RebKell's Junkie Boards

[myrtle]

During last night's game, the announcers mentioned that Adams and Barrett were not able to play due to an 'administrative error' that had nothing to do with anything they themselves had/had not done and that they did not have academic problems. WTF does that mean?

_________________
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
- Amanda Gorman

[Kailapea]

[FS02]

I blame Pat Haden, it must be his fault.

_________________
@dtmears2

[ClayK]

The reports say they are academically ineligible ...

Presumably that could be because they thought they were doing enough to be eligible, but actually weren't. Or it could be that they're not passing enough classes.

If it was the former, my feeling is they would be saying that ... but maybe that's what "administrative error" is supposed to mean.

_________________
Oṃ Tāre Tuttāre Ture Svāhā

[myrtle]

[Matt5762]

This whole thing seemed really bizarre from the start - granted it's women's basketball, but it's still pretty odd that two starters are declared ineligible and we haven't found out more. The fact that USC hasn't publicized that they're done for the year might indicate there is still some hope, an internal review or an appeal to the NCAA?

It's worth noting that both players have the same major. Maybe they were not registered for enough hours or took classes that did not count toward their graduate degree? Maybe they were on the road and didn't take their exams on time? There are many things that would normally be the students' responsibility that are 'handled' by support staff for student athletes...

[dtrain34]

Normally an advisor would be on top of it if they weren't taking the right classes...but that is why, when the announcer said they were academically ok, it made my mind spin. But of course it wouldn't be the first time an announcer had it wrong either.

Sometimes advisors don't do their jobs well.

Heads rolled from that staff at New Mexico State earlier this year when both women's player Moriah Mack and a men's player were declared ineligible for fall semester. They had changed majors and wound up short via the rule for credits in their major after being mis-advised.

Another player had been told for the past couple of years she was due to graduate in December '15. Oops, thanks to the advisors that will be December '16 since her major doesn't offer enough summer classes.

Mack has been stellar since returning. While she was out, NMSU lost to Arizona by four and UTEP by six. Maybe their impressive 17-3 record would be a stellar national-noise-making 19-1.

The NCAA mandates a full-time academic advising staff for athletes in D-1, schools like Oregon spend a mint on the facility thereof but too often eligibility and graduation are in the hands of entry-level, lowly-paid advisors.

The USC situation isn't shocking at all.

[Fighting Artichoke]

[dtrain34]

A lot of what you wrote concerning advisers is accurate. They are typically paid very poorly and have high turnover and thus many have little experience. But athletes typically receive favorable treatment in that their advisers are more experienced and the student athletes are allowed to enroll in classes before the general student population so it easier to find them the classes they need to stay eligible. In addition, some of the examples you cite may not be due to adviser error. For example, maybe those courses were scheduled to be taught in the summer and then were later scratched, due to low enrollment or lack of an available instructor. Still, with the prevalence of online courses it is stunning that anyone cannot find a course they need even if it is not taught at their home institution.

You'd think so, but per your last sentence, it's funny because the athlete who didn't graduate as she had been told she would almost never set foot in a classroom until she reached her upper division major classes because she was placed in almost exclusively online classes to remain freer for basketball. I'm guessing most departments at most universities are loathe to let their major students take too many classes not in residency whether online or otherwise.

The other thing to remember -- and this probably wouldn't apply to USC -- is that yes athletes are coddled and so forth but not all D1s are glamourous places to work. Some will get two-star advising talent instead of five-star

[ArtBest23]

[dtrain34]

To further the application of the old baseball insult "who's holding the brains out there" to SOME academic advisors, the student-athlete used as an example who was told she could not graduate until next December has now been told she will be finished in June!

"Bank error in your favor" as the Monopoly card says.

As per the Manziel example, he never got far enough along in school to HAVE a major though, so his online classes were probably akin to what I was talking about, lower division GE stuff most schools will take since they accept JC transfers, etc.

[GEF34]

[GEF34]