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'Jocks Only' Tutoring Centers Irk Others on Campus

Critics say investing in flashy, athletes-only centers is unfair to other students

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 29, 2008 11:41 AM CST

(Newser) – Resentment is building as college athletic tutoring centers nationwide get bigger and flashier, the Chicago Tribune reports. Critics say that the multi-million-dollar, athletes-only centers should be open to all. Some suggest that, since the centers are generally funded and run by the athletic department, they create a conflict of interest; a number have been accused of giving athletes a bit too much of a helping hand with homework.

The centers "perpetuate resentment" on campus and exacerbate the stereotype of the dumb jock, says one professor who used to play football for the University of Notre Dame. Defenders say that, because the vast majority of student athletes will need something to fall back on when their dreams of turning pro fail to materialize, the centers play a vital role in developing their non-athletic potential.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

1957 CMU graduate Dick Enberg poses at the student-athlete academic center named in his honor in CMU's Indoor Athletic Complex Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, in Mount Pleasant, Mich. (AP Photo)

In this 2006 file photo, University of Florida fans cheer on the Gators. (AP Photo)

Vince Young, quarterback for the NFL's Tennessee Titans football team, works with a tutor in the academic center, Monday, Feb. 18, 2008 at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo)

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These athletic tutoring palaces perpetuate resentment and stereotyping on campus. A student who is not an athlete will say: 'I'm working nights to get through school, why don't I get free tutoring?'
- University of New Haven professor
Allen Sack

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'Jocks Only' Tutoring Centers Irk Others on Campus