Cue droski in 5...4...3...
http://deadspin.com/the-fight-between-berkeleys-academics-and-its-football-1783216738
http://deadspin.com/the-fight-between-berkeleys-academics-and-its-football-1783216738
Trouble in Berkeley?
- Thread starter CoralSpringsCat
- Start date
We went through the same thing in the 1920s, 30s, late 60s, 70s, 80s. Football ultimately won out. People will say, "Oh, but we have prestine character guys and beautiful admissions standards" but we also gave the campus' last remaining prime real estate on the Lakefill to the athletic department. I think that speaks volumes.
Other than the unforced error on pristine, most insightful. The disappearance of the Lakefill lays bare any pretense that we hold athletics in proportion. What we can say, is that we hold it in more proportion than any other elite conference denizen. But that is all. And it really is crazy to think that sports deserve this kind of attention from universities.
Yeah, but it's important to remember, the schools make no money on athletics (didn't you know they're practically broke?), the athletes are students first and don't receive special treatment academically, and the schools don't receive more applicants or a higher profile from the publicity garnered from athletics (because if the schools admit that they reap those benefits, then the athletes would want money for giving up their right to publicity).
It's a wonderful game, isn't it? I'm not talking about football, either.
Don't call it Cal. I like calling it UCB.
The faculty senates at UC schools still have a lot of influence on how the individual UC campuses are run- but the faculty are also aware the influence athletics have on fundraising. The students at my campus UC San Diego just voted to to raise their student fees in order to go DivI (minus football). This move up still needs approval by the faculty senate and the chancellor. There's not a lot of enthusiasm among our faculty for athletics (maybe more enthusiasm by younger faculty for it) but they too recognize the need to extract money from alums to support expansion of other programs on the campus, esp. since UCSD trails other UC schools in percentage of alums donating back to the school after graduation. With shrinking UC funding from the California state government, the pressure has increased on the campuses to ramp up corporate and alumni fundraising and athletics are viewed as a key tool to meet those fundraising goals. UCB is subject to those same financial pressures so their faculty and administrators are walking a tightrope between emphasis on academics and athletics.
Indeed. But remember, there is a fair exchange between the equal contractors of Big State U & *underprivileged athlete*. They promise you a free ride through your useful working years (1-4 years depending) & you get a lifetime of knee problems and 1.5 years toward a degree in General Studies.
Interesting analysis. Quite the pressure cooker develops when the whole of United States secondary education develops mission drift.
