Abstract
Most universities in America understand the difficulty athletes face in an attempt to study while at the same time taking part in co-curricular activities. Because the two are essential for any institution to be termed as being successful, there is a need for the universities to support the athletes. Several strategies can be used to achieve this. Giving them alternative exams is one of the strategies. However, this is not enough. Many more strategies should be employed. This is what this paper discusses.
Introduction
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has played a significant role in regulating a number of institutions. For the record, this non-profit association regulates 1281 organizations, conferences, and institutions. The association is tasked to create athletic programs of institutions in America. Although this is the case, there are arguments as to how best the universities can support their athletes. In enforcing the necessary mechanisms, there is a need to clearly define what an athlete or sport entails. As a matter of fact, cheerleaders are not classified under athletes, yet they are under the NCAA regulations at West Virginia University. Because of this, it is all but fair that they be given similar treatment to other athletes. Priority scheduling is one of the areas that can be addressed. In the university, athletes get the benefit of registering early for classes (Ariffin, 20). Cheerleaders should be accorded this priority too. All in all, there are many ways in which universities can support athletes.
Apart from the academic front, co-curricular activities play a major role in enhancing institutions' reputation. Education is not everything; universities have a role of ensuring that students stay fit and benefit from exercises and sports. Nurturing talent should be one of the roles universities should play (Ariffin, 29). Because of this, it is inevitable that participation in sports should be encouraged. Most universities recognize this and have mechanisms of ensuring that their athletes are taken good care of. The main problem arises when some athletes are treated with more care as compared to others. Cheerleaders for instance, are always ignored by the university administration. This should never be the case because the also play a role (Peach, 54).
There are several challenges students may get in an attempt to combine both elite sport and academic work. In essence, it is difficult for an athlete to divide their attention and address both issues simultaneously. Because of this, non-athlete students tend to have an advantage over athletes if the institution does not improvise mechanisms to ensure that athletes compete favorably. In West Virginia University, for instance, the institution has embraced several mechanisms in order to support the athletes. Every institution should follow such an example to support the athletes because a lot is expected from them. Supporting them can be achieved in various means and ways.
This is one of the ways strategies which institutions can support student athletes. In practice, athletes do not have enough time to dedicate to their studies. The need for universities to compete favorably in terms of co-curricular activities and sports means that elite athletes in an institution will dedicate much of their time practicing and preparing (Beals, 98). In America, the government encourages teachers and other stakeholders to nurture the talent of athletes. Sacrificing individual talent at the expense of classroom education is a crude method o achieving success. To nurture such talent, the athletes may find it difficult to combine both class-work and fieldwork. Expecting them to compete with other students would therefore be unfair as it would not show their potential.
Deadline Negotiations
Homework and take away are some of the common ways through which students learn. In most universities, the instructors give deadlines within which students should hand in their work. The institutions fail to take into account the fact that not all students have enough time to research on the assignments. Whereas non-athletes may not have problems with the set deadlines, athletes face a lot of challenges to accomplish the assignments. Most instructors are strict and fail to recognize the busy schedule that athletes face. This forces them to sacrifice their free recreational time so as to accomplish these assignments (Lund, 54). This is very negative as it subjects the athletes to sacrifice either academics or athleticism. It is always difficult for the student athletes to give their best by dividing attention. This should be addressed to give them enough time to prepare.
One of the ways athletes can be supported is by giving them flexible deadlines and the permission to negotiate their assessment deadlines. Whereas this is common in many universities, there are several other universities that do not offer it. Athletes may face several challenges in their attempt to finish homework in time. If allowed to negotiate their deadlines, then the institutions would have played a significant role in supporting the athletes. In doing so, cheerleaders should be taken into account. The role they play in sports is similar to that of athletes. Although they are not athletes per se, their role is indispensable.
Timetabling Assistance
Because athletes spend much of their time preparing, they have limited time to attend classes like other students. The need to both prepare for the games and at the same time attend classes is overwhelming. It is not ideal to sacrifice one at the expense of another, hence the need for the universities to come up with mechanisms through which such students can be assisted. It is the role of universities to ensure that athletes cover whatever other students covered in class. This is the only way through which they can compete favorably in class.
Adjusting their Entry Grades
As already discussed above, athletes face several challenges in their attempt to balance both studies and sporting activities. Because of this, it becomes difficult for them to consistently deliver in studies. If not addressed with special care, the athletes may face difficult times struggling to catch up with other students (Fort, 23). Their entry-grades should be adjusted accordingly to give them the opportunity to balance between the two. Without this, it will become difficult for them to perform at the highest levels in both academics and sports. The institutions, therefore, play a major role in determining the schedules of the athletes.
Give Athletes Scholarships
This is one f the ways through which athletes can be encouraged to participate. Without encouraging them, most of them will opt for academics at the expense of sports. If this is the case, co-curricular activities will lose their meaning as very few students will be willing o take part. Athletes should be encouraged that there are benefits to the activities that they engage themselves in. Scholarships may be in form of sponsorships in paying school fees or any other form. This way, athletes will be encouraged to do their best.
Conclusion
The above strategies can be used to support athletes in universities and other institutions. In doing so, it would be important to include cheerleaders because of the role they play. They always accompany the athletes and give them moral support, hence should be given some of the above privileges. If the above strategies are effectively employed, there is no doubt that the athletes will feel appreciated and, as a result, give their best in whatever they engage in.
References
Ariffin, M., & Jaafar, N. (2007). Entry Participation Motivations in Co-Curricular Activities: The Case of Construction Management Students at a Malaysian University. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 17-34.
Beals, K. (n.d.). The female athlete triad: Current screening and prevention strategies used by NCAA Division I Schools (NCAA-DIS). Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, S255-S255.
Fort, R. (2013). Book Review: Big-Time Sports in American Universities. Journal of Sports Economics, 106-110.
Lund, S. (2012). Regulation and deregulation in education policy: New reforms and school sports in Swedish upper secondary education. Sport, Education and Society, 1-17.
NCAA Toughens Spearing Ban. (2005). The Physician and Sportsmedicine.
Peach, J. (2006). College Athletics, Universities, And The NCAA. The Social Science Journal, 11-22.
