ASPSU reacts to Glanville’s roster trimming

Fueled by the recent decision of head football coach Jerry Glanville to not renew the scholarships of at least eight players, Portland State student government is striving to improve the way student-athletes are treated.

According to ASPSU President Hannah Fisher, student-athletes are being used for their athletic ability and graduate without the opportunity to fully exercise their intellect or find their passion for their future. “If the athletic department is going to be using students’ athletic ability to garner recognition for the school, it is their responsibility to make sure that the athletes are finding their passion within academics and being supported in the process,” Fisher said.

Athletic director Torre Chisholm says the athletic department is dedicated to ensuring student-athletes receive a quality education.

“We’re certainly not satisfied with where we are at,” Chisholm said in regards to the academic development of student-athletes. “But we are committed to achieving academic success and are making changes within our system to ensure that success.”

Chisholm pointed out the Academic Support Program as an indicator of the department’s desire to improve. That program features a student-athlete tutor, priority registration for athletes, a varsity athletic computer lab and a full-time adviser with two graduate assistants who work closely with varsity athletes.

In addition, Chisholm said the athletic department has also sponsored symposiums on both managing money and resume building for the student-athletes.

But according to Fisher, the department could do more to develop student-athletes as well as prepare them for a career outside of athletics.

“A very small percentage of student-athletes have an opportunity to play professionally, and many of the athletes here are told that they should concentrate on their sport and training,” Fisher said. “Because of this, their academics often are neglected.”

Fisher said plans are in place to change how the Student Fee Committee determines how much funding the athletic department should receive.

ASPSU hopes to conduct anonymous interviews with current student-athletes to assess their experiences. The release of the SFC funds normally allocated to the athletic department will be contingent upon their findings, Fisher said.

Both Aimeera Flint, the chair of the SFC, and Fisher said the SFC is not looking to decrease the allocation the athletic department receives, but is instead hoping to encourage the department to place more emphasis on developing student-athletes in areas other than athletics.

“It would be counterproductive to decrease athletic funding,” Fisher said. “We would like the department to find more ways to assist the student-athlete and prepare them for their life after their athletic career has ended.”

The SFC allocated nearly $12 million in student fees last year to groups such as the Vanguard. Among that figure is the $3,116,382 that the committee will distribute to Portland State athletics during 2008-09, accounting for approximately 30 percent of their annual budget, according to Chisholm.

“It would be disastrous for the department to lose those funds,” Chisholm said. “At this point, we are very much dependant on the money we receive from student fees.”

Several of the students whose scholarships were not renewed by Glanville are close to earning their degree, which, according to Fisher and Flint, demonstrates the overemphasis placed on athletic achievement.

“It is horrible that students that wanted to succeed in athletics and in their education are being stripped of that opportunity because of other reasons,” Flint said.

But Chisholm and Glanville explained that the dismissal of the players indicates the program’s commitment to academic performance from their student-athletes.

Fisher said she is primarily concerned with whether or not the student-athletes are prepared for life after college.

“When these students graduate from college and they have played a sport, they haven’t been able to find their academic passion, and when they get their degree it makes it really hard to find a job because they don’t know what they are passionate about,” Fisher said.