Friday, May 7.1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B·Page 3
Tutors help boost athletes' marks
Assistance enables student athletes to adjust to college
Out of all the things Sarah Workman has learned at the University of Kansas, she might get the best marks on the art of making a comeback.
By Matt Gardner sports@kansan.com Special to the Kanson
The redshirt junior on the Kansas softball team returned to action this season after sitting out the 1998 season with a torn bicep muscle in her pitching arm.
But an even bigger comeback for Workman might have been adjusting to life in the classroom.
Workman, like many student athletes at Kansas, turned to Athletics Department tutors her freshman year to help her to balance her schedule between academics and athletics.
Workman, who graduated from University High School in Orlando, Fla., with a grade point average of 3.8 and who was a member of the ESPN Scholastic All-America team, didn't adjust to the rigor of college academics right away.
A member of her high school's National Honor Society. Workman had to settle for a 2.5 GPA her first semester at Kansas and wasn't satisfied.
Workman turned to Kansas' Student Support Services for help. Support Services offered tutoring to student athletes in need of help on any particular subject.
In the wake of a tutoring scandal at the University of Minnesota, many universities are examining the way tutoring is done at their schools, and they say that they are making sure guidelines are followed.
In March, one day before the University of Minnesota's basketball team was set to play in the opening round of the NCAA tournament against Gonzaga, the Pioneer Press reported that four former players told them that classwork was prepared for them in possible violation of NCAA regulations.
Soon afterwards, Jan Gangelhoff,
a former student tutor at Minneapolis told the Pioneer Press that she had done more than 400 pieces of work for student athletes from 1993-98.
Workman said that most athletes
want to succeed at academics, but there always have to be a few who wouldn't mind seeing the rules bent.
Mike Hock, director of Student Support Services, said it's not uncommon to have many athletes in the same shoes as Workman or needing additional help in their first semester at Kansas.
"When student-athletes come in for help, we just to treat them with dignity and respect," Hock said. "Right away, we want them to come to the University and know they can be successful. It's not uncommon for anyone to have high grades in high school and kind of struggle the first semester or two."
"When I needed help with a certain subject, it was great to have someone there to help me. I think a lot of students really use tutoring to help make being a student athlete easier."
Workman, who majored in chemistry her freshman year before switching to Health Education, used the tutoring services her first year to gain ground in algebra, English and biology.
"I didn't access tutoring like some of the other athletes here do, but I think for me it was more just learning on my own what I needed to do to get better," she said.
Sarah Workman, junior on the softball team
"Some athletes come in once a week while for others it may be
While Workman needed only a little help from tutoring to guide her GPA to a 3.2.. Hock said some athletes relied on tutoring more.
to next year's packet of tutoring information is the Saint Paul Pioneer Press expose of Minnesota's tutoring program.
With the shadow of cheating falling at other universities across the nation, Hock said all of the University's tutors were continuously informed about what was and what wasn't proper for a tutor to do for a student-athlete.
might be added
"We try to challenge the students to work as much as they can but are always there for assistance when they need us."
"We go over our tutoring policies each year and continuously throughout the semester." Hock said. "We meet with our tutors on a weekly basis to discuss things, and we do occasionally get a question about how much is too much
Student Support Services provides tutors with a packet of materials that include guidelines on academic conduct. Also included are copies of stories on academic misconduct at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the University of Arkansas.
two or three times," Hock said. "We try to challenge the students to work as much as they can but are always there for assistance when they need us."
The University employed 52 tutors this semester. Approximately half those 52 tutors are enrolled at Kansas, and combined they tutor between 125 to 165 athletes each week.
Mike Hock
director of Student Support Services
Becoming a tutor for student athletes isn't easy. The qualifications for student-athlete tutors include solid-background knowledge in all the course work they will be tutoring, as well as a GPA in tutored subjects of at least 3.2.
One set of articles that Hock said
Melody Granzow, assistant director of Student Support Services and tutor at Kansas since 1994, says that events such as what allegedly happened at Minnesota help edu
cate the tutors on what should be done while tutoring.
"We use the information as a forum to reiterate all of the NCAA rules as well as our own academic honesty policy and code of ethical conduct," Granzow said. "The bottom line is that tutors can provide assistance in understanding material, ideas and concepts, but the student-athletes must take the responsibility for doing their own classwork."
Granzow said it was important to stress that although there was the occasional athlete looking to take short cuts on the academic side, most student athletes show pride in doing their own work.
"There are always going to be exceptions to the rule, but for the most part the student athletes that are involved in our tutoring program put forth a great deal of effort." Granzow said. "They have bought into our program and are happy to have the additional assistance as well as the structure and mentoring."
Kansas softball coach Tracy Bunge said she felt it was important for freshmen to come to Kansas and establish themselves with the tutoring program to see what they are capable of.
"The first thing we do to our freshmen is to make sure to tell them that this isn't high school," Bunge said. "A lot of them don't realize the work load difference and the way a student athlete has to manage time."
Granzow said many freshmen entering the University were willing to try to use a tutor while getting used to class, workout and practice schedules.
"We encourage freshmen to come in and use our services, and most of our student-athletes appreciate the assistance they receive and use it to their advantage." Granzow said. "By the time many of them are juniors or seniors, they no longer require our services."
While Workman only used tutoring her freshman year, she said she benefited from her time with tutors.
"When I needed help with a certain subject, it was great to have someone there to help me," Workman said. "I think a lot of students really use tutoring to help make being a student athlete easier."
Student athletes at Kansas combined for a 3.0 GPA in Fall 1998, and 34 athletes produced a 4.0. But the number of athletes who were on academic probation in Fall 1998 would not be disclosed by Kansas. The NCAA doesn't require universities to turn in those numbers.
Workman continues to help rebuild her GPA and her pitching game. She has maintained a 3.5 GPA since her freshman year, including one semester with a 3.98.
"It was nice to get my schedule organized and start to get my grades up." Workman said. "Now my goal is to get a 4.0 at least one semester before I graduate."
Edited by Julie Sachs
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Attention: Nontraditional Graduates!
You are cordially invited to attend a reception in your honor
Recognizing Nontraditional Students who are graduating from the University of Kansas with Bachelors Degrees in 1999
Monday, May 10, 1999
3:00-5:00 PM
Strong Hall Rotunda
Refreshments will be served.
Commemorative tassels will be given to participating students.
You must RSVP to receive a tassel. (785)864-4064
Sponsored by The Student Development Center With a grant from Coca-Cola
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