From the New York Times. Very interesting that certain Auburn posters were touting their student graduation rates as some of the best and now it looks as if there is an explanation for such high marks in this statistic.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/sports/ncaafootball/14auburn.html?ei=5094&en=81708bea2629f267&hp=&ex=1152936000&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1152886477-MMq50ZaPdyUxhRhFpdDia g://http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/s...yUxhRhFpdDia g://http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/s...yUxhRhFpdDia g

[ July 14, 2006, 09:07 AM: Message edited by: GymMountainEER ]

Embarrassing.

Shame on you SEC.

Another bang up job, Aubie!

Looks like Auburn's football program is under a lot of scrutiny. The university has now initiated their own investigation. Its the SEC, so what would one expect?


What is very telling is the players that were enrolled these paticular one on one classes that are now under a microscope received an average GPA of 3.3 compared 2.17 in their other curriculum. Looks like there is another off the field explanation for an undefeated Auburn team. wink


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2518793

[ July 15, 2006, 09:17 AM: Message edited by: GymMountainEER ]

It is embarrassing, but not surprising. "Student-athletes are students first"? Come on. Why do we maintain this charade that many of these kids are pursuing an academic degree, and that they play sports during their free moments, the way I tossed around a frisbee on the quad? These particular kids are there for one reason only - they'll win some games for the athletic department, which makes the boosters happy, and makes them write bigger checks to the school. And, of course, they serve as ideal "minor leagues" to prepare them for the majors.

I don't know what the answer is, though. Maybe allow every school a certain percentage of "non-students". Maybe spin off the athletic departments into separate entities, separate and distinct from the schools. But the current method seems to do nothing but encourage people to lie, cheat and pretend.

LXN

Lexington,

I hear what you are implying. But that seems to be a cop out. Too many other athletic programs are playing by the rules and winning with integrity and academic honesty. Just because the SMU's, St. Boneventure's ( basketball), Georgia ( basketball prorgram), Tennessee ( my alma malter), Auburn, and a handful other programs sometimes stray off the beaten path doesn't mean the NCAA should throw up the white flag and allow for student athletes to become seperate from the student body. Most student athletes receive an abundance of special concessions that the typical college student doesn't receive in these athletes plight of receiving a college education. Their tuition is paid, room and board, books, personal tutors provided, luxury dorms, seperate food galleries, access to world class gymnasiums and training facilites, and they receive monetary allowances per month.

My point is College athletics is about student athlete playing. Athletes have the opporunity to be accepted into college that typically they wouldnt be alowed entry in with lower test scores and GPA because they are athletes. Also, athletes can actually leave college with a degree and NO student loan payments due at a later date.

Just where in the hell are they being mistreated because they are asked to attend REAL classes?

The NCAA is right on with its tough black and white approach of ensuring college athletics doesn't spin out of control by elements that don't care about the STUDENT part of these athletes.

Auburn will have to learn the hard way.

[ July 16, 2006, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: GymMountainEER ]

Professor seems to think Auburn will attempt to sweep this underneath the rug.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2522469

I'd like to see a study showing how many of these full-ride non-students actually become interested in academics and take advantage of the education that might otherwise not been afforded to them. I'm thinking even if it's 5% it's kinda worth it.

We get to watch some great sports with kids that are born and bred to compete and some of them break out and become successful people. Some don't, but they can't say they didn't have their chance and as a bonus got to live the dream. It's win-win in my book as long as the deception to both the student and the school is kept at a minimum.

I think the solution is to treat sports like any other extra-curricular activity on campus. Recruit the teams at the beginning of the year from the admitted student body and fund the teams on the same basis as other student groups. For those who claim that the teams bring money to their schools (and I haven't seen the data on this), a better solution would be to simply franchise the mascot to a private company and separate team membership from student status. The student athletes could then enroll in classes just like the other students with full-time jobs. It is odd to me that these huge sports machines have attached themselves to educational institutions at all.