1983_02 Insight February 1983

              February 23, 1953
Reynolds
Raps
v Jeff RevnoJds *
J
Edwards talks,
CSUF listens
Harry Edwards Is not afraid to speak his mind. At tbe 1968 Summer
Olympics In Mexico City, be was the force behind the "black power"
demonstration by American sprinters John Carlos and Tommy Smith.
For the past year or so be has been telling anyone who will listen that the
United States could be in real trouble at tbe 1964 Summer Olympics in Los
Angeles unless drastic measures are taken to involve tbe minority community where tbe Games will be held. And most recently, Edwards has
been lecturing on tbe problems of Prop. 48, the controversial rule on
freshman athletic eligibility adopted by tbe NCAA at last month's national convention.
An imposing figure at 6-feet-*, Edwards was on campus last Friday to
speak on the "athletics arms race," among other things, as part of
African Peoples History Month. Now a sociology professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Edwards has long been considered a
knowledgeable authority on discrimination towards minorities In sports.
Although be is not in complete agreement with what Prop. 48 says.
Edwards does feel that something needs to be done about getting college
athletes educated.
"As educators, these college presidents' concerns (the college
presidents voting on Prop. 48) would have been better served had they
fashioned guidelines for tbe education of athletes after they are recruited.
That Is tbe domain of their responsibility," Edwards said. "There's not a
bell of a lot they can do about what's happening to the athletes in the high
schools."
Edwards challenged tbe NCAA and its member schools to exercise
educational leadership beyond the stipulation of a "controversial and in
any event, an impotent and arbitrary rule such as Prop. 48."
Edwards said that setting requirements of scoring of at least 700 on
the Scholastic Aptitude Test and achieving at least a C average in 11 college prep classes in high school is not an effective way of dealing with the
problems of low graduation rates of college athletes, especially black and
other minority athletes.
"ATOP score on tbe SAT projects a SO percent chance at graduation
fromtawaverage Division I school," Edwards said. "So they (the NCAA)
are not talking about setting standards, they're not talking about educational excellence when they set a standard like 700 on the SAT."
The NCAA has a special responsibility to college athletes, Edwards
said, to insure the academic integrity of college athletics. The only way to
insure that integrity, he said, is to enact an Athlete's Bill of Rights, which
would provide tbe athlete with a set of rules that would help secure an
education for the athlete.
The Bill of Rights, as proposed by Edwards, has six points, which be
believes will help an athlete get an education once he gets to college.
Among tbe points listed in the proposed athlete's Bill of Rights:
a Ea ch NCAA member will provide each student-athlete a summary
statement which will list tbe majors, grade point averages and the
graduation rate for every athlete at that school for tbe past five years,
a Athletic aid scholarships, now given one year at a time, will be
guaranteed for five years for all scholarship athletes recruited as
freshmen. It takes the average non-athlete 44 to 5 years to graduate, so
athletes should be given scholarship aid for at least five years.
a Eliminate freshman eligibility, but still give them four years of
eligibility. Seventeen and 18-year-olds, many educationally under-
prepared, cannot be expected to walk right in and take a full load of
classes and spend 50 to 60 hours a week in his or her sport This would give
tbe athletes a solid yeaoof school before participating in sports and would
also give tbe athlete one more year to mature and become a better
athlete. «#/ >'      \
a Specific rules need to be drawn up outlining the grounds upon
which an athlete's scholarship may be rescinded, and also outlining the
procedure an athlete must follow if he wishes to appeal, should his
scholarship be taken away.
a Each NCAA member will provide diagnostic testing to determine
academic weaknesses of all athletes so that effective tutorial programs
can be Implemented.
a Special programs will be accredited and periodically reviewed by
an outside agency to determine tbe academic integrity of the institution,
and if tbe institution is not accredited, then a list of such schools should be
made available to prospective college athletes.
a There will be guaranteed support for student-athletes going to
school after their athletic eligibility is used up. Most student athletes cannot graduate in four years, and since tbe school promised tbe athlete an
education in exchange for his athletic services, the school has an obligation to see that tbe athlete finishes his or her education.
a Tbe NCAA must establish mandatory standardized orientation
programs for incoming athletes, alerting them to tbe ongoing realities of
collegiate sports participation, covering such issues as their chances of
signing a professional contract and tbe importance of achieving educational skills in addition to graduating from college.
a Tbe NCAA must set specific and professionally accepted standards of medical service and treatment of athletes, including regular
health checks for all athletes during tbe season, and adequate provision
for injury compensation, therapy and rehabilitation.
a While all universitites have the right to set their own admission
standards for athletes, the schools shall have the responsibility to
guarantee that students recruited as athletes receive tbe full measure of
academic opportunity as other students.
The only alternative Edwards sees to the Athlete's Bill of Rights is to
completely forget about the academics and to declare athletes employees
of tbe university and pay them for their athletic services.
'Tor example, if tbe United States Football League wants to pay
Herscbel Walker $1 million a year, then let the University of Georgia pay
him $1 million if tbey want to keep him on the team," Edwards said. "If
thats what tbey want to do, then forget about tbe hypocrisy of trying to
educate them. The only way an athlete Is going to get a fair education Is
through the Athlete's Bill of Rights that everyone is obligated to follow."
Edwards corjcluded by saying that Prop. 48 does not effectively deal
with the issues within a university that need to be dealt with.
"The only stand that blacks can intelligently take Is to say, 'Okay,
you want to set a 700 on the SAT. That's cool, but we think it's too low. We
don't think that it deals with tbe problem. You want to require 11 core
courses and a C average. That's cool, but we think that these athletes
should have whatever they need to effectively educate them with the very
"But tbe only way that you're going to get our support for that is that
you support the Athlete's Bill of Rights that deals with the problems after
enrollment, just like Prop. 48 deals with the problems before enrollment
^fepTXlLOR
/vvuo    MA|D
Alteration*, Zippers
& Ytrin Davtfan
1528 Clovis Avt.
(2 blocks north of Shaw)
Ckrvit, CA 93612
Todd Bennett (left). Bulldog catcher, pauses during a game this season.
(Right) Coach Bob Bennett. Todd's father, confers with Bulldog players
Bennett and Bennett
(No. 11) and Rob Emerson (No. 34) during last Sunday's 14
with U.C. Berkeley.
Bulldog baseball team
benefits from family ties
SUZANNE BERRY Having a father as a coach offers Head Football Coach Jim Sweeney,
Insight reporter plusses and minuses. have a lot in common. *
"One disadvantage,"  said cat- "I think Coach Sweeney is doing
r "Bennett, "is sometimes at prac- as good a job as my dad did as far as
Like father like son. ■^
In tbe Bob and Todd Bennett
father-son relationship, CSUF
baseball' Coach Bob Bennett's experiences have rubbed off on CSUF
part-time catcher Todd Bennet.
Cher*
"is sometimes at prac- as good a job as my dad did ;
tice I can't say tilings to other players being fair to Kevin. In both sitjMtions,
if Ueel that they're doing something as fathers, I'm sure they wouldTike us
wrong because I don't want to be put to play all the time. But, that wouldn't
in the position where they (the be fair to us and it wouldn't be fair to
players) think that my dad told me to other players," tbe younger Bennett
"Having a father who's a coach   say something to them. said,
has helped me out as far as what I "Another disadvantage is that I Coach Bennett realizes the situa-
wanted to do with baseball," said cat- generally have to do things right and tion he is in and he acts accordingly.
cher Bennett. "When I got out of high try a little bit harder than the other "I hope I'm treating Todd like the rest
school my goal was to play at least guys to make a good example, so I of the players," be said. "That's one
four years of college baseball and I've don't make my dad look bad out of my goals — to try to treat everyone
realized that goal this year. there,"   junior   Bennett   said,   like a son."
"I got my goal and I couldn't have An advantage, catcher Bennett There are four catchers on tbe
done it without having a good coach said, is that he can talk to his father varsity team. Emery Phillips and
and be happened to be my dad." about tbe things he does right and   Bennett do most of the catching.
The younger Bennett, who "red   wrong in a baseball game. Abo, he "Emery's a right-handed hitter
shirted" his freshman year, has said, they can discuss how the team is and I'm a left-handed hitter. When
played catcher at CSUF for four   doing as a whole. tbey (tbe opposing team) throw a
years. His sophomore year, in 1980, he "It's good having my son on the   right-handed pitcher, I catch," cat-
missed most of the season because he   team," Coach Bennett said "I think it
had a broken jaw. His jaw was broken   could be a problem if you allow it to    Br"1
when be was pitching batting practice   be, but we work hard not to make it a
to another catcher who smashed a line   problem.
drive off his face.   r    ' "I think its been good for me as a
In 1981 the younger Bennett coach because it makes me more
played tbe whole season but sat out tolerant of other players," he said,
last year's because of a separated "Every time you make a decision on
shoulder. somebody you say, 'Okay, would I do
"This year Todd is doing well. We this if you were my son?'If you can
hope be can play some and we're not answer that then you'll be in pretty
going to move anybody out to give him good shape with tbe human rights
a chance," said his father. "He's go-   part of it."
ing to have to earn it and he knows Catcher Bennett said he thinks he
that." and Kevin Sweeney, son of CSUF
V
cher Bennett said. "When they throw
a left-handed pitcher Emery starts at
catcher.
"Catching is a tough position
because you have to think the whole
game," junior Bennett said. "There's
a lot of responsibility to catching. It's
fortunate that I like catching because
I'm such a slow runner."
The younger Bennett also thinks
he is lucky in other aspects of the
sport.
"He's (Coach Bennett) one of the
best coaches in the nation. If you like
the sport you can't get much better
than to live with one of the best
coaches the first 22 years of your life.
"I was really fortunate in that
aspect because I liked the game so
much and, I got the chance to have my
dad as being a real knowledgeable
person as far as the game goes," Catcher Bennett said.
0
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