Student athletes have priority registration for the Fall ’09 semester, as part of a pilot program initiated this spring.
The program allows student athletes to register for classes in advance of regular appointed scheduling so that they will have more time to focus on their studies and sports.
“When we recruit, we tell them that they can be students and they can be athletes. We want them to be successful at both arenas. But USM makes this difficult for them,” said USM Athletic Director Al Bean at the Student Senate meeting last Friday.
Priority registration for athletes is not unique to USM. Many of the colleges and universities in the Little East Conference allow athletes to register ahead of regular students.
“Early registration privileges for athletes actually exist at a significant amount of institutions around the country,” said Bean.
The pilot program has run into some criticism from students. Senator Morgan DeBlois said, “Being a student is the priority. The athlete chooses to participate in the extra curricular activities. It is their choice, and their responsibility to make sure they can make their schedule so they can make class.”
“Tuition is the same for all students,” Secretary Julie Brewer said. “They deserve equal chances to get into a class that is filling up. ”
Though the pilot faced some criticism at the Senate meeting, many senators showed support for the initiative.
“It is important to serve our athletes because we want to make sure our university is marketable to future athletes looking to attend USM,” said Public Relations Chair Maggie Guzman.
According to Bean, the percentage of athletes who are also full time students is between 9-10%. 325 student athletes are considered in the pool, and so far 178 students have actually completed the process.
“We promote athletics and student life,” Senator Rose Winegarden said, “I think it is very important for people to also succeed outside the classroom. The athletes are giving back to the school, so we should give back to them.”
Additional reporting by Chanel Smith