I’m not really even sure what the NCAA’s goal is any more. Are we in the business of molding and shaping young men and women by educating them? Or is getting an education secondary to being a college athlete?
Take for example Florida State University:
Sophomore Jacob Coker, who was beaten out by Jameis Winston for Florida State’s starting quarterback job during preseason practice, has been released from his scholarship and plans to transfer. FSU officials confirmed Coker’s decision on Wednesday (January 22, 2014).
I realize Coker is a year older than Winston, but does anyone expect Winston to stay all four years? Or even three years for that matter. And in the game of football, as well as in the game of life, situations change unexpectedly (just ask Everett Golson and Gunner Kiel) … so why on earth would FSU not want to hold on to Coker, continue to develop him and oh, I don’t know, give him an education?!
Coker completed 18 of 36 passes for 250 yards and an interception during his redshirt sophomore year. He may not be a Heisman Trophy calibur quarterback, but did he deserve to lose his scholarship?
Did you see the story in the USA Today a few weeks ago about the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill?
More than 50 classes offered by the African Studies department, and very popular with athletes, appear not to have actually existed. Some of these courses listed instructors who had not “supervised the course and graded the work,” and others “were taught irregularly,” a university review said.
UNC’s chancellor and football coach lost their jobs. The African Studies department chair, Professor Julius Nyang’oro, is under indictment for fraud. That’s bad enough. But it gets worse.
Now we’re hearing that many UNC athletes can’t really read or write. No one, of course, expects a person who excels at a sport to necessarily excel at academics, any more than we expect Nobel Prize winners to posses a great jump shot. But college “students” who are functionally illiterate strike at the very point of college, which is, supposedly, to educate.
And here is another staggering fact from the same article:
And, in fact, research shows that many college students, not just athletes, don’t learn much. A recent book from the University of Chicago Press, Academically Adrift: Limited Learning On College Campuses, by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa, found that 36% of college students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” over a full four years in college. The reason for this is lack of rigor: Arum and Roksa found that most students study only about 12-14 hours a week, most of it in groups. Half of students don’t take a single course in which they have to write more than 20 pages over a semester. So the amount of education in “higher education” doesn’t have to be all that high.
What is going on in higher education?
I am extremely proud of the few schools, Notre Dame included, that make their student-athletes’ academics a priority. I am proud to say that my alma mater holds the belief that if they ask their athletes to give their service and energy to the University, the University at the very least should assure them an equal chance to earn a degree along with the rest of their fellow classmates.
Notre Dame is not an easy place for any student, let alone for those who have the additional demands of athletics. Without this visionary program of making their athletes students first and foremost, many athletes would be left by the wayside, as they are at so many other schools. Today, thanks to the foresight and leadership of Mike DeCicco, Father Hesburgh and Father Joyce, Notre Dame consistently leads NCAA schools in graduation rates and overall academic performance.
If more schools don’t start actively practicing this philosophy, we are failing future generations.
Cheers!
- Breaking Discoveries in CTE Research? - March 12, 2018
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- Part II: From Football to Coffee Beans? - January 31, 2018
Erin
My kids were/are both student athletes at ND — not revenue sport athletes, but Division I athletes nonetheless — and spent/spend upwards of 30 hours a week in practice and training in addition to academic responsibilities. They learned to budget their time and always remembered that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second. Both graduated/will graduate in four years. Having said that, they also sat side by side with athletes engaged in the even more demanding athletic teams (read: football, basketball, lax, soccer etc…..) and they too went to the same classes, did the same work and were held to high academic standards — many without the benefit of the excellent high school preparation my kids enjoyed. There may be some classes that are popular for their less demanding requirements and/or lighter subject matter, but they are few and far between and still academic. Nobody gets by without working hard and a huge percentage of student athletes graduate every year. As for being able to write — as College of Arts majors, both of my kids write and write and write and write! I am proud of the academic record of the University. It sets ND apart from many others. Love Thee Notre Dame. Never change.
Lisa
Amen, Erin! Thank you for sharing the experiences that your children are having at Notre Dame! I agree … I hope Notre Dame never changes their student-athlete philosophy and I hope Our Lady’s University always stays the course!
trey
I was/am impressed with what you wrote and how you have/are raising your children do be great students/athletes. You are/will be a great asset to the ND family/country as a whole and your story is compelling/uplifting.
😉
Jim
Thank you for a great article, Lisa.
I can’t help but to think a big part of the problem starts with the Admissions Office. Why offer a scholarship to a perspective student when you know they they are not going to scholastically survive. Especially when they lack fundemental skills such as reading and writing. Something is seriously wrong here!
Lisa
Thank you for your feedback. I think one of the unique services that Notre Dame offers their student-athletes is unlimited tutoring and academic support. They feel that if the student-athlete is going to dedicate their athletic talent to the University, that the University should dedicate time to ensuring the student’s academic success. More universities should follow this equation for success.
Jsnider
Thank you Lisa for mentioning the tutoring and academic support. It has been a long time since I graduated, and I did not participate in athletics while at Notre Dame, but I did avail myself of the tutoring/study sessions that were mandatory for my dormmate/football players. I just tagged along. I am sure the process has changed over the years but I sure appreciated the opportunity for additional support as a regular student.
Lisa
I used it as well. The University really does a great job of making sure that all of their students are set up for success.
Bayou Irish
I think there’s a disconnect between the two words, “student” and “athlete,” at a lot of (most) schools and with most recruits. A lot of schools (i.e. Alabama) sign more players than they should be allowed, knowing that they are going to process a number of players off the roster. A lot of schools simply target a recruit because of his skill-set, with little to no consideration of his character. And a lot of recruits simply want to play — they want to play where they can start. They don’t care about the degree.
Lisa
I agree. The shame with that philosophy is that football, or any sport really, only occupies such a short time in most people’s lives and if they don’t receive an education while they are in college they are no better than when they entered. Only 3-4% of high school football players will get drafted into the NFL and those who actually start (even less) average 2.8 years in the league (NFL= Not For Long) … GET YOUR DEGREE!!
trey
It’s really interesting you bring this topic up, Bayou. I am just fishing up a week long event down here in Jacksonville that my company puts on every year to kickoff our yearly sales cycle. Our keynote speaker the first day was Lee Corso. He talked about a story with three recruits he was targeting while at Indiana. They all attended a IU basketball game and during the national anthem, all three of them sat in the heir chair and would not stand for the song. Corso had each of these kids taken out and sent home immediately.
The next season and for two years after that, these three kids came back on opposing teams and kicked the crud out of Corso and the Hoosiers. But in their senior season, one was arrested for theft, another for drug posession, another for an assault and the head coach at the school was fired for the controversy. The lesson of this story was two-fold. First of all, always value character over characterS. The second of which is to never prostitute your integrity to get a job or to keep a job. I feel that ND lives this lesson every day. We may not have the dynastic football team any longer because of it but we also raise and generate the best PEOPLE in the world because of it too.
Lisa
Thank you so very much for your comment!!
NDtex
Coker is an interesting case. I’m not sure if I can put blame directly on FSU because he likely wanted to transfer for playing time (although I sure can blame FSU for this: http://deadspin.com/jameis-winston-isnt-the-only-problem-here-an-fsu-teac-1467707410).
However, it does bring up a larger question in my mind: what’s more important to Coker or any QB these days? Is playing time the end-all-be-all or is it worth toughing it out (see: Rees, Tommy), getting your degree, and seeing where the chips fall?
To me, it appears that kids are focusing more and more on playing time in hopes that they can impress the NFL. The degree is secondary and most schools are set up with football goals in mind and don’t really bother as much as they should with the academic side.
I’ll definitely have more on this topic later (especially with the Northwestern unionization attempt hitting the news), but those are my assorted thoughts.
Lisa
I like this analogy a lot!
— However, it does bring up a larger question in my mind: what’s more important to Coker or any QB these days? Is playing time the end-all-be-all or is it worth toughing it out (see: Rees, Tommy), getting your degree, and seeing where the chips fall?
Art
Regarding Jacob Coker, according to an article on ESPN.com he is a redshirt sophomore on pace to graduate this spring. Using him as an example makes no sense within the context of this article. He is graduating, with a degree. He is transferring to Alabama to pursue a graduate degree and, since he is graduating from FSU and pursuing graduate studies, he will have an immediate opportunity to be the Bama starting QB, a position that is currently up for grabs.
Lisa
I was trying to make a point regarding the system in general … that the majority of student-athletes are more focused on the sport than the education. Yes, I may have picked a poor example but you still see my point, no?
Art
I think there’s a point to be made that some athletes in major, revenue sports (football and basketball) and many schools that make money on these sports put a higher priority on the sport than a degree or an education. It is certainly a shame that there are ‘one and done’ college basketball players and football players that only go to college for a shot at the pros, missing a golden opportunity at an education. I’d like the universities to step up to rectify this situation.
However, I think using a specific student-athlete’s name in an erroneous example is careless and irresponsible. I would hate to have my name or my son’s name used in such an article.
I also think it’s unfair to say that ‘the majority of student-athletes are more focused on the sport than education.’ The vast majority participate in non-revenue sports and are true student athletes, who may have used their talents to obtain a free or partially subsidized education that many could not have otherwise afforded.
Lisa
I appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
Lisa
I guess maybe I should clarify what I was trying to say in the Coker example. I was disappointed in FSU for releasing him … not in him for leaving. I think the Universities should place a bigger aspect on the student part of the student-athlete relationship. That was all I was trying to say there. I won’t use a specific student’s name in future stories.
Mark
Agree Get your facts straight before writing an article. Coker is graduating with a degree from FSU in the spring. Graduating in 3 years. Sounds like your so called ND student. may be not. Didn’t get expelled for cheating. In the old days, Golson would not be allowed back. A regular student would not have been allowed back. ND lowering there standards. Not the institution it once was
Lisa
I was trying to make a point regarding the system in general … that the majority of student-athletes are more focused on the sport than the education. Yes, I may have picked a poor example but you still see my point, no?
NDtex
I know first-hand of a regular student that was expelled and admitted back after a semester. I guess we really are going downhill, huh?
1historian
Mark – if you are going to write a letter critical of Notre Dame”s educational standards (1/29 @ 9:07 p.m.) then YOU should make sure your spelling is correct. Old coots like me spot them, cackle maniacally and then strike.
I’m not going to tell you what the mistake was – I’ll let you find it. I am a bit of a stickler for proper spelling and a bit of a nit-picker and I am criticized when I do it but in this instance it is not only justifiable – it is called for.
Art
I sincerely hope that ND would allow a normal student to find a way back, just like Golson. I don’t think it’s about lowering standards, I think these situations are extremely powerful, teachable moments. I think expelling kids and not providing them with a difficult road back is irresponsible and the easy path. Kids mess up, all the time. I am all for a second chance if it’s earned and the students do the right thing and get their act together. I’m all for a second chance but never a third.
Lisa
I heard Jack Swarbrick speak on a panel in June of last year and when asked about the Golson situation he said it was handled exactly how it would have been handled with ANY student … athlete or non-athlete … so I’m assuming that a “normal” student would have been given a second chance as well. Thank you for your comment!