Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A drama class in Beginning Improvising and another in Social Dances of North America III were among dozens of classes on a closely guarded quarterly list distributed only to Stanford athletes to help them choose classes. The list, which has existed since at least 2001, was widely regarded by athletes as an easy class list. More than a quarter of the courses on the list did not fulfill university general education requirements. The classes on the list were “always chock-full of athletes and very easy A’s,” said Kira Maker, a soccer player who used the list her freshman year. Stanford officials say the list was designed to accommodate athletes’ demanding schedules and have disputed that it was made up of easy courses. But officials discontinued it last week after reporters began asking about it. Titled “Courses of Interest,” the list was distributed by the Athletic Academic Resource Center. Advisers in other university departments said they were unaware such a list existed. Stanford has long mandated equal scholastic footing among all undergraduates, including athletes. Many of its student athletes, in fact, have distinguished themselves in the classroom, notably football stars Andrew Luck, who has a 3.5 GPA, and Owen Marecic, who plans to graduate this year with a degree in human biology. The university’s hard-line approach has rankled some coaches over the years who have watched talented recruits go elsewhere because they didn’t measure up to Stanford’s academic standards. But some faculty and students say the list may have offered an academic advantage for the athletes who requested it - especially since the general population was unaware it was available. Austin Lee, director of academic services at the Athletic Academic Resource Center, disagreed that the classes were easier than others at Stanford. “An objective evaluation of the courses included on the list reveals several courses that most students would consider to be academically rigorous,” Lee said. He did not identify specific classes. Lee said the center’s four advisers compiled the list to help student athletes find introductory classes that fit into constrained time schedules and fulfilled general education requirements. Afternoon practices mean that athletes have to choose classes that start from 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The list mostly contained classes during those hours. Nearly 200 courses in 16 academic departments and programs offered during the 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. time slots were left off the list. Sociology Professor Cecilia Ridgeway was surprised her Interpersonal Relations class was on the winter quarter list. Ridgeway said she had heard about the document in years past and talked to the athletics department about removing her class from the list. She said department staff told her at the time that the list did not exist. Like many professors whose courses are on the list, Ridgeway said her class is academically challenging, noting that she has failed some student athletes - to the displeasure of the athletics department. Other professors were unconcerned that their class made it onto the list. Some said they believed student athletes should be treated differently than the typical student. “(Stanford) accommodates athletes in the manner that they accommodate students with disabilities,” said Donald Barr, who teaches a Social Class, Race, Ethnicity, Health course, which was highlighted by resource center advisers. Lythcott-Haims said any student could have obtained a copy of the document, which was available only in hard copy from the offices of the Athletic Academic Resource Center. Lee and Lythcott-Haims said the list was meant to serve as the beginning of an advising conversation. “We’re not handing it out and distributing it all around,” Lythcott-Haims said. But student athletes said they had picked up a copy of the list and left. In some cases, no advising took place. “Literally, when you walk into the (resource center) right next to the door, it’s right there,” said Ryan Sudeck, a junior on the crew team. “I never used it before this year,” he said. “But this quarter it was like, ‘Oh, I need an easy class to boost my GPA.’ “ California Watch is a project of the independent, nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting. This story was reported by Stanford University students Ryan Mac, Amy Julia Harris, Elizabeth Titus, Devin Banerjee, Ellen Huet, Joshua Hicks, Cassandra Feliciano, Daniel Bohm, Jamie Hansen, Julia James, Paul Jones, Valentina Nesci, Dean Schaffer, Kareem Yasin, Kathleen Chaykowski and Thomas Corrigan. The class was under the direction of California Watch Editorial Director Mark Katches.Compiled by advisers
Purpose of list
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/09/MNBT1I6G8J.DTL
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
