While I'm still fuming about the NCAA and its hypocrisy. This story pointed out to me by Skip Tate really illustrates my problem with the institution.
Oh my God. How these student athletes try to get ahead by reading subject matter that is not required. What in the world is wrong with them?
Don't they know that colleges, have to raise tuition much faster than the rate of inflation to take full advantage of all the government loans available. While the institutions of higher learning are fleecing the taxpayer every chance they get and go to such great lengths to do so, how can they afford to let student athletes spend scholarship money on frills like recommended text books?
University presidents will sit in their fancy offices and discuss their budget problems.
A out of state student pays $28,500 at Nebraska for tuition, fees and room and board. Books are not included.
Nebraska's enrollment in 2010-11 was 24,610. The total faculty including full time, part-time and visiting professors is 1,597 or about 15 students per faculty member. Of the 24,610 total enrollment that includes, undergraduates, graduates and professional students, less than 600 are student athletes or around 2 percent.
If you take out the 600 student athletes the average class size shrinks to 15 that's right it decreases from 15.41 to an even 15.
Assuming all 600 student athletes are on full academic scholarship, it costs the University nothing in terms of financial commitment to academics. There are no extra faculty. There are no extra expenses.
There is investment in athletics beyond the classroom, all of which is supported by event admissions, booster club donations, sponsorship, broadcast revenue etc.
The student athlete benefits from the educational opportunity to be sure. Over the course of five years (allowing for one red-shirt year) the student athletes save $142,900 and the cost of books that the normal student does not.
The student athletes commitment to time, work and risk of injury far outweighs the difference in the cost of recommended books as opposed to required books.
It is a good trade off for the student athlete but it costs the University virtually nothing. So how can this institution formed by its member schools, be so top heavy with rules and regulations? The division i manual is 434 pages long... below is the rule covering the purchase of books.
15.2.3 Books. A member institution may provide a student-athlete financial aid that covers the actual cost of
required course-related books.
15.2.3.1 Dollar Limit. There is no dollar limit for books a student-athlete may receive, provided each book
is required for a course in which the student-athlete is enrolled. The institution may provide the student-athlete
with cash to purchase books, as long as the amount of cash provided is equal to the actual cost of the books
purchased.
15.2.3.1.1 Eligibility Ramifications—Restitution for Receipt of Improper Benefits. For violations of Bylaw 15.2.3.1 in which the value of noncourse-related required books is $100 or less, the eligibility
of the individual (prospective or enrolled student-athlete) shall not be affected conditioned on the individual repaying the value of the benefit to a charity of his or her choice. The individual, however, shall remain
ineligible from the time the institution has knowledge of the receipt of the impermissible benefit until the
individual repays the benefit. Violations of this bylaw remain institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1,
and documentation of the individual’s repayment shall be forwarded to the enforcement services staff with
the institution’s self report of the violation. (Adopted: 4/24/03 effective 8/1/03)
By its own admission investigation of these infractions are costly. It makes no sense to try to enforce rules that are a major plus to the education of the student athlete.
No comments:
Post a Comment