Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Literature Review #2

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Citation:
Collinge, Alan Michael.  The Student Loan Scam.  Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.  Print.

Summary:
In class we have looked at how universities as a whole have changed since they were first shifted from publicly funded universities to privatized corporations.  Students have been the ones that have had to deal with this change, a once affordable form of education turning into one that many can only dream of. The student loan scam talks about the history of privatization when it first became popular in the 1970s. Large corporations like Sallie Mae were the first to start to privatize universities as discussed in “The Student Loan Scam,” and have made millions of dollars off of student debt because of their switch to privatization. This article gives a good backdrop at the history of universities and how privatization first developed and eventually took hold in the United States. Starting when their were first public universities, the book chronicles how colleges importance on student education has fallen in replacement of trying to earn profits. The entire mindset of colleges has changed since privatization began, focusing on furthering their own financial goals rather than increasing graduation rates.

Author:
Alan Collinge is the founder of StudentLoanJustice.org. He has written numerous articles, and editorials on the topic, and also published The Student Loan Scam in 2009. He was selected as one of seven "Financial Heroes" by CNN/Money Magazine in December 2008. 

Key Terms:
Privatization.  This is the focus of the entire article, showing how privatization in universities has erupted and really changed the landscape for students.  Moving from being publicly funded to private funding, privatization has made a once affordable college experience out of reach for many students.  The idea of privatization can also be connected to the solution of privatizing college athletics in response to a corrupt system in place by the NCAA.

Consumer Protection.  This article talks about the lack of consumer protection that has come along with the privatization of many universities.  Student loan companies have been able to exploit students with these loans and the federal government has done nothing to stop this, but rather is encouraging this behavior.  This situation is reminiscent to the way student athletes are currently being treated by the NCAA, the schools focusing on exploiting profits through their athletic abilities and not on helping them attain their educational goals.  Just as colleges are looking to exploit profits from their students through loans and do not care how their education is progressing.

Quotes:
“Over time, legislators gave more support to the interests of the student loan companies and the federal government than to the interests of the students.” (4)

"... The most obvious solution is abundantly clear: it is imperative that standard consumer protections be returned to student loans." (20)

"They often have so-called preferred-lender arrangements with the universities, which means that the school steers students toward a small number of lenders in exchange for financial rewards from those lenders." (6)

Value: 
Given the history that we have learned about how oppressive privatization has been, it would be very interesting to now look at how privatization could be the answer to students problems in the future. An potential answer that has the potential to fix the current problem would be to privatize college athletics as a whole.  One might wonder how this is going to fix athletics if privatizing colleges in the first place caused such a problem for students.  With the privatization of college athletics, the NCAA would be dissolved and athletics would move to the public sector.  This would mean that athletes would be considered employees of the universities and in turn compensated financially for working for the school.  Athletes would no longer have to worry about keeping their amateur status and could focus on what they are there to do, play sports. The privatization of, specifically the athletic programs, would follow in the wake of what so many universities have already done. I think this could potentially serve as a great solution and this book has given a great backdrop to the history of privatization and how now it might be able to be used for the student's benefit.

Literature Review #1



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Citation:
Tyler Brown, M. "College Athletics Internships: The Case For Academic Credit In College 
 Athletics." American University Law Review 63.6 (2014): 1855. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Summary:
This article talk about another possible solution to the current problem that has arisen in college athletics, a solution that the NCAA would likely be in favor of.  The author at the beginning of the article states that, ‘The current model for college athletics is ripe for change.”  The problem now is trying to figure out which solution would be ideal for all parties that are currently involved.  In this solution, the NCAA would like to make it so that athletics are considered an internship at the school in which athletes could gain academic credits for participating.  Under this arrangement, the NCAA would not be required to compensate their players because they would now be considered “interns” as opposed to being an “employee” of the university if they were to privatize the sport.  Sports would now be looked at like extra-curricular activities such as band and orchestra in which students can gain academic credits for participating.  The author believes that the only way to reform the sport and keep the amateur status of players (something the NCAA is very keen on doing), is by academic reform in that making sure that athletes are getting the proper education for the sacrifices they are making for the school.

Author: 
Tyler M. Brown currently works for the American University Washington College of Law, and has a B.A. in exercise and sports science from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill.

Key Terms:
Academic Compensation.  A key term that is described in this article as a possible solution to the currently failing model of college athletics would be to provide a form of academic compensation to the athletes.  This compensation would be granting the athletes academic credits for their participation in sports, treating the teams as a form of internship program.
Full Enjoyment of Education.  Another key idea that is talked about in the article is the effect that giving athletes academic credit would have on their ability to reap the full benefits of their free education.  The author believes that with athletes gaining credits they will be academically inclined and in turn care more about their education.  I think this is a possible outcome but I also think that it could have an opposite effect, causing players to get lazy thinking they are doing schoolwork while at practice.

Quotes:
  • "The current model for college athletics is ripe for change." (1857) 
  • "...Returning to a truer form of amateurism in which college athletics becomes a part of college education as a pure extracurricular experience." (1858)
  • Providing college athletes with the opportunity to receive academic credit for athletic participation through internships resolves several problems with the current college athletics model." (1899)
Value:
An article that was been very helpful in research and rises another possible solution to the problem of player exploitation is called, “College Athletics Internships: The Case for Academic Credit in College Athletics,” by Tyler Brown.  This article talk about another possible solution to the current problem that has arisen in college athletics, a solution that the NCAA would likely be in favor of.  The author at the beginning of the article states that, ‘The current model for college athletics is ripe for change.”  The problem now is trying to figure out which solution would be ideal for all parties that are currently involved.  In this solution, the NCAA would like to make it so that athletics are considered an internship at the school in which athletes could gain academic credits for participating.  Under this arrangement, the NCAA would not be required to compensate their players because they would now be considered “interns” as opposed to being an “employee” of the university if they were to privatize the sport.  Sports would now be looked at like extracurricular activities such as band and orchestra in which students can gain academic credits for participating.  The author believes that the only way to reform the sport and keep the amateur status of players (something the NCAA is very keen on doing), is by academic reform in that making sure that athletes are getting the proper education for the sacrifices they are making for the school.


 

 





How might privatization connect to your topic?

Since the 1970’s, the entire college experience has begun to evolve from being publicly funded and oriented, to the heavily privatized system that we experience today.  Colleges have transformed from their original mindset of trying to help students to a higher education, to that of trying to solely earn a profit from them.  Over the past decades, students are the ones that have been negatively impacted by this change and for now there is no end in sight.  For many universities the first priority is public image and money, and that is where college athletics comes into play.  Universities put a high level of importance on their athletic programs and it is no secret why.  According to the New York Post, Northwestern University raised over 30 million dollars in 2013 for their football program alone.  Of this $30 million, not one dollar was seen by the players, the ones that make these programs possible in the first place.  The NCAA is currently exploiting college athletes, making millions of dollars off of them while they are not seeing a penny of what they earned for their schools.  Many people would argue that the students are getting a free education and clothing and a place to live while they are attending these schools but the reality is not the same for all college athletes.  Of course the best athletes are getting compensated with a full scholarship in most cases, but the majority of college athletes are not the best players on their teams.  Schools think that their athletes will get exposure and in turn will be able to gain a contract from a professional team in the future, but this will never happen for the vast majority of players.  These players work hard and give all they have for the school both physically and mentally and often times have nothing to show for it after their four years are over.  Schools are now considering athletes to be “athlete-students”, rather than “student-athletes” which is an extremely alarming problem (Wood).  Many people have recognized this change and a solution is needed to combat this problem from developing any further.  
An interesting solution that has the potential to fix the current problem would be to also privatize college athletics as a whole.  One might wonder how this is going to fix athletics if privatizing colleges in the first place caused such a problem for students.  With the privatization of college athletics, the NCAA would be dissolved and athletics would move to the public sector (Wood).  This would mean that athletes would be considered employees of the universities and in turn compensated financially for working for the school.  Athletes would no longer have to worry about keeping their amateur status and could focus on what they are there to do, play sports.  There is clearly a problem with how college athletes are currently being treated, and a solution must be found in order to restore balance and keep both sides pleased. 

Works Cited
Wood, Michael. "Privatizing NCAA Sport." Privatizing NCAA Sport. Slideshare, 5 Sept. 2012.
Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.slideshare.net/mwood13/privatizing-ncaa-sport>.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Research Proposal Works Cited

Works Cited List

Aquino, David.  "Should college athletes be - paid? Ball is in NLRB's court." Brattleboro
Reformer (VT) 1 Mar. 2014, Sports: 09. NewsBank. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.

Cali, Matthew R. "The Ncaa's Transfer Of Power: An Analysis Of The Future Implications The
Proposed Ncaa Transfer Rules Will Have On The Landscape Of College Sports." Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal 21.1 (2014): 217. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Chavez, Linda. "How Colleges Exploit Athletes." New York Post, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 Mar.

Collinge, Alan Michael.  The Student Loan Scam.  Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.  Print.

"Privatizing State Universities? Start with the Football Team!" Wade Rathke Chief Organizer
Blog RSS. N.p., 2 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Mar. 2015.
l-team/>.

Sack, Allen L., and Staurowsky, Ellen J.  College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of
the NCAA’s Amateur Myth.  Westport: Praeger Publishers, 1998.  Print.

Sperber, Murray.  Beer and Circus: How Big-Time College Sports is Crippling Undergraduate
Education.  New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2000.  Print.
 
Tyler, Brown M. "College Athletics Internships: The Case For Academic Credit In College
Athletics." American University Law Review 63.6 (2014): 1855. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

Wood, Michael. "Privatizing NCAA Sport." Privatizing NCAA Sport. Slideshare, 5 Sept. 2012.
Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.slideshare.net/mwood13/privatizing-ncaa-sport>.