NCAA turns anti-student

Imagine a rule existed stating art majors could not receive scholarship recommendations because art teachers are exempted from writing them due to an unfair rule? Well, this is happening to physical education majors at the University of La Verne.

P.E. majors have trouble getting scholarships for school. Many named scholarships require letters of recommendation for students to qualify and this is where the problem lies.

Along with the application for named scholarships is a letter of recommendation form to be submitted by a reference. Attached to the letter is a memo stating, “As a member of the NCAA’s (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division III, the University of La Verne may not award its Named Scholarships based on athletic ability and/or participation. As a result, we are prohibited from accepting a letter of recommendation from any staff member of the Athletic Department. Therefore, we are instructing applicants to exclude using any member of the Athletic Department as a reference.”

This rule is unfair to non-athletic physical education majors. La Verne is a small school with not enough money to have a full-time coaching staff whose sole responsibility is coaching. Nearly every coach on campus has multiple roles as coach, instructor or academic adviser.

Instructors are familiar with the students they teach in specific fields. They indeed would be the best reference for a student to have for the named scholarship. Who else would be better able to answer questions about a student’s academic ability and leadership in the classroom?

“As a P.E. major I see a professor once for a G.E. class, but I see P.E. teachers/coaches always for my major,” said senior Jeff Drouin. “These people know me best, yet they are not permitted to recommend me for anything financial aid wise. I think that is erroneous.”

This rule implies that physical education students at a Division III institution will not be able to receive a scholarship which they may qualify for.

The NCAA is limiting the non-athlete physical education major. They are limiting the student’s ability to get a scholarship which could factor into continuing their education. Instructors want to see students graduate. Most would be willing to do what they could to help them in any way possible, but they can not help them get money.

The NCAA rules should not discriminate against the non-athletic p.e. major. After all, its main focus should be sports and not academics.

The Campus Times feels that this rule needs to be reevaluated. If people have worked hard and have the opportunity to get an academic scholarship then they should. If it is a reference based one, then they should be allowed to get a reference from someone who knows them best even if that teacher or adviser is a coach.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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