Blog Post 1
Brandon McNeal
Professor Jenkins
Intro to American Government & Politics
10 March 2021
Blog Post 1: Lack of Funds in Sports
There are many types of schools an incoming student can choose from. There are state, liberal arts, community, junior, and even schools you can earn your degree from home. State colleges are the most common colleges, therefore, leading to more students attending them. These colleges are so popular, because they tend to be cheaper than your Liberal Arts colleges, the standards are lower for academics, and usually have much nicer campuses than a community or junior college. When there is a higher population of students at a institution, more money will be brought in through students paying tuition. It’s a snowball effect that could lead to great things for big colleges, such as quality dorms, nice athletic facilities, and overall top-notch lifestyle for the on-campus students to enjoy. Lifestyle would be best described as living conditions, cafeteria food, stores on campus, and overall convenience. With that, some schools simply do not have the funds to have high-class living conditions like some do.
Now, it is still college; the institution must have enough money to pay well-respected professors, give the athletic teams what they need to survive and continue to play, and keep the school running smoothly. College is not meant for a luxurious lifestyle. However, popular state schools tend to have much more on campus than the smaller schools and that is what attracts more students, along with the price. There a total three divisions in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association): Division I, Division II, Division III; junior colleges, community colleges, and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate) schools are not considered a part of the NCAA. The NAIA schools do not have to abide by the very constricting NCAA rules that are very aggravating at time, but NCAA has much more funding due its many schools in its association. At the Division I level, you can give out limited athletic scholarships to help certain athletes pay for their tuition; some are fully paid, and some are partial. At the Division II level, you can give out almost full, athletic scholarships, but they cannot give entirely full-ride scholarships. Finally, at the division III level, there are no athletic scholarships, but students can receive academic money towards their tuition. This is where the dilemma comes up. Division III schools cannot keep up with the funding, because less college students can afford $40,000 a year. Though, it’s a give-and-take relationship. There are less students that go to these high-class intuitions at such a high price.
These students are still able to attend these colleges, because they have things like financial aid, grants, and academic money to be given. Although sometimes that does not change the problem at hand. The problem is the lack of funding, so what is the best way to fix that? One way to fix that is offer more people academic money and lower the academic standards. The classes don’t have to be harder, but you could be more lenient with funds and offer more academic scholarships, so you can get more students to attend your institution. You could also lower tuition if you have enough money to do so. This is somewhat risky, because you could go back in funds and overall lose the college in total. Although, if you think you can pull it off, the rewards are great. Birmingham-Southern College did this my sophomore year in high school. They cut their tuition in half, so more students could attend. Another solution would be dropping the academic requirements entirely, which some have done. Many of the major high-respected universities, such as Stanford University, Harvard University, and even a common state school like the University of Wisconsin has eliminated common tests like the ACT and the SAT in order to get in. I think this is not that risky for what its worth and will allow the more students to come in, who aren’t student-athletes. Finally, I think the best solution is to offer graduate degrees opposed to undergraduate classes and degrees. I think this is so important, because if a student wants to get their master’s, doctorate, and or professional degrees after they graduate, there is no place for them at a college. In order to get post-graduate degree, you must go to a university, in which they have the money and the courses you can take in order to receive that degree.
In conclusion, all schools are great, but I feel that Division III schools have it much harder than the high-level state universities do and that they are almost left on their own. The best step is to offer post-graduate opportunities, government funding, and lowering the restrictions on the acceptance requirements. Also, lowering the costs of admission will help a lot more students be able to afford it. All in all, all of these suggestions will help bring in money that will eventually help the institution in the long run.
https://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Different_College_Degree_Types.html
https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/harvard-drops-sat-and-act-test-requirements-through-2026/