The article hits on many key points that I agree with. We need systemic change starting at the top. I would also like to add we need changes to our academic requirements for student-athlete acceptance.
Aren't we still dealing with the tighter academic standards we put in place in 2014? It is very stiffling to our recruiting and onfield su…
The article hits on many key points that I agree with. We need systemic change starting at the top. I would also like to add we need changes to our academic requirements for student-athlete acceptance.
Aren't we still dealing with the tighter academic standards we put in place in 2014? It is very stiffling to our recruiting and onfield success to have exceedingly different academic standards influencing the kids we can go after. Instead, I'm in favor of having the same standards as other schools and implementing more academic support for the kids once they are at Cal.
Does anyone think that Duke isn't a strong academic institution because a large % of their basketball players don't get degrees?
The changes we implemented a decade ago were another example of a knee-jerk, shortsighted response to a single data point that wasn't even suggesting a trend.
"The changes we implemented a decade ago were another example of a knee-jerk, shortsighted response to a single data point that wasn't even suggesting a trend."
Not only that, but the situation completely changed, and by 2018 or so, we had one of the highest APR scores of anyone. And we evidently did not consider changing anything.
Great point. It's so frustrating the way we handicap ourselves athletically and miss the big picture. Of course we're proud of our school's academics, but there's no reason we can't be strong academically and athletically. It's like we discount the hard work athletes have put into their craft as if it's somehow less significant or important than what other kids did acadmemically growing up. Isn't Cal about diversity? Doesn't it sound great to have a campus full of the most gifted students AND athletes? I think they could learn from each other and jointly create school pride. I'm not suggesting we lower our standards significantly, but they should be on par with similar schools (UCLA, UW, Oregon) as opposed to significantly more stringent. I could be very wrong, but I'm of the belief that it doesn't really matter who we hire to coach football until we make systemic changes such as these.
Right? The reality is most of these athletes deliver far more to the university--both in their time here and beyond it--than they take from it, and as often more than the many students who earned their way in academically deliver. And we are a public institution after all--one that at least claims to aspire to serve people of all backgrounds. I often think about the case of Russell White when this argument creeps up. A prop 48 case, Russell probably should never have gotten into Cal, and likely never otherwise would at any point in the program's history (sans for maybe the Mike White tenure). Of course, he not only succeeded and flourished athletically, but because of the strong academic support system at the time, he also became a beacon for what Cal aspires to deliver academically as well. He largely sacrificed a professional football career to earn his degree and came back to get his graduate degree as well. We surely need to evaluate athletes ability to survive and thrive here, but that potential doesn't only show up in the minimum requirements we make for them.
The article hits on many key points that I agree with. We need systemic change starting at the top. I would also like to add we need changes to our academic requirements for student-athlete acceptance.
Aren't we still dealing with the tighter academic standards we put in place in 2014? It is very stiffling to our recruiting and onfield success to have exceedingly different academic standards influencing the kids we can go after. Instead, I'm in favor of having the same standards as other schools and implementing more academic support for the kids once they are at Cal.
Does anyone think that Duke isn't a strong academic institution because a large % of their basketball players don't get degrees?
The changes we implemented a decade ago were another example of a knee-jerk, shortsighted response to a single data point that wasn't even suggesting a trend.
"The changes we implemented a decade ago were another example of a knee-jerk, shortsighted response to a single data point that wasn't even suggesting a trend."
Not only that, but the situation completely changed, and by 2018 or so, we had one of the highest APR scores of anyone. And we evidently did not consider changing anything.
Great point. It's so frustrating the way we handicap ourselves athletically and miss the big picture. Of course we're proud of our school's academics, but there's no reason we can't be strong academically and athletically. It's like we discount the hard work athletes have put into their craft as if it's somehow less significant or important than what other kids did acadmemically growing up. Isn't Cal about diversity? Doesn't it sound great to have a campus full of the most gifted students AND athletes? I think they could learn from each other and jointly create school pride. I'm not suggesting we lower our standards significantly, but they should be on par with similar schools (UCLA, UW, Oregon) as opposed to significantly more stringent. I could be very wrong, but I'm of the belief that it doesn't really matter who we hire to coach football until we make systemic changes such as these.
Right? The reality is most of these athletes deliver far more to the university--both in their time here and beyond it--than they take from it, and as often more than the many students who earned their way in academically deliver. And we are a public institution after all--one that at least claims to aspire to serve people of all backgrounds. I often think about the case of Russell White when this argument creeps up. A prop 48 case, Russell probably should never have gotten into Cal, and likely never otherwise would at any point in the program's history (sans for maybe the Mike White tenure). Of course, he not only succeeded and flourished athletically, but because of the strong academic support system at the time, he also became a beacon for what Cal aspires to deliver academically as well. He largely sacrificed a professional football career to earn his degree and came back to get his graduate degree as well. We surely need to evaluate athletes ability to survive and thrive here, but that potential doesn't only show up in the minimum requirements we make for them.
^^^^this!!
Yeah, the puritanical arguments over academics standards and athletics are as infuriating as they are exclusionary.