LBSU
student-athlete grad rates drop
By Ryan Ritchie
On-line Forty-Niner
The
NCAA’s recently released report on graduation
rates of student-athletes shows a drop of
12 percent in players at Cal State Long
Beach.
The
information pertains to the 1995-1996 season,
and says the graduation rate of student-athletes
on campus is 38 percent, compared with 50
percent just a year before.
The
report also says the number of all students
graduating during that time was 34 percent,
four percentage points lower than student-athletes.
The
reports might seem dismal for the 49er athletic
department, but like all studies, the numbers
can be misleading.
The
NCAA counts only student-athletes who enter
as freshman on a scholarship and graduate
within six years, acting dean of undergraduate
studies Dot Goldish said.
“One
problem with it [the report] is that it
does not take into account transfer students,”
UC Riverside Director of media relations
Ross French said.
Student-athletes
leave before graduating for numerous reasons,
French said.
Universities
not offering a student’s major, changes
in family life, unhappiness with playing
time and leaving to play professionally
are only a few examples of why the numbers
are deceiving.
“The
NCAA method does not take this into account,”
French said. If the report included transfer
students and walk-ons, the numbers at CSULB
would be higher, Goldish said.
“We
do get some athletes who get degrees,” Goldish
said. “But maybe not in six years. Many
leave for professional sports but eventually
finish.”
Another
problem with the report is that it does
not account for the amount of student-athletes
on scholarships.
Schools
with very few athletes on scholarships face
fluctuating numbers each year because each
person accounts for a high percentage.
“The
annual pool of qualifying student-athletes
is less than 100, meaning the percentages
can change dramatically from year to year
and can be quite misleading,” Cal State
Fullerton Associate Athletic Director Mel
Franks said.
The
report shows 21 CSULB student-athletes on
scholarship during the 1995-1996 season,
but Goldish said one person was erroneously
included.
With
such a small number of athletes included,
this one person lowered the number by more
than 10 percent.
During
the 1994-1995 season, UCR’s student-athlete
graduation rate was 44 percent.
Men’s
teams had a 50 percent graduation rate because
four of the eight athletes counted in the
report graduated.
“The
pool for the NCAA report is very small,”
Franks said. “Some years there are only
one or two per team.”
In
addition, CSULB wants to see the numbers
increase because 38 percent is “not something
to be proud of,” Goldish said.
“What we would really like to see is 100
percent (of student-athletes graduating),”
Goldish said. “But realistically, that’s
not going to happen.”
A
better way to determine graduation rates
is to look at students over an eight-year
period, Goldish said.
“An
eight-year graduation rate gives a better
picture of who actually graduates,” Goldish
said.
The
49er athletic department has done a good
job, CSULB President Robert C. Maxson said.
“I
don’t want to be perceived as taking credit
for this because I’m not,” Maxson said.
“It’s the coaches.”
The
department has gone from a dismal record
to being on its way to having a good one,
Maxson said.
Forty
percent of CSULB student-athletes have a
3.0 grade point average, “which is very
good,” Maxson added.
Also,
Maxson has a plaque in his office called
the Team Academic Champions.
Each
year, the team with the highest grade point
average gets the award, which is something
the players and coaches strive to win, Maxson
said.
Maxson
stressed the difficulties in trying to get
student-athletes to stay in school.
“How
do you tell a kid not to go pro for $1 million?”
Maxson said.
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