Student athletes now only have to have an 820 as their SAT score to enter college as a result of the new NCAA guidelines.
This is a 40-point decrease from the past 860, which is allowing athletes to slide in on lower standards while other students have to struggle to reach the minimum score most universities require.
Officials believe that a lower emphasis on test scores will benefit the athletes.
They are under the assumption that students with higher gpa’s do better than those with higher test scores.
This assumption would make sense if the gpa that is required wasn’t so low.
Any person can obtain a 2.0 gpa, but only certain people can receive an adequate test score.
These young adults are students first and if all they’re worrying about is surpassing the minimum gpa then what good is this change?
By increasing the number of core courses that athletes have from 13 to 14 the NCAA is taking at least one step in the right direction.
The core course guideline is something that every pupil should exceed because of the classes they take.
If the pupil is a serious scholar, he or she should not be taking lower level courses that can be breezed through easily.
The new NCAA eligibility guidelines are something that can both benefit and hinder the education and level of knowledge student athletes will have.
It should not allow athletes to squeak by with low standards while the rest of the student body is trying to reach the higher criterion.
If an athlete cannot meet the goal, stay out of the game.
-Dominique Drake for the Editorial Board.