The life of a student athlete is a complicated one. Between practices, homework, road games and class assignments, many athletes say it is difficult to balance their athletic responsibilities with their scholastic commitments.
With accusations of special treatment and double standards for athletes making their way into the media recently as a result of a controversial Princeton study, some student athletes said their job is a thankless one.
"Usually people think that we get a lot handed to us, but really it's more work for athletes in college," said Natalia Crofut, a sophomore English major, and a member of the woman's varsity soccer team. "Because we miss so much school for travel and such, we have to work harder to get assignments in earlier and make up missed classes."
A recent study conducted by William G. Bowen, the former president of Princeton University and current president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Sarah A. Levin, a former researcher at the foundation, discovered some of the nation's top universities allowed certain academic exceptions for student athletes.
According to Director of Academic Services in the Division of Athletics Stephen Wallace, the question of whether student athletes are held to a different standard has one simple answer.
"No, they aren't. They are exactly the same as anybody else," said Wallace. "Athletes must have a certain SAT score and high school grade point average with the completed core courses for NCAA requirements."
Of the 17,818 undergraduates enrolled at UB this semester, about 500 of them are athletes, according to Paul Vecchio, assistant athletic director for communication.
Wallace also said admission requirements are the same for all students, regardless of whether they are being recruited for athletics or not.
"All students must meet the regular academic standards," said Wallace.
While some students balk at the allegations of student athletes getting special treatment, other students think that the responsibilities of an athlete in college are enough to match a regular student's academic responsibilities.
Deema Mahmoud, a sophomore pharmacy major, said special treatment for athletes is acceptable as long as it is within reason.
"I think it's okay for athletes to get an extension here or there, because they have practice or games that take away from time they could spend doing work," she said. "But I definitely don't think that they should be allowed to do less work than a non-athlete student and receive the same grade."
Crofut, the soccer player, said this is not the case with student athletes.
"Our professors treat us the same as everyone else," she said.
Herman Ortiz, a junior accounting major, said he believes athletes may be working harder than regular students.
"If athletes had half the amount of time that regular students have to do their work, they might be equal or even above the average academic standards," said Ortiz.
"I believe that it is terribly unfair that some college athletes at major schools get a personal tutor who goes with them to games and does their work for them," said Josh Boles, a senior majoring in economics. "That probably doesn't happen so much here, but they definitely have advantages over regular students."
Jason Armstrong, a graduate student of aerospace engineering and a member of the men's crew team, said while student athletes do sometimes receive tutoring, it does not set them apart from any other UB student.
"The school has the same expectations for athletes as they do for any other student," said Armstrong. "Varsity athletes do have tutors available to help them, but academic assistance is available for anyone seeking help. While there are exceptions, I feel a majority of athletes do well in school so that their participation in sports is not restricted."
Matt Sirota, a junior majoring in exercise science said he believes the answer to the debate is simple.
"If an athlete just wants to be an athlete in life, I say there should be a degree in college for simply being an athlete," said Sirota. "However, if an athlete is going to graduate with another degree from a college, then they must be able to fulfill all necessary requirements."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
