Dazha Austin | Staff Writer
Athletics in college is much like the depictions in the movies. The athletes get the girls, they do not go to class but somehow manage to get A’s, they attend all the parties and are in school for free.
College athletes seem to receive special treatment, but is this all just a façade because others do not understand the responsibilities of being a student-athlete. At Hampton University many deem the training facilities, the ability to register for classes early and scholarships opportunities to attend the school.
However, these are not special treatments, but rewards and incentives for athletes’ hard work and effort. Adrian Daniels, a freshman, aviation Management major from Brooklyn, New York, said, “I feel [they] have little free time.” Not every student-athlete at Hampton University is on a scholarship.
Some feel they may be doing Hampton a service by attending early workouts and long practices, all while finding their own ways to pay for college.
Newly introduced sports at Hampton, such as the soccer and lacrosse teams, were not given the money to provide scholarships for their players. John McNabb, Hampton women’s soccer coach said, “The money we are given for recruitment is not to be used for existing players, or people who are already here, rather to bring talent to the school.”
To comply with the NCAA students athletes also have to meet certain standards and eligibility rules.
Being able to register for classes early is not necessarily special treatment, but more so a necessity. Freshmen, transfer students, and any student-athlete who has lower than a 2.6 GPA is required to do six study hours a week.
Hampton’s Athletic Department has had much success in the past with academic excellence.
The NCAA has awarded the department $675,000, over a three year period. In the 2014-15 academic year, Hampton boasted 117 student-athletes who made the Dean’s List in the fall semester.
In addition, 73 Hampton student-athletes were named Mid-Eastern Athletic All-Academic and 42 student-athletes received their degrees and 11 Hampton student-athletes were inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national college athlete honors society.
Some may argue that other organizations have it just as bad, if not harder, because of their requirements and standards.
Kendall Sapp, a sophomore, computer science major from Northern Virginia said, “I do think athletes get special treatment depending on the sport popularity, like football and basketball at big schools. Whereas at Hampton, they are treatment like regular students.”
As a student who has lived both sides of the issue there are struggles and anxieties that being a student-athlete bring.
These things are no special treatments, they are more so rewards and benefits to aid for being in these organizations.
The Hampton Script 