Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Gong, Yidong

Area of Concentration

Social Sciences, Health Culture and Societies

Abstract

This study examines how the rapid expansion of athletics is reshaping the culture, identity, and community experience at New College of Florida. Using a qualitative and ethnographic approach, this research is based on ten in-person interviews with both student-athletes and non-athletes, along with my own observations as a student at the college. Because I am part of the New College community, I was able to see these changes in real time and connect my own experiences to the perspectives shared by others. The context of this study is especially important. New College was historically known as a small liberal arts honors college with a strong focus on academics, independent study, and discussion-based learning. For many years, the school had no intercollegiate sports. However, beginning in 2023, the college rapidly introduced and expanded multiple varsity athletic programs. This brought a large number of student-athletes to campus in a short period of time and made athletics a visible and growing part of everyday campus life. Because of this rapid change, New College provides a unique setting to study how athletics can influence an institution that was not traditionally centered around sports. Students are experiencing a shift in real time, which allows for a deeper understanding of how culture and identity develop during periods of institutional change. As both a student and researcher, I am directly involved in this environment, which helped me better understand how students interpret these changes.

Through interviews and observations, I explored how athletics affect academic culture, student identity, social relationships, and the overall sense of community on campus. The findings show that athletics do not replace the academic focus of the institution, but they do change how students experience it. Sports create strong team-based communities and bring more energy and visibility to campus, but they can also create social boundaries and different experiences of belonging between athletes and non-athletes. Overall, this study shows that athletics are not simply an addition to campus life, but are actively reshaping how students understand what it means to be part of New College. These findings highlight that institutional identity is not fixed, but constantly developing through everyday experiences, interactions, and change.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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