that has a much higher sports profile.

Most W&M students participate in athletics to develop friendships, build teamwork and learn skills that will be useful the rest of their lives.

Huge does not understand this, nor does she understand that W&M — with an undergraduate student body of 6,300 — is not part of the SEC, Pac-12, Big Ten or other athletic conferences that have large student bodies. It never will be a football or basketball powerhouse outside of its conference. Huge unilaterally has taken away from at least 120 student athletes the opportunities I mentioned above. She should not have been hired.

W&M President Katherine Rowe has become suspect with her meaningless diatribes about communications. Rowe needs to step up and take the blame for not recognizing the values of W&M along with the contributions that all school activities have to making a school educational and fun.