I HATE student athletes...

Frankychan · February 19, 2003, 03:24

Let me start off with the scenario...

Today, I was venting to my friend about our Sociology Statistics class. In this class, we have a LOT of student athlete's who sit in the back and talk REALLY LOUD. They do NOT talk about the lecture, but rather make fun of the professor or talk about whatever happened in their ****hole life. They usually talk so loud, people that are almost in the front of class can hear them, but the professor ignores them and continues with his lecture. They (student athlete's) continually disrupt class for us regular students who are serious about our education.

It's gotten so bad, I skip lecture and just go to the labs. Many of the faculty don't care about this constant disruption and continue with the lecture. Only 2, TWO, professor's that I have taken reprimanded these students....but to no avail.

My proposition is this....create "vocational" sports colleges.

These colleges would be vocational, kind of like the school's mechanics, plumbers, and electricians go to. They learn the trade they pick (in this case, the sport) and learn the ropes. At these colleges, they would be given a fundamentally basic education but their courses would focus on which sport they want to play. This would, hopefully, remove these stupid a** blight's in the college classroom's and help us "real" students focus better. Now, "real" college's would still keep their athletic programs, but would mainly focus on the academics and not sports.

Well, I'm sorry for dumping on you guys but I want to know if any other Apolytoner's out there have/are experiencing the same frustration that I am, and maybe if you guys can give some advice to the situation that I am in.

(Oh yeah, comments to my Vocational sports college would also be welcomed....for better or for worse.)

Asher · February 19, 2003, 03:27

It's usually not a problem in the science faculties from what I've experienced.

They usually go for the social sciences or kinesiology.

Drake Tungsten · February 19, 2003, 03:31

You've seen student-athletes go to class?

Frankychan · February 19, 2003, 03:34

Yup...on both accounts.

Seeing as how I'm taking Social Science classes (I want to work for the Department of Public Safety...i.e. Prisons) they are numerous.

What I don't get is why come to class at all if you're just going to talk about how you "scored" with this girl or that or how drunk you got. Sorry, but I gotta say this:

For the most part, student athlete's are full of s***.

Nubclear · February 19, 2003, 03:34

Let me guess: American. That must be horrible.

Report them to your schools adminiistartion through an anonymous, professional sounding letter. Or you could speak up during the lecture, though knowing American intelligence....

Ming · February 19, 2003, 03:35

It isn't going to happen.

Let's sum it all up in one word...

MONEY!

Surprise... Surprise...

The money that sports brings in is important to most schools. It also brings in donations from School supporters. It would be nice if people made donations strictly on other factors, but that's not the way it works.
Whenever a team from a non power makes a run in the NCAA basketball tournent... donations climb.

That's the way the world works.

Timexwatch · February 19, 2003, 03:37

Have you talked to the Prof. during office hours? If not, make your concerns known. If that doesn't do anything, move up the chain of command. Go to the Department Head and then the Dean of the College and eventually the President (your President does have office hours, right?).

If that doesn't work, maybe writing letters to the campus newspaper would help.

I'm sure if you express to your professors that the disruptions are so bad that they don't make their class worthwhile to you (and perhaps other students), then they might pay attention to your concerns.

Frankychan · February 19, 2003, 04:01

Thanks guys. I mean, okay, I know the school needs money....but come ON...don't I pay my tuition? Isn't my education going to help the economy of our state when I get a job?

I believe that a vast majority of these student athlete's are going to fail in their attempts and be stuck cause they squandered their higher education opportunity. This B.S. just isn't fair.

I guess I'll try write a letter to the President, professor, and campus newsletter to try and get some attention to this problem. I've talked to quite a lot of students who are in other classes and they too have the same sentiments that I have.

I just think that if I'm paying my tuition, I should have the same rights as some loser athlete whose coasting by just cause he can shoot hoops better than myself.

I figure that at least when I have my career, I'll be contributing to society by reforming criminals and sending those certain individual's to serve jail time......not having to leech off of society like some of these other student's are.

Asher · February 19, 2003, 04:05

Something some of my friends have found effective is to anonymously let them know how much they're pissing everyone off (if you don't want to confront them).

My university has things called TLFs ("Three lines free") which any student can have published in the weekly free student newspaper, which most people end up reading. Once you ream them out in a TLF, people usually shut up...

MRT144 · February 19, 2003, 04:10

asher, you assume frankychan is clever enough to write a scathing TLF

Solly · February 19, 2003, 04:20

Used to have the same problem in my classes as well with people nattering. Is it your first year? Usually it gets a bit better during the second.

But don't go blaming all athletes for this - some of the people that talk in my lectures are right fat bastards.

MRT144 · February 19, 2003, 04:21

or liberals?

Kropotkin · February 19, 2003, 04:27

It's in my humble opinion something fundamentaly wrong with a higher educational system where abilities and amibtions that has nothing what so ever to do with the abilities and desires for a higher education gets to ride in the front seat.

Solly · February 19, 2003, 04:28

Swallow a dictionary Spotty?

Kropotkin · February 19, 2003, 04:29

How did you know?

Frankychan · February 19, 2003, 04:34

Rofl. sorry,but my campus is too cheap to offer TLF's. But we can submit free opinion's. Lots of people read those.

At least I know I'm not the only student out there whose suffering from Student Athlete ***hole-itis.

Drake Tungsten · February 19, 2003, 04:50

Quote:

At least I know I'm not the only student out there whose suffering from Student Athlete ***hole-itis.

I still can't believe that you've seen a student-athlete in class. I thought that was an urban myth...

Rufus T. Firefly · February 19, 2003, 05:30

I've taught them, but I must say that most of the ones I've taught, while morons, were not rude.

The solution is simple: colleges should just be allowed to hire athletes as employees, instead of going through the farce of pretending that they're students. Contracts to play would be binding for 4-years and non-renewable with the school or any other NCAA participant. The school still gets a team, the university still gets donations and residuals from merchandising, the athletes still get a springboard to a pro career, and Franky gets to take statistics. Problem solved.

David Floyd · February 19, 2003, 08:14

Go up to the whole group after class and tell them to "SHUT THE **** UP!"

Um, just make sure you have enough friends to make that stick.

Paul Hanson · February 19, 2003, 10:21

Quite a few of my classmates are athletes, and they're probably the smartest ones. They're always the ones coming out with the clever stuff.

orange · February 19, 2003, 10:38

quit *****ing here and start *****ing to people who can actually do something about it, for starters.

Zkribbler · February 19, 2003, 10:55

Try the ol' Zkribbler tactic of rebellion by overcomplaince:

"Excuse me, there was some talking in the back of the class, and so I couldn't quite hear that last point. Would you mind repeating it?"

"Excuse me, there was some talking in the back of the class, and so I couldn't quite hear that last point. Would you mind repeating it?"

After four or five tries, the professor should get the point.

Al B. Sure! · February 19, 2003, 12:35

well damn... i'm always in the back of the class with the varsity bball players... go figure

Lawrence of Arabia · February 19, 2003, 15:28

Which school?

Anodyne · February 19, 2003, 15:41

Quote:

Originally posted by David Floyd
Go up to the whole group after class and tell them to "SHUT THE **** UP!"

Um, just make sure you have enough friends to make that stick.

Haha. I've actually done that once or twice. Not after, but DURING class

Sitting at my table, I just turn my head (interrupting both, the teacher and the students); "Hey! you there... SHUT THE **** UP!"
Usually it goes as a joke, but it still works, they're like "Ha ha... sure, you're OK" and the teacher doesn't mind since the class is silent

(usually I make the most noise, though

but some mornings, like the one above, just aren't too energetic for that....)

The people in question weren't athletes - we have no athletes in our schools (well, some people do sports but aren't utterly stupid, stereotypic-athletes), we need brain to get into our schools, not muscle. That's why I kinda find all those American teenage-movies kinda unbelievable; people aged 18-20 (

) behaving like 13-15... ha, they'd never be studying in high school here. Schools are mostly funded by the government you see

Q Classic · February 19, 2003, 15:45

hm... at uchicago, i'm not sure if we have student athletes...

Lawrence of Arabia · February 19, 2003, 15:49

i wanna go to uchicago ... and im a student athlete. can u tell me about the state of athletics there (mostly men's soccer) cuz im getting recruited maybe.

Q Classic · February 19, 2003, 15:56

hm. well, we do have sports. it's just that nobody cares about them, really. so if you're looking to be feted for some sports accomplishment here, don't bother-- if i remember right our basketball team did rather well. as does our track team. i've never been to a game and neither have most people, and most of these successes are relegated to the back of the newspapers here.

we do have ample facilities, and we're constructing a brand new gymnasium (ratner) which should be finished by late 2003 or 2004.

usually, i've found, the emphasis is more on intramural (between dorm houses) sports than anything.

you do, on the other hand, get a world-class education. you won't get any slack just 'cause you're an athlete.

Lawrence of Arabia · February 19, 2003, 16:59

So theres no school spirit?

Q Classic · February 19, 2003, 17:01

oh, there's school spirit. just not as much as one would find at, say, stanford, or any of the other Big Ten/NCAA Div I schools.

Everybody here's rather proud to be a UChicago student~ it's just that people tend to view it in more academic terms than athletic terms.