UC Berkeley has a distinguished tradition of athletic prowess that includes 84 team national championships. Past, present and future students all revel in wins and wallow in losses — but all take pride in knowing that these student-athletes represent our great institution. But there is a reason why “student” comes before “athlete,” and that seemingly inconsequential order has been magnified after the release of the 2011 Graduation Success Rate.
The success rate covers graduating classes from 2007 to 2010, measuring the percentage of student-athletes who graduate within six years of entering college. Simply put, Cal’s success rate is embarrassing. Fifty-four percent of football players graduated, second to last in the Pac-12. Only one-third of Cal’s men’s basketball players graduated within the window, marking them dead last in the league and sixth-lowest among all major programs.
We are disturbed by this trend. It is unacceptable that an elite academic institution such as UC Berkeley can field a football team with a graduation rate that is in the bottom 10 of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
These rates do not apply to current student-athletes, and we hope that the current four classes far exceed the previous four. Likewise, while we are dismayed by the basketball team’s graduation rate, none of those players were recruited by current men’s head coach Mike Montgomery, who was hired in 2008. We expect the graduation rate for basketball to go up dramatically under his watch.
There is no excuse for football, the financial linchpin of Cal athletics. All years measured in the 2011 success rate fall under head coach Jeff Tedford’s reign. And nearly three-fourths of his first recruiting class graduated, an increase of almost 50 percent from the team’s decade-long average. Unfortunately the team’s success in the classroom — or lack thereof — has mirrored its performance on the field the last few years.
There is often thought that a school can’t have elite academics and an elite football team, but that is a myth. Stanford has fielded top-25 squads the last three years, while still coming up with a success rate of 87 percent. There is no reason Cal shouldn’t be keeping up with the Cardinal.
Let’s not let the substandard rates of the football and basketball team’s detract from the rest of Cal’s sports teams. The baseball team’s 86 percent graduation rate is second in the conference, and counting all sports teams, Cal is tied for fifth in the Pac-12. There is no doubt that the lower-profile sports are lifting up the high-profile ones. These programs deserve credit for academic excellence, especially while maintaining consistently competitive and oftentimes national championship teams.
When balancing academics and athletics, some schools might sacrifice one or the other. This university, however, should not lower its standards for football and basketball players. We can strive for greatness in both fields. The onus is on the athletes and their coaches. Cal has some of the best sports fans in the world — loyal to their teams and their players. We only ask that, in return, the players are loyal to their university’s academic tradition.
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No University can guarantee a degree. All they can do is give you the tools for success. It’s up to the student to earn the degree. Here is a quote from California Golden Blogs from Mike Mohamed who graduated from Cal last year and now plays in the NFL:
CGB: Well, the other thing they bring up is that
academically, Cal is too hard. There’s no support. Not enough tutors
or advisors What would be your response to that?
MM: That’s definitely not true either. There’s a ton of
support. There’s tutors. And advisers. And study groups. There’s an
unlimited amount of support. Yes, it’s a little bit of a tougher school
than others. But at the end of the day, when you get that degree it’s
worth it. If you’re doing poorly, it’s your own fault because there’s
an abundance of resources.
” It is unacceptable that an elite academic institution such as UC
Berkeley can field a football team with a graduation rate that is in the
bottom 10 of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools.”
This is a really stupid comment. It makes a lot of sense that an elite public school like Berkeley has a poor graduation rate for athletes. Football players here are taking tougher classes, and competing with smarter students for grades, than football players at ASU and Oregon. And we can’t spend unlimited money on tutors and babysitters like Furd.
If we want to match graduation rates with lesser schools, the only solution is to recruit from a smaller pool of high school players, and accept the corresponding decline in our record.
Let’s give the players some credit for choosing what’s best for their careers. If some can enter the NFL early then why not do it while they are in demand? Without a NFL contract, accumulating four years of student loans for a degree in Ethnic Studies may not seem like a wise investment. Players with strong academic skills are not likely to drop out and those with weak academic skills are probably better off catching up at a CSU or JC before reapplying for UC.
None of this excuses the fact that Cal’s graduation rate is at the bottom of national rankings.
Or that grad rates for Cals baseball players were markedly higher than their football players.
Exactly. All of these students not graduating are simply going to the NFL and NBA early. They’re not dropping out; they’re leaving for a better life.
Right?
Oh wait.
The onus is really on the university. If these students are having trouble graduating, it is time for the university to step up and take charge.