For Harvard’s tennis players, who are consistently ranked among the top in the nation and rely even more on individual instruction during the off-season than other athletes, the rule could take a toll on Harvard’s national competitiveness.

“It’s unfortunate for the players who really want to get regular help during those seven weeks,” says women’s tennis coach Gordon Graham, who adds that many of his players seek out that off-season instruction.

Members of the crew team are the most vocal in their opposition, though they face only a 33-day dead-time. Hunter R. Rawlings III, Cornell president and chair of the council of Ivy presidents, shortened the rest period for crew to 33 days—the maximum the presidents could insist upon without interfering with pre-set on-water training sessions, according to Ivy League executive director Jeffrey Orleans.

Spurred by the Brown heavyweight rowing team, the Radcliffe heavyweight and lightweight crew teams will wear shirts protesting the rule as they compete in the Head of The Charles regatta this weekend.

“It’s to take a stand against a ruling that discriminates against athletes,” says Cathleen A. Greenzang ’03, a member of the Radcliffe lightweight crew team.

The shirts, which were made before the rest-period reduction, are black with a crossed-out number seven printed in white on the back.

Harvard heavyweight captain Michael J. Skey ’03 says he has no plans as of now to join in the protest, though he says he thinks even the 33-day rest period is harmful. Instead, he favors meeting with the presidents to hear “in an open forum why they did this.”

University President Lawrence H. Summers says he is aware that athletes are unhappy.

“I’ve heard concerns from people in a number of sports about the seven week rule that does raise certain questions about its wisdom,” he says.

Though he says he has not yet had a chance to “take stock” of the issue with athletic director Robert Scalise, he says he plans to do so before the December meeting.

Scalise could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Civil Disobedience

The rule—even if adopted by the presidents without revisions in the December meeting—may prove to be ineffective.

Many athletes say the rule will not stop them from training and that they are unlikely to explore other extracurricular pursuits during their time off—part of the goal behind the decision.

“A lot of athletes are training for different national teams,” Skey says. “They’re not going to stop training because a bunch of presidents got together and thought it would be a good idea for them not to train and join the cello group for seven weeks.”