Posted on 08/24/2018 7:48:30 AM PDT by reaganaut1
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Competing in the storied Southeastern Conference, Auburn University (located in Auburn, Alabama) has many great wins to its credit on the gridiron and, to a lesser extent, the basketball court. The rivalry with the University of Alabama is as intense as any in college sports. Winning is an obsession and a Chronicle of Higher Education article from February by Jack Stripling shows how it dominates the administration. (The article appears in the February 23 edition and is subscribers-only content, so I will quote from it at length.)
Here’s how the story unfolded.
In 2013, the university’s student data showed that half of the students majoring in public administration (PA) were athletes. That clustering was very suspicious, apparently indicating either that student-athletes had figured out that public administration was an easy major or were being steered there by officials who knew they would maximize their chances of remaining academically eligible to play. Both are more plausible reasons than believing that so many players were interested in governmental careers.
Stripling wrote, “Rather than question how this might have happened, the university’s provost instead offered a plan: Create more programs like it.” Having too many athletes in one program, provost Tim Boosinger understood, would look suspicious. Therefore, the university should offer more majors with “flexible requirements” so that the athletes would no longer need to herd into public administration. Auburn officials began to discuss “the creation of new majors that would best serve a small but high-profile segment of the student body,” which is to say, football and basketball players.
That kicked off an inter-university fight that is on-going.
Just as there were a few faculty and administrators who were eager to help field the best football and basketball teams at UNC, so too at Auburn.
(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...
Found your candidate for 2020 yet?
Bama fan here, but taking up for Auburn, so count it as a holiday. :)
Whether sports related or not there’s an obsession with getting people into college that otherwise wouldn’t have gone to college. Then once in college offer a major that’s not exactly rocket science so they can have a degree.
Then we wonder why there are tons of college grads who can’t get nice paying jobs and pay off their student loans.
My daughter is an Auburn athlete and is majoring in Public Relations. She had to apply to be accepted into the actual major after her 3rd semester, so it is at least somewhat competitive. As far as I know she is the only athlete in the program. She had to take a year of a foreign language, several classes in the business school as well as economics.
Not saying the article is wrong, but just offering one data point.
Yeah, we need to make more exceptions for jocks, since they’re obviously so much better than the rest of us.
Is there a major in Baitcasting? Or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Grand Theft Auto? History of Bling? And the ever-popular Ebonics Studies.
Why keep pretending these dim bulbs are going to college and not the NFL Farm League?
I’ve come to accept the two track college programs for athletes, by now we all know what those degrees are worth. A friend of mine a grad of ND tutored and back in 80s-90s it was known as American Studies or basically studies which means bubkus for actual scholarship
Go Huskies.
By stressing the educational aspects of their college years, since only a select few will ever earn a living in sports.
Easy
Create easy courses for athletes
How to use a condom 101, 102, 201, 203
or if failed any how to use a condom 101, 102, 201, 203 courses you must pass “How to deal with Baby Momas” 101, 102, 204, 207
Liberal Indoctrination 101, 105, 108, 206
Everything is Racism 101, 102, 201, 301
How to protest the hand that feeds you 101, 308
Advanced Marxism 301, 401
Democratic Socialism taught by guest professors Bernie Sanders and Occasional Kotex 101 and 201
How to play the victim of society while getting paid millions 301 and 407
The wonders of socialism, evil of wall street, and how to fake your heritage 301, Professor Elizabeth Warren
It is that simple
I think it's only a matter of time before someone does an expose on rampant gambling and game-fixing in college sports.
Or Florida State Criminoles majoring in “Leisure Services”.
The current “studies” major for jocks is “University Studies” where the academics are highly tailored to maintaining eligibility. On the basketball side, where the “one-and-done” is all the rage, the player only needs to stay eligible for one semester in the fall because the season will be over and the athlete off to pro ball before grades push him off the roster.
Daryl Royal hearts this concept.
One call to UNC, they could’ve gotten a copy of the Tar Heels’ curriculum.
You add a whole new building for remedial classes
Best example is Univ of TX’s president who whined that continuing with the Top Ten ruling (which was brought about by them discriminating against white students) would cause them to do away with Longhorn Football. Yea, like that was ever going to happen. Jerks.
Self-grading would be one athlete friendly academic policy.
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