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Thursday, July 20, 2006

Balcony Blogging II

5:31 AM. Loud bangy waves on a still-dark day. A crescent moon pokes out of thin clouds. The wind's chilly.

Inside Higher Ed interviews some people about Auburn in particular and sports at universities in general. One sports professor says:

“Often, student-athletes are drawn to such majors as exercise science and sport management because of the appeal of the athletic themes ... However, here at [the University of Tennesee, Knoxville], those are academically demanding majors.” [Er -- I don't think so.]

A dissenting professor says: "[T]he organizational culture in many college athletic departments is that the ‘education’ of many athletes is an obstacle to be overcome — a nuisance almost."

A third points to what's clearly emerging as the MVP (Most Valuable Pretense) among college courses for athletes:

S. Philip Morgan, a professor of sociology at Duke University, says that institutions would be wise not to encourage independent study courses, because he believes that professors — especially those who care deeply about the success of their institution’s teams — can easily manipulate grades for such courses. “There is very little oversight in those kinds of situations,” he says.