Student athletes that are receiving special privileges are accepting extra school benefits that help boost their GPA. “The University provides tutors for each class, for free,” Deponte said. “They help you on every test and make sure you know their stuff. The University isn’t going to waste their scholarship money and allow you not to be eligible” (Kim 1). These extra benefits that are extended to most athletes that attend Division I colleges, however these aren’t the only special treatments that are being provided to these athletes. For example, they also get benefits that have nothing to do with their education, such as special hotels, financial help, and leniency on campus; not to mention the brand name clothes they get when they are a part of a varsity team (Morey 2-3). This is where the treatment of these students differs drastically compared to ordinary students. Is it right, is it wrong; the decision is yours, but it has been proved that student athletes have a noticeable advantage over the normal students of these respected universities.
Student athletes get priority enrollment each semester so that their classes and rigorous practice schedules do not conflict. To better help student athletes, “[Academic services] is given a list of the teachers that are better known for working with athletes and a list of teachers who are less willing to work with [them],” says Notre Dame sophomore basketball player Karen Swanson (qtd in Morey 2). The teachers that are recommended normally work well with the athletes because they understand their commitment, and can meet their needs. For the student athletes this is an advantage, as the selected teachers are more lenient with due dates. Understanding the restricted time schedule of an athlete, these teachers are more willing to give them extensions. While I was home for Christmas I went to a military ball and the guest speaker was LtGen Robin Rand, Commander of Twelfth Air Force. During his speech he talked about how these special treatments helped him get through the academy, and without it, he would not be where he is today. He struggled with academics while he was a cadet, but his commitment to his sport helped him persevere.
Although athletes are not the only ones that are allowed extensions on their work, they are usually the most frequent, and most publicized recipients of these extensions. Many times, athletes have games, meets, tournaments, and other off campus functions that require them to miss classes, homework, labs, and exams that need to be made up. Though it is rare that student athletes will miss an abundance of classes, it can happen occasionally. One example of those rare circumstances is March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament where Karen was only able to attend classes three days during the entire tournament (Morey 2). At that time, one of the most beneficial perks comes in to play; having full-time tutors. Without these tutors, there is no way an athlete could complete their class requirements and learn the material. Tutors are great tools for student athletes to take advantage of because they are appointed to them, and tutors come for all classes. One of the biggest benefits for student athletes is the fact that tutors will be accessible to them throughout the year, and most importantly during the season. For the more wealthy