Low standards won't encourage high school athletes to succeed

(Last updated: 08/28/09 6:24pm) The Lansing Board of Education decided in a 5-4 vote on Sept. 21 to keep a 1.67 cumulative grade point average as the standard all student athletes must maintain to participate in school sports, but requiring a 1.67 grade average as the standard isn't going to prepare students for the future.

Most universities and colleges will not accept a GPA of 1.67. Here at MSU, the average grade point for incoming freshmen ranges from 3.4 to 3.8.

What kind of message does a low grade point standard send to students?

Board Treasurer Linda Cornish said the reality is that in today's society, a 1.67 average is not preparing students unless schools are training them to work in the service industry for the rest of their lives. A 1.67 GPA isn't going to cut it.

The Lansing athletic directors say it is very unfair, according to the rules of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, to hold athletes to a higher standard than the rest of the student body.

The association says schools don't uphold any GPA requirement for the rest of the student body, but require students to have a certain amount of credits to graduate.

Playing a school sport is a privilege, not a right. Student athletes are representing the school and should be setting an example for the rest of the student body.

Student athletes should not only have to obtain a certain GPA, but also should have to obtain one that is not setting them up for failure.

"I wonder how these kids will perform with a 1.67 grade point average as the standard. I believe that if you give students, particularly early, a goal and give them some expectations, they will rise toward it," said board Vice President Hugh B. Clarke Jr.

If students don't learn the correct study methods and work ethic when they are in high school, where are they going to learn them?

If you set a low GPA as the standard, students will perform at that level. When a school requires the minimum, a school will often get the minimum.

Board member Melanie Rogers said part of the goal is to be as inclusive as possible. If we raise the bar too high, how many students won't be able to participate in athletics if the GPA requirement is raised to 2.0 or 2.5? We might feel good about those who are at that 2.5 average, but students who aren't there now have been left behind in the sports world.

"If the only thing that keeps them in school is athletics, then I don't feel bad about keeping it at a 1.67," she said.

Students might be getting left behind in the sports world, but what about the academic world? A school's first priority should be the education of its students and showing them the tools to succeed in life.

Sure, a school should never want students to drop out because they are not able to play sports, but where is a 1.67 GPA going to take them after they are done with high school? Students may be off the street now, but where are they going to be 10 or 15 years from now?

Just because many students come from lower economic backgrounds in Lansing schools does not mean they can't succeed and get good grades. The drive and determination a person possesses does not come from a lower economic background — it comes from self-determination.

Many board members argued coaches are the positive influences in many student athletes' lives, and with some of the athletes, coaches are the only male figures in their lives. Morals and values are taught by them.

If coaches are such positive role models for these students, they should want the students to succeed — not only on the field, but also in the classroom.

If coaches can help their players get a 1.67 GPA, why should they not be able to help them achieve a 2.0 or 2.5?

Sports should not be the priority of the student or the coach. Winning a few games in high school is insignificant to what a person accomplishes in life.

Schools, teachers and coaches should push student athletes to perform at their highest level possible in every facet of their lives, and a 1.67 GPA does not encourage greatness or the motivation to learn.

Tara Thoel, a State News staff writer, can be reached at thoeltar@msu.edu.

Originally Published: 09/28/06 12:00am