"STUDENT" athletes

[West_River_Jack]

From the SDSU web site:

http://www3.sdstate.edu/SDSU/NewsDet...cfm?ID=46,5247

“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” has been part of American coachspeak since the 1930s.

While that adage is most frequently attributed to a speech that Vince Lombardi gave his Green Bay Packers in 1959, the message was all too often applied in college athletics. For years, reports surfaced of students gaining a scholarship and a spot on the team, but not an education.

That culture is disappearing as assuredly as Lombardi’s butch haircut.

Today, coaches are more likely to say, “Don’t send me your game films. Send me your transcripts.”

Click on the link to read more.

[NightHawk78]

Re: "STUDENT" athletes

This is great that the NCAA is making sure that athletes are student-athletes. The two concerns I have with this new program are 1) It may be too hard for some programs, particularly those with small numbers, to always stay above the guideline and 2) Schools may get too conservative and not give opportunities to a "borderline" student-athlete out of concern over losing scholarships.

Don't get me wrong: it's important that student-athletes are attending class and progressing towards their degrees. I just think that the NCAA gets too heavy-handed at times.....

[RodentiaX1]

Re: "STUDENT" athletes

One change that I would make to graduation numbers is that if a player transfers to another school and graduates from that new school, I would have that graduation count towards the original school's graduation rate. There are athletes who are riding the bench, and transfer to be able to play. Why penalize a school because left to get playing time elsewhere?

If the NCAA can seem heavy-handed, the alternative seems to go back to the bad old days when players were often students in name only. It doesn't do the players any favors.

[jackphd]

Re: "STUDENT" athletes

Funny you should mention "progressing towards degrees". Check the "requirements" to maintain eligibility as required by the NCAA, they're really not what I would call difficult. I wouldn't say the NCAA is heavy-handed on eligibility at all. They're obviously interested in keeping the big money machine running for schools that compete for football championships. Consider that to be eligible a student athlete must fulfill these requirements (and keep in mind, they can take six credits in the summers to get to these levels):

Student-athletes entering their 2nd year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 24 semester hours (starting from the previous fall), as well as have a 1.8 G.P.A. (assuming 6 in summer, that's 9 satisfactory credits a semester)

Student-athletes entering their 3rd year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 40% of their specific degree requirements, as well as have a 1.9 G.P.A.

Student-athletes entering their 4th year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 60% of their specific degree requirements, as well as have a 2.0 G.P.A.

Student-athletes entering their 5th year of collegiate enrollment must have completed 80% of their specific degree requirements, as well as have a 2.0 G.P.A.

By the way, students below 2.0 at SDSU are placed on academic probation and can lose their financial aid.

Importantly, SDSU student athletes do much, much better than that, with what I'm sure are a very few exceptions. My experience at a small college attached to a bigtime football team (University of Oklahoma) tells me that OU has a well-deserved reputation for lax academics with very, very low graduation rates and many student athletes who depart college forever without degrees. Those are the programs the NCAA needs to take a close look at. I would argue that an athletic department like OU's that makes a small fortune off the football team needs to make a bit more of an effort to see that those students graduate, beyond those lax NCAA "satisfactory progress" eligibility requirements. Many players at bigtime programs are students in name only. Make no mistake about that.

SDSU has a 72 percent graduation rate among student athletes, which is really good. I don't think we have any problems here since student athletes graduate at a much higher rate than the student body at large

[89rabbit]

Re: "STUDENT" athletes

I came across a few of stories of SDSU doing it right with "STUDENT" athletes.

http://www3.sdstate.edu/SDSU/NewsDet...cfm?ID=46,5248

07/11/2006

State experiences an academic first — two post-grad awards

For the last six years, South Dakota State University has produced an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar.

This year was an exception, it produced two. Runner Brad Lowery received the prestigious scholarship after fall semester 2005 and basketball player Heather Sieler was awarded one this spring.

Only 58 Postgraduate Scholarships — 29 to each men and women — are awarded to student-athletes competing in all three NCAA divisions after each sports season. In addition to being a selective award, it also is lucrative. The one-year award provides $7,500.  .  .  .  (read more)


And


http://www.mid-con.com/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=4036



Seven swimming & diving squads earn CSCAA Winter/Spring All-Academic team accolades

Seven Mid-Continent Conference swimming & diving squads were honored for their work in the classroom by the College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA).

Valparaiso had both of its men's and women's squads named to the All-Academic list. The Valpo men’s team tied for 13th nationally with a cumulative team GPA of 3.20 for the spring semester, while the women’s squad finished tied for 29th with a team GPA of 3.34 for the spring semester.

IUPUI also landed both its men's and women's squads on the All-Academic list. The men's team posted a 2.90 GPA and the women's squad turned in a 3.25 team GPA.

Associate member South Dakota State also placed both its swimming & diving squads on All-Academic list as the Jackrabbits' men registered a team GPA of 2.93, while the women's squad posted a 3.26 GPA.

Oakland's women's teams earned All-Academic accolades with a 3.26 cumulative team GPA.  .  .  .  (read more)

And

http://www3.sdstate.edu/Athletics/Ne...cfm?Id=46,5250

Women's golf team ranks in GPA top 20

The South Dakota State University women's golf team has been honored by the National Golf Coaches Association with the 2005-06 All-Scholar Team GPA Award.

The Jackrabbits ranked 10th among Division I institutions and 17th nationally among schools from all three divisions of the NCAA with a 3.564 team grade-point average. All team members were factored in the team GPA calculations.  .  .  .  (read more)


Not to mention the 48 other athletes who were awarded Academic Honors and recognized in the '05-'06 Jackrabbit Athletics Annual Report.  Here at SDSU the term "Student Athlete" surely means something!  8-)




Go State!