Rise in Fancy Academic Centers for Athletes Raises Questions of Fairness

Does it really matter where the dollars come from? Is it fair? The Chronicle of Higher Education dives deep into the "facilities arms race in college sports" which is says "has a new frontier: academic-services buildings." You will need access to the online Chronicle via suscription of day pass to access this item.

Over the past decade, a dozen major college programs have built stand-alone academic centers, most of them for the exclusive use of athletes. At least seven more colleges are planning new buildings or major renovations in coming years. Some facilities are as big as 50,000 square feet — the size of some student unions — and many are as swank and well appointed as any buildings on campus.

The facilities growth, paid for largely by private donations, is at the center of a spending boom in academic support for athletes, a Chronicle survey has found. Since 1997, the budgets for academic services for athletes at more than half of the 73 biggest athletics programs in the country have more than doubled, on average, to over $1-million a year. One program spent almost $3-million in 2007 — an average of over $6,000 per athlete.

Spending has surged for several reasons: Competition for players has eased admissions standards in recent years, while the National Collegiate Athletic Association's academic-progress requirements have stiffened. That means it's easier for an athlete to get into college but harder to stay eligible for sports.

Teams that fail to meet minimum academic cutoffs lose scholarships. The pressure has led to academic improprieties in several high-profile programs, raising the stakes everywhere.

Athletics officials and some faculty members say the extra spending and attention have sharpened players' classroom focus and kept more athletes on track to graduate. But others complain that the lavish buildings give athletes an unfair advantage over other students.

"The big question I have is, Are these buildings in any way taking away from resources for other students? And I think they are," says Gwendolyn J. Dungy, executive director of Naspa — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. "Instead of raising money for these special facilities for athletes, universities could be out raising money for buildings that serve all students."