Esteemed Colleagues,
If we wish to begin to change the UW’s climate toward our students who are athletes (and I believe that we should), we should stop calling them “student-athletes.” “Student-athlete” is a term created by the NCAA lawyers in the 1950s in order to avoid paying the widow of Ray Dennison, who died of a head injury while playing for the Fort Lewish A&M Aggies, workman’s compensation.
Cf this, or the excellent Taylor Branch article cited therein:
http://nationallawforum.com/
I just finished a 95-student course (CLAS 324—Greek Athletes, Roman Gladiators, the Modern Olympics, and College Football) in which I was fortunate to have something between 36 and 40 students who are athletes. In the final weeks especially, we discussed many aspects of their experiences as students and the way they are portrayed by the UW (that is, mainly as athletes, even when academic successes are praised), as well as the deep corruption (as one female rower put it) involved in the recruitment and treatment of collegiate athletes. There was not a fan of the NCAA in the bunch, and most of them have, as a result of our class discussions, begun calling *themselves* “students who are athletes.”
I suggest we follow their lead.
Sarah Stroup
P.S. This was probably one of the best classes I have had, in terms of student quality and engagement, in my time here.
Sarah Culpepper Stroup
Associate Professor, Classics
Classics Graduate Program Coordinator
Director, UW Tel Dor Excavations and Field School
President, AIA Seattle Society
University of Washington
Seattle WA 98195-3110
I think you have unique insight.
My questions would be about why, if we accept athletes in class as what they should be, a special group of students, don’t we show them respect in the same ways we do ALL students?
For example, I believe all other students have a strictly limited number of hours that they can work for the UW. I think the limit is 19 1/2 hours, far less than (as I understand) the typical pre pro student athlete works. To worsen this, much of these st8udents time is unrecompensed and they do not get the full benefits of health care, workman’s comp other UW employees get.
This seem very unfair unless we do NOT consider these players as being like other students or we consider their athletic efforts as an academic effort. For example, a student acting as an RA .. like a student athelete .. is expected to do a lot of “free” work learning things that contribute to her paid job. Similarly, a student working in lab may not even be paid!
Should we consider the huge commitment of a Husky QB as an academic activity? I am not sure that is such a bad idea.
Another question may be whether we or the NCAA should set academic requirements for this group of students. If pre meds need a 3.5, why shouldn’t pre sports have a requirement that better reflects the level of competiveness?
Finally, if athletics were recognized as an academic endeavor, I would hope we would limit our goals to providing fodder and the Seahawks and (onece upon a time) Sonics. How much do we do to identify good job prospects for students athletes who do not make the show?