Spring Break
Study tables keep Panthers "above the curve"
Adam Lark/Staff Reporter
Issue date: 6/2/09 Section: Sports
The hardest challenge for student-athletes is not a big game, it is graduating college.
According to the NCAA web site, 78 percent of student-athletes who could graduate nationwide actually graduated in 2008, a one percent increase from 2007.
Eastern remains above the curve, graduating 81 percent in 2007 and 90 percent in 2008.
It is these statistics that Cindy Tozer, the director of academic services at Athletic Academic Services, wants to improve at Eastern. To do this, she continues to maintain student-athlete study tables, which started in the early 1990s.
Many teams have their own requirements for study tables, such as extended hours or higher GPAs. According to Tozer, all freshmen and transfer students, along with any athletes with a GPA lower than 2.5 are required to attend study tables.
"Every student-athlete that comes in, freshman and transfer, has between four and six hours a week," she said. "It depends on the sports. They can come in during the day or the evening to earn those hours. It's closely monitored."
Students who are required to attend study tables have to go at least four hours a week. But, Tozer said some coaches set higher standards for the athletes. For example, Softball and both men's and women's soccer requires members to attend if they have below a 3.0 GPA.
The athletes can come in between 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then again from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. The hours can also be achieved by using a passport card to mark time spent with professors, graduate assistants and departmental tutoring.
The athletes do not have to come to the study tables as a team.
"We did that one year, actually last year, and we decided to do away with that because they're already on a very strict time management schedule and we felt we needed to be a little flexible with them," Tozer said.
Freshman swimmer Matt O'Hagan said study tables can be good for athletes, but that they can be a double-edged sword.
"When you're in swim season, it helps you get focused and stuff like that," O'Hagan said. "It gives you time to actually sit down and do the work. But at the same time, because it's required if I do my studying in here at home I could go to bed and go to sleep. But I still have to go to study tables and do the four hours or whatever I was required to."
He said that the tables are important for freshman to help keep them on track so they do not fall behind in college work.
Falling behind can lead to Tozer talking to the students having problem, getting a tutor assigned to them, or even becoming academically ineligible.
Jason Hall's roll at the Academic Center differs from the other academic advisors in the athletic department. His primary concern is on the athlete's eligibility for competition.
"While I am always concerned and interested in how our student-athletes are doing in class, advising is not part of my day-to-day workload," said Hall, the assistant athletic director of Compliance and Academic Services.
The results of these hours of study tables can be seen in the team GPAs. All women's teams had above a 3.0, with the lowest GPA in the fall of 2008 for the women being a 3.06 by women's rugby.
Men's golf led the fall GPA with a 3.46, while football and basketball were at the bottom of the list with a 2.61 and 2.47, respectively.
"We had almost 60 percent of our athletes earn a 3.0 in the fall," Tozer said. "Every women's team was above a 3.0 this last calendar year, spring '08 and fall '08. We just honored 155 of our student athletes at our Academic Student Athlete Banquet last week."
Another place that these results can be seen is in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. The APR requires that schools have above a 925 on their scale, which is equal to about a 60 percent graduation rate.
All sports were above this mark in the 2006-2007 school year, with both football and women's tennis being the lowest at 941. Also, 15 of the Eastern teams are above the Division I average in the APR.
In the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern graduated the second highest average of student-athletes in a four-year average with 80 percent. The only school higher then Eastern was Tennessee State with 85 percent.
In Illinois, Eastern's graduation rate was better than Illinois State, Southern Illinois, and Western Illinois. Northern Illinois leads the state with a 93 percent graduation rate.
O'Hagan, who no longer attends study tables, used to just do homework or use a computer to print papers out that he needed when he was there.
"If I needed help on something, I could either go to one of them or to Cindy or LaVeasey (Carter)," O'Hagan said. "If not, there are plenty of other athletes there and I could ask them for help."
With the program going for almost 20 years now, Tozer still enjoys working with the students. She still meets with at risk students and freshmen on a weekly basis to see how classes are going to see if any problems are developing, and talks to coaches about student grades.
She does all this because, ultimately, they want to make sure all athletes are able to graduate from Eastern.
"They're clearly here to get their degree, as evident with their grades and graduation rate, she said. "We have one of the highest (graduation rates) in the conference and in the state of Illinois. It's a good place for them in a facility that is very well utilized."
So, while Tozer sits in her office and looks out into the study area, she is able to see the hundreds of student-athletes that come through every day. She can see them taking quizzes, working on papers and, most importantly, continue to work towards a sought-after college diploma.
Adam Lark can be reached at 581-7943 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.
According to the NCAA web site, 78 percent of student-athletes who could graduate nationwide actually graduated in 2008, a one percent increase from 2007.
Eastern remains above the curve, graduating 81 percent in 2007 and 90 percent in 2008.
It is these statistics that Cindy Tozer, the director of academic services at Athletic Academic Services, wants to improve at Eastern. To do this, she continues to maintain student-athlete study tables, which started in the early 1990s.
Many teams have their own requirements for study tables, such as extended hours or higher GPAs. According to Tozer, all freshmen and transfer students, along with any athletes with a GPA lower than 2.5 are required to attend study tables.
"Every student-athlete that comes in, freshman and transfer, has between four and six hours a week," she said. "It depends on the sports. They can come in during the day or the evening to earn those hours. It's closely monitored."
Students who are required to attend study tables have to go at least four hours a week. But, Tozer said some coaches set higher standards for the athletes. For example, Softball and both men's and women's soccer requires members to attend if they have below a 3.0 GPA.
The athletes can come in between 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then again from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. The hours can also be achieved by using a passport card to mark time spent with professors, graduate assistants and departmental tutoring.
The athletes do not have to come to the study tables as a team.
"We did that one year, actually last year, and we decided to do away with that because they're already on a very strict time management schedule and we felt we needed to be a little flexible with them," Tozer said.
Freshman swimmer Matt O'Hagan said study tables can be good for athletes, but that they can be a double-edged sword.
"When you're in swim season, it helps you get focused and stuff like that," O'Hagan said. "It gives you time to actually sit down and do the work. But at the same time, because it's required if I do my studying in here at home I could go to bed and go to sleep. But I still have to go to study tables and do the four hours or whatever I was required to."
He said that the tables are important for freshman to help keep them on track so they do not fall behind in college work.
Falling behind can lead to Tozer talking to the students having problem, getting a tutor assigned to them, or even becoming academically ineligible.
Jason Hall's roll at the Academic Center differs from the other academic advisors in the athletic department. His primary concern is on the athlete's eligibility for competition.
"While I am always concerned and interested in how our student-athletes are doing in class, advising is not part of my day-to-day workload," said Hall, the assistant athletic director of Compliance and Academic Services.
The results of these hours of study tables can be seen in the team GPAs. All women's teams had above a 3.0, with the lowest GPA in the fall of 2008 for the women being a 3.06 by women's rugby.
Men's golf led the fall GPA with a 3.46, while football and basketball were at the bottom of the list with a 2.61 and 2.47, respectively.
"We had almost 60 percent of our athletes earn a 3.0 in the fall," Tozer said. "Every women's team was above a 3.0 this last calendar year, spring '08 and fall '08. We just honored 155 of our student athletes at our Academic Student Athlete Banquet last week."
Another place that these results can be seen is in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate. The APR requires that schools have above a 925 on their scale, which is equal to about a 60 percent graduation rate.
All sports were above this mark in the 2006-2007 school year, with both football and women's tennis being the lowest at 941. Also, 15 of the Eastern teams are above the Division I average in the APR.
In the Ohio Valley Conference, Eastern graduated the second highest average of student-athletes in a four-year average with 80 percent. The only school higher then Eastern was Tennessee State with 85 percent.
In Illinois, Eastern's graduation rate was better than Illinois State, Southern Illinois, and Western Illinois. Northern Illinois leads the state with a 93 percent graduation rate.
O'Hagan, who no longer attends study tables, used to just do homework or use a computer to print papers out that he needed when he was there.
"If I needed help on something, I could either go to one of them or to Cindy or LaVeasey (Carter)," O'Hagan said. "If not, there are plenty of other athletes there and I could ask them for help."
With the program going for almost 20 years now, Tozer still enjoys working with the students. She still meets with at risk students and freshmen on a weekly basis to see how classes are going to see if any problems are developing, and talks to coaches about student grades.
She does all this because, ultimately, they want to make sure all athletes are able to graduate from Eastern.
"They're clearly here to get their degree, as evident with their grades and graduation rate, she said. "We have one of the highest (graduation rates) in the conference and in the state of Illinois. It's a good place for them in a facility that is very well utilized."
So, while Tozer sits in her office and looks out into the study area, she is able to see the hundreds of student-athletes that come through every day. She can see them taking quizzes, working on papers and, most importantly, continue to work towards a sought-after college diploma.
Adam Lark can be reached at 581-7943 or at densportsdesk@gmail.com.
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