The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, August 27, 1984, Image 80
Page 6S/The Battalion/Monday, August 27, 1984 Store Address: 420 Texas Ave. S. College Station Phone: 696-5305 Academy ATHLETICS (Continued from page 1) letic programs has always been em phasized by major universities, O’Neal says. Lately it has become a controversial issue, he says, because people have become more aware of the money that is spent on the pro grams. To have good programs, O’Neal says, a school has to be will ing to pay for them. O’Neal says he went to college with the objective of going to dental school, but sports were an important f »art of his life. It was somewnat dif- icult finding the time to study and practice football, O’Neal says. “Athletes have to take advantage of time they have by maximizing it,” O’Neil says. To do this the athlete has to practice at the given time and study in their free time, as opposed to other students who play sports in their free time. “A lot of football players are la beled dummies, but they really are not,” O’Neal says. “I can think of a lot of football players that played on my team, who are very successful in what they are doing today.” “The purpose of institutions of higher education such As Texas A&rM is to educate young men and woman,” says Don Hunt, Texas A&M’s athletic academic counselor. “However, I feel there is not a con flict between athletics and academ ics, but there is some constraints on times and tensions.” For example, Hunt says, between 50,000 to 70,000 will congregate in Kyle Field on eight Saturdays this fall, to scream and hollar at 22 young men participating in a grid iron battle. But the former students want a good football team, Hunt says. “It’s true not all our students are well prepared to attend college, but we have services to bring them to a the level to compete in the class room,” Hunt says. The athletic department offers special academic support services for all athletes. The services include mandatory study hall, a free tutorial service, a counseling system and ex tended scholarship benefits. The ex tended benefit. Hunt says, allows scholarship athletes who do not graduate on time to keep their schol arship as long as they are progres sing toward a degree. Former Texas A&M scholarship tennis player, Laura Hanna major ing in exercise technology says, “It’s not a bad deal to graduate late since I’m able to stay at A&M on a schol arship. It gives you an incentive to do well in academics because you can keep your class load down and do well in both school and athletics.” “A&M stresses academics ahead of athletics,” Hanna says. But the de cision whether to concentrate on academics is left up to the individual to do what they want to do, she says. The National Collegiate Athletic As- socaition and the South West Con ference requires athletes to maintain a 2.0 grade point average and pass a minimum of 24 hours in a calendar year. Hunt says the over-all average grade point of Aggie athletes is a 2.5. Less then 16 percent of all athletes, he says, are on academic probation. It’s commonly assumed that most athlete’s majors are physical educa tion; therefore one might criticij the 2.5 ratio for being low. But according John Heldenfelti senior civil engineering major, on the Aggie swim team, 14 of the IS male swim team members are neering majors. “Over-all the gnde are pretty good,” he says. Heldenfels who came to Tea A&M for its engineering prograr. says, “an athlete has to keepaheadd scnedule and not take thingsasthe, come or the athlete will get away.” In comparison to the footlni team, Heldenfels feels the nil team is treated equally. He says,Tit g otten a super fair shake sinceI'lt een a freshman.” Incoming freshman, the life bbl of the student body have just com out of high school where A’sandBi are usually easily earned grade Freshman are usually shockedwhe, they have to actually study foratet Freshman athletes have it eta tougher. They must adjust to ing their favorite sport undera of pressure they have neverexper enced before. Mark Motley, a freshman tjuai ter back says,“I really don’t knot what to expect from A&M academ cally.” Motley from Ore City, Texas plans to major in mechanical engr neering. He says he considerd going to Southern Methodist I'm versity and The University Texas but to major in engineering AH was the school to go to. Heatsosaw his mother had a lot to do with to decision. She is a school teacher bad in Ore, Motley says. My mothertold me “your going to A&M foracadem ics first and athletics second." Motley says Hunt told him g onna be hard to find time to study ut you have to find it, or your not gonna make it.” Motley says, “I hope I’m prepa red.” Once through their freshmaa year athletes nave hopefully ad justed to coping with athletics and academics. Aggie starting quarterback, Kevia Murray a sophmore physical educa tion major says "in order to plat football I have to be academicallyeli gible-you know what I mean?" Murray says, “I really wouldol liked to major in something lilt communications, but time wise I really couldn’t do it.” Besides regu lar practice, he says, he spends mt to six hours a day watching practice films. Although Murray’s life is centered around football, he says, he taket pride in what he does and that in cludes academics he says. During fall semesters he says he maintains good enough grades to get by. “1 trynotto get any D’s or F’s,” Murray says. The ignorant stereotype of foot ball players does not bother Murrat “I take pride in myself,” he says. “I don’t care what people think but I just wonder how can youstt- reotype a person when you doni know them?” Sherrill is a strict disciplinarian when it comes to academics, Mum? says. But it’s good, he says, because most people in the world have to be alined in some way oranother. discipl Theismann well armed for '84 United Press International New York City — While the creaky Washington Redskins seek a third straight Super Bowl berth, some young turks nope to shake up the National Football Conference standings. Even a 38-9 beating administered by the Los Angeles Raiders seven months ago in the Super Bowl shouldn’t diminish the accomplish ments of the Redskins, With veteran quarterback Jot Theismann armed with asweetne? contract and John Riggins showinj few signs of slowing down, the most prolific offense in NFL history rt turns intact — powered by the pou' erful Hogs up front. Just four point! away from a perfect regular seasof last year, the Redskins will take! nine-game conference winninf str eak into the season opener R I BOOT COMPANY AND OAK FOREST SHOW SHOP g 682-1650 ■5 25 Years Experience Back to School Special Texas A&M Corps Boots Custom made to order $295 00 Telephone Orders Accepted 2 Weeks Delivery 3312 Ella Blvd. at 34th Street Houston Tx.,77018 (713)682-1650 (713)682-5520 s ] A! Ui The rather coaches opener Kyle Fie But w season ; brings. 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