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Mandatory study halls to be implemented for academically struggling athletes
By Michael Belmont
Gargoyle sports editor
Posted Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006, The OG, news & sports
WHEN UNI STUDENTS return to school after break, a new rule, recently approved by the curriculum committee, will await them. Though most kids will be unaffected by it, athletes who are earning a grade of D or lower in at least one class, or who have missed the deadlines for a significant amount of homework or other graded items, will have to report to one of three supervised study hall periods during the school day.
The idea for the study halls came mostly from the athletic department and basketball coaching staff, and is a direct result of the relatively high number of athletes who have had academic problems this year. Although Athletic Director Sally Walker wouldn't say how many cases there have been, she says there have been more this year than in any other year since she began at Uni in 1983.
At least in the beginning, the study halls will be held during first, third, and eighth periods in various classrooms. Athletes required to attend who have PE during one of these hours will report to study hall instead of petitioning out.
If an athlete doesn't have PE during one of those periods but has a free period instead, he or she will have to go to study hall during that free period. If an athlete has neither a free period nor PE during one of these times, the athlete will be supervised by a PE teacher during his or her PE hour.
During the study halls, students will be supervised by a teacher and will have to be doing school work. Silence will be enforced.
“This is not intended as punishment, but rather an opportunity for our athletes to get some needed work or studying done,” Walker said.
Every Friday, the faculty will notify Walker if any student athletes in their classes meet the criteria for mandatory study hall attendance. Walker will then notify the appropriate coach, and the student athlete will be required to attend a study hall every day for at least the next week. Individuals who miss study halls without a legitimate excuse will not be allowed to participate in their sport that day.
Based on the schedules of the teachers and student athletes involved, the periods during which the study halls are offered may be switched later.
The study halls will generally be open to any other student who may want to go, but students will first have to ask either Assistant Director Sue Kovacs or Director/Principal Kassie Patton for permission to attend.
According to the Uni Student Handbook, an athlete is ineligible “when receiving at least two D's or one F for his or her comprehensive grade in any class” (Student Handbook, Section 6, Student Life, 6.13, Athletic Code Policy). The athlete will remain ineligible until the grade is brought up.
The Illinois High School Association, which governs the state's high school sports and competitive activities, says student athletes must “be doing passing work in at least 20 credit hours of high school work per week” in order to be academically eligible (2006-07 IHSA Handbook, Section 4, Activity Eligibility By-laws, 4.021).
The IHSA defines “passing work” as “work of such a grade that if on any given date a student would transfer to another school, passing grades for the course would immediately be certified on the student's transcript to the school to which they transfer” (2006-07 IHSA Handbook, Section 4, Activity Eligibility By-laws, 4.024).
According to Walker, in most cases of academic difficulty among athletes this year, the problem has been one of simply not turning in assignments on time.
“I feel very strongly that we, as a school, need to support our student athletes in every way possible and provide them with the necessary skills to succeed here at Uni,” Walker said. “Every student at this school is capable of doing the work or they would not be here; just some need a bit more structure or prompting to do it.”
RELATED
— Uni rules governing academic eligibility for athletes
— The complete Uni Student Handbook
