Athletes are students first

Myles Brand has always pushed "academics first," and if the Bloomington Faculty Council knows what is best for student athletes, they will take Brand's words seriously and endorse the Resolution on Intercollegiate Athletics; the same proposal endorsed by the Committee on Institutional Cooperation and the PAC-10. \nThe BFC is taking the proposal into consideration at its meeting today. If endorsed, the winners will be the student-athletes for several reasons.\nThe proposal says college athletes are students first, and their college experience must be as full participants of the student community. The proposal pushes for student athletes to become more integrated into the academic community, noting that with the current schedule of games and tournaments -- not to mention all the travel -- this simply is not possible. \nIn the proposal, the solution to the problem is simple: Every attempt should be made to minimize conflicts between athletics and regular academic schedules, and wherever possible sport seasons should be confined within a single term.\nWhile this would cut down the number of games, this will not hurt the players' performance on the court, as practice schedules will remain under the same tight regulations of the NCAA. This reduction of travel time would allow athletes to focus more on academics and spend more time on campus as part of the regular student body.\nThe second reform in the proposal is the reduction of commercial endorsements and advertisements on television and in arenas. This will also reduce the number of television time-outs during collegiate athletics broadcasts.\nPeople tend to forget that the professional endorsements that show up on the sidelines and on the players' uniforms are being shown in an amateur sport. In order to get this revenue, teams are under continuous pressure to preform as professionals. Under the proposed plan, the money that is received from bowl games and tournament events within conferences and divisions will be distributed more evenly to provide greater financial aid to other schools. This way, schools don't stress winning for financial gain, so schools can emphasize the sport rather than the result.\nThe third change in collegiate athletics would be holding the athletics department under the same principles of budget accountability that characterize other units of the institution. \nFourth, and perhaps one of the most specific points, is that coaches will not be able to revoke a scholarship for poor performance on the playing field. Under the proposal, if a student-athlete that would have had troubles paying for college without an athletic scholarship isn't having their best season, they won't have to worry about losing their financing and dropping out of school.\nFinally, athletes who enter college and facing difficulty in the academic field would be barred from playing their freshman year -- while holding onto their scholarship -- until their grades are up to par.\nIt is about time that the NCAA and big time college sports programs start being held accountable for their huge financial intake and the treatment and academic standing for their athletes. The BFC should take a step in the right direction and follow the CIC and Pac-10's lead by endorsing the resolution on intercollegiate athletics.\nStaff vote: 10-4-3