All but one of the 14 schools in the Southeastern Conference have indicated they plan to reopen their campuses for the fall semester, a step widely believed to be needed to resume football and other sports.
I’m sure one has nothing to do with the other. Still, you’ve got to sell it. Mike Griffith has the sales pitch.
Are student-athletes safer back in their hometowns, or in a controlled college environment?
Student-athletes are already somewhat quarantined by the very nature of how collegiate sports have evolved, particularly at Power 5 institutions.
Scholarship athletes have their own weight rooms, meeting rooms, training tables and academic support centers.
Ah, yes. The “controlled environment”.
If a player gets sick at school, they’ll say it could have just as easily happened at home. Life (and football) goes on. It’s in their best interests, after all.
What are the presidents supposed to do? They want students on campus. They need the tuition, fees, books/supplies, housing, and dining plans. They should be preparing for it. Given that commitment day was just on Friday, they had to be telling parents we’re preparing to welcome your student to Athens, Columbia, Auburn, etc., but we’re also preparing for contingencies. Please reserve your space in the incoming freshman class. If they said we have already decided all classes will be remote learning and no college life, I imagine there would be a lot of parents that would tell their children, “I’m not paying for that. Go put in your quick application to the local community college or local regional school. You can transfer to [SEC school] next fall.”
Is some of this a step toward sports? Yes, but I believe these announcements were about the incoming freshman class more than anything.
LikeLike
Anyone who refers to college as a “controlled environment” doesn’t really remember college!
LikeLike
Well, there were lots of controlled substances. At least, that’s what I was told. 😉
LikeLike
Most colleges are planning on opening in the fall, and most don’t have college football programs.
LikeLike
“It’s our intent that we would test 100 percent of our students, staff and faculty upon return.”
So they’re going to test everyone as they enter campus? Each time they return from going home, go to a store, go out to eat, etc.? And the test results are going to be immediate and 100% accurate?
And any student that does not pass the test will be …sent home? quarantined on campus? taken to medical facilities for care? And their parent(s) will be notified immediately?
LikeLike
Yep. It would constitute a microcosm of the southern states since that’s where most of the kids come from.
Not sure I’d take students from Ken since they don’t have a testing program that is as good as ours; or Fl; or maybe La since they had a big outbreak. It’s so hard to decide from which direction we should protect and we surely don’t want to take those students from a state that allows full uncovered interaction among their citizens during this pandemic….oh!…wait…
LikeLike
May I try and remember has the the tuition at UGA not been raised something like 300% since 2015. Will UGA charge athletic fee’s to those students at home taking on line classes. #Commit$$$totheG.
LikeLike