THE PENDULUM
NEWS
WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 20. 2010 // PAGE 5
Elon holds athletes to same
standards as all applicants,
breaking national trend
Alexa Johnson
Senbr Reporter
A study recently confirmed what
many already knew or assumed:
athletes have a better chance of
entering a prestigious institution
because of their skill on the field,
allowing schools to admit some
students who have not met the
standard entrance requirements.
The Associated Press released this
information in a review of admissions
data from the majority of successful
NCAA college football teams.
“We make sure students are
admissible before we even bring
them in," Elon University women's
tennis coach, Elizabeth Anderson,
said. “Often our students are eligible
for presidential scholarships or a
Fellows program.”
Although the special treatment
hype could be attributed to the
athletes’ ability to enhance the
instituitions reputation, many players
say it is not true.
“When 1 was being recruited, 1
would immediately be asked for a
transcript,” Kelsey Evans, a freshman
basketball player, said. “If my grades
were not good enough to get into
that particular school, they would've
stopped recruiting me.”
But athletes do receive special
attention, according to a report from
the NCAA.
The report said athletes are
scouted and receive scholarships that
partially or completely pay for their
tuition, depending on their sport.
Athletes are evaluated by a sliding
scale: if their GPA is low, their SATs
must indicate that they are capable
and vice-versa.
Elon University women's
basketball coach Karen Barefoot
said that doesn’t mean Elon admits
any athlete who just demonstrates
remarkable skills. Character is also a
contributing factor.
“Our number one priority is to find
kids who fit our principles,” Barefoot
said. “Athletes who want to be more
than big basketball players.”
Brandon Brant, a freshman football
player, donned a Phoenix jersey even
though he did not meet standard
requirements. He now earns better
grades at Elon than he did in high
school.
“Students are approved by the
board of admissions, so the school
feels that they have a chance to be
successful,” Brant said. “Some athletes
have a lot of potential academically,
but often they just don’t have the
resources to receive tutoring or take
SAT workshops that the average
Elon student would have at their
disposal.”
“Special treatment isn’t the
question or a main concern,” junior
football player Dontay Taylor said.
“It’s about what you do when you get
to school, no matter how you got in.”
According to an NCAA report,
the use of special admissions is
acceptable only if students with other
talents aside from sports are also
admitted through the program. But
the AP found that athletes were 10
times more likely to reap the benefits
of special admissions in 27 schools
out of the 120 that participated in the
review.
“No matter how you look at it there
should be no problem with giving
people chances whether if they’ve
earned it through the classroom
or athletics,” Taylor said. “They've
worked hard to get there.”
Sarah Costello
Graphics Editor
The South is the first region with
more than 50 percent of minority and
low-income students in the public
school system, according to a January
2010 report released by the Southern
Education Foundation.
The South, which has a history
of racial segregation and civil rights
movements, was once the only section in
the Unied States that lawfully permitted
segregation in schools.
Despite strides toward equality
since the Civil Rights movement, many
southern schools still face the same
dilemmas. Educators require new
curricula and restructured teaching
methods to meet the needs of more
diverse classrooms.
“In terms of minorities, 1 don't know
that it would change education, but 1 do
think that it challenges us to think about
how to teach children from different
cultures,” Amy Harper-Wallace, Elon
Elementary School principal, said.
“In terms of poverty, that changes a
lot because (low-income students’)
knowledge base is different.”
Students from low-income families
often encounter difficulties learning at
the same level as other students. This is
due to non-English speaking parents and
family members who did not complete
an education. Various backgrounds
often contribute to different learning
levels.
The Southern Education Foundation
stressed the challenges involved with
the shifting of minorities to majorities
in the coming years. Southerners must
overcome existing prejudice and racism
for non-white groups, urge the writers
of the report.
“I think we are willing to pay
attention to (the poverty level) more now
than in the past,” assistant professor of
education Terry Tomasek said.
“1 think we were less able to pay
attention to differences in the past.
We wanted to make everyone the
same. We’re now more willing to allow
differences."
Another concern from the report is
academic performance and attendance
levels of poor and minority students.
On average poor and minority students
score lower on tests and on the federal
National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP), which is the only
national performance examination for
students K-12.
Minority and low-income students
drop out of school more frequently and
are less likely to graduate from high
school, according to the report.
“What was the type of student 50
years ago is no longer the norm now,”
Tomasek said.
Tomasek and Harper-Wallace agree
education must be broadened and
tweaked for the new student majority.
Teachers must be prepared at the
undergraduate level to recognize the
diverse needs of children in the
classroom and address those needs in
methods that best fit the individual
student.
Tomasek also said students need
to learn how to be problem-solvers,
especially low-income students who
could be the first in their families to
attend college.
“Hopefully (the changes) will make
education better because it will help
us teach to wider, broader audiences,"
Harper-Wallace said. “We need to be
culturally neutral so we can reach
children in any type of culture."
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PHOTO SUBMITTED
Cayce Crenshaw, Elen's director of academic support for athletics, helps women’s basketball
player, Urysla Cotton with class selection.
Women’s basketball player Urysla Cotton begins class selection.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
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South shows increase
in minority and low
income level students
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1 out of 3 college students experienced
the illness or loss of a family member
or close friend in the last year. Talk
about loss and help your friends in
need by starting a National Students
of AMF Support Network Chapter at
your school.