STrib: Academic gap between black, white players persists on Gophers football roster

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per the STrib:

Only three bowl-bound teams have larger separation in graduation rates.

Although the Gophers football team has displayed improvement under coach Jerry Kill in most academic measurements, there’s still work to be done, as attested to by an academic assessment of football bowl teams released Monday by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

The Gophers are one of 16 bowl teams (out of 70 total) that have at least a 30 percent difference in GSR (graduation success rate) between white and black players. Minnesota’s white football players had a GSR of 90 percent, compared to 54 percent for black players. The 36 percent difference is tied for fourth-highest, trailing Florida State (50 percent), Texas (46 percent) and Mississippi (43 percent), according to the report conducted by Richard Lapchick’s department at the University of Central Florida.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/235167681.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
 



Buck_Buchanan said:
Interesting that the STRIB left out that the gap last year was 30.
52 for African-American student football athlete and 82 for white student football athlete.
This year's data is 54 and 90.

http://www.tidesport.org/ncaagraduationrates.html
Click to expand...

So your saying that Strib has a bunch of lazy malcontents morons on staff that they call reporters....well if you aren't, I am.

I so ****ing hate the media in the Twin Cities...endless supply of ******baggery!
 

So apparently the player is not a part of this equation, only the head coach.

Go to class, study, repeat.
 


BleedGopher said:
per the STrib:

Only three bowl-bound teams have larger separation in graduation rates.

Although the Gophers football team has displayed improvement under coach Jerry Kill in most academic measurements, there’s still work to be done, as attested to by an academic assessment of football bowl teams released Monday by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.

The Gophers are one of 16 bowl teams (out of 70 total) that have at least a 30 percent difference in GSR (graduation success rate) between white and black players. Minnesota’s white football players had a GSR of 90 percent, compared to 54 percent for black players. The 36 percent difference is tied for fourth-highest, trailing Florida State (50 percent), Texas (46 percent) and Mississippi (43 percent), according to the report conducted by Richard Lapchick’s department at the University of Central Florida.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/235167681.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

This problem has been solved on the OT board.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?51122-Education-Gap-America-vs-England
 

Not that the Strib seems interested in addressing things in a fair manner, but with a different headline and a few added sentences some valuable context could really have enhanced the article beyond a mere attention grabber that reinforces negative perceptions.

Suggested Headline: U of M and other Big Ten football programs continue to struggle with academic gap between black and white players

Suggested Sentences: With a 36 percent gap between black and white graduates, the U of M is tied for fifth highest trailing Florida, Texas, Iowa (missed in original article, but if I read the data correctly, they have a 40% gap), and Mississippi State. This disparity is prevalent throughout the Big Ten bowl teams however-Ohio State (32%), Michigan State (22%), Wisconsin (34%), Iowa, Michigan (35%) all experience significant gaps between their black and white players regarding graduation rates. Only Nebraska (1%) experiences a negligible difference amongst the Big Ten bowl teams.

Another suggested sentence: The Minnesota football team reflected the overall student body for the university. The football team had an overall graduation rate of 75 percent, with white players at 90 percent and black players at 54 percent. The overall graduation rate at the University of Minnesota during this time span was 73 percent, with white students at 76 percent and black students at 50 percent (poor sentence construction I know, but you catch my drift).

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=university+of+minnesota&s=all&id=174066#retgrad
 

I like how they snuck in the very last line about the study being from the 2006-2007 freshman class, yet at the beginning of the article they made it out like Kill and Co. haven't been doing as good of a job as advertised. In other words, Kill and Co. only coached that class for one year.
 




Can't believe most everyone here gets so touchy about newspaper reports. The racial achievement gap is very real and this is an offshoot of that. Where the reporter falls down is that he fails to mention two things: (1) 90% graduation rate for the white players is pretty high and I'd be curious to see that rate for the other schools involved, and (2) Only the status of the JUCOs Kill has recruited should be considered when grading the graduation rate of his players. He inherited a bunch of guys who were on the edge of ineligibility and getting kids eligible and getting them in the position to graduate are two entirely different things.

highwayman's comment is valid. There's no reason that a player shouldn't graduate, especially if they have red-shirted or enrolled early out of high school. It's a little different to expect a kid (any kid football team or not) to graduate in four years. Most students don't. But if you get an opportunity for a pretty much free college education, you just take it. My guess, like most everything else, is that Kill has a very good system in place to help the student/athletes and getting kids graduated is the goal and as his tenure increases, the graduation rate across-the-board will improve.

Only caveat here is that a lot of high school kids--of whatever race--come from high school environments that haven't prepared them for college and that's a challenge.
 

50PoundHead said:
Only caveat here is that a lot of high school kids--of whatever race--come from high school environments that haven't prepared them for college and that's a challenge.
Click to expand...
The problem is not race. The problem is not high school environment. The problem is not the Football tutoring program.
The problem and the blame goes to absent fathers.

<b>Let's quit trying to blame everything but the real problem.</b>
 

GoldenRodents said:
The problem is not race. The problem is not high school environment. The problem is not the Football tutoring program.
The problem and the blame goes to absent fathers.

<b>Let's quit trying to blame everything but the real problem.</b>
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Sheesh, let's get simplistic. I'm an old man and I grew up in an era with present fathers and I can tell you that the academic performance of the Gopher football team in the 1960s and 1970s probably wasn't a whole lot different than it is today. They just track it now for a lot of reasons.
 

coolhandgopher said:
Not that the Strib seems interested in addressing things in a fair manner, but with a different headline and a few added sentences some valuable context could really have enhanced the article beyond a mere attention grabber that reinforces negative perceptions.

Suggested Headline: U of M and other Big Ten football programs continue to struggle with academic gap between black and white players

Suggested Sentences: With a 36 percent gap between black and white graduates, the U of M is tied for fifth highest trailing Florida, Texas, Iowa (missed in original article, but if I read the data correctly, they have a 40% gap), and Mississippi State. This disparity is prevalent throughout the Big Ten bowl teams however-Ohio State (32%), Michigan State (22%), Wisconsin (34%), Iowa, Michigan (35%) all experience significant gaps between their black and white players regarding graduation rates. Only Nebraska (1%) experiences a negligible difference amongst the Big Ten bowl teams.

Another suggested sentence: The Minnesota football team reflected the overall student body for the university. The football team had an overall graduation rate of 75 percent, with white players at 90 percent and black players at 54 percent. The overall graduation rate at the University of Minnesota during this time span was 73 percent, with white students at 76 percent and black students at 50 percent (poor sentence construction I know, but you catch my drift).

http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=university+of+minnesota&s=all&id=174066#retgrad
Click to expand...

Absolutely phenomenal points. If the football team reflects the general student population the beef should be with President Kaler not Coach Kill. Although in my opinion the graduation rate on the team should be slightly higher than the average student due to the demand for them to take summer classes throughout their four years as well as the opportunities they get through athletic tutors.
 



Is it possible Brewster and Kill had to take some higher risk kids? Maybe they had to take
some risks that Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan didnt.
 

gopherveteran said:
Is it possible Brewster and Kill had to take some higher risk kids? Maybe they had to take
some risks that Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan didnt.
Click to expand...

Yes. I think that's true. Brewster had that one highly-ranked class that had a bunch of kids either not get in or fall out of school. Kill has hit the JUCOs hard and I think he's had a couple of those targets not qualify and a couple squeak in.

The main problem with this article is that it even mentions Kill. He inherited an academic mess and only his JUCO recruits should count toward his efforts.
 

50PoundHead said:
Yes. I think that's true. Brewster had that one highly-ranked class that had a bunch of kids either not get in or fall out of school. Kill has hit the JUCOs hard and I think he's had a couple of those targets not qualify and a couple squeak in.

The main problem with this article is that it even mentions Kill. He inherited an academic mess and only his JUCO recruits should count toward his efforts.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a buildings and grounds issue.
 


50PoundHead said:
Only caveat here is that a lot of high school kids--of whatever race--come from high school environments that haven't prepared them for college and that's a challenge.
Click to expand...

Yeah, anything along the Gulf Coast east of Texas -- watch out!
 

Lots of good points made, but the one that jumps out for me is the strib's choice to write the story (from what is being said here. I don't EVER click on that awful site) to paint a negative light on Kill's efforts, instead of pointing out the improvement from last year. Instead of pointing out another positive aspect of the direction of this program, they chose to be negative. That place is a joke. Philosophically I would have a hard time being part of that organization.
 

One other thing. Many athletes go to college to play football or whatever their sport is. Going to class is only a necessary evil to keep eligible. Graduating is something that may or may not happen after a player's eligibility is used up. How many high school students are good students? Then, how many good athletes are good students. It is hard to be one of those, to be both is very difficult and requires alot of discipline.
 

So 90 plus 54 is 144,we have 144 guys on track to graduate,I see problem, seems like a strength of numbers issue that the red star is trying to stir the pot with. All I know is this was atrocious under Brew. Wonder if Souhan wrote this ****
 

forestlaker said:
One other thing. Many athletes go to college to play football or whatever their sport is. Going to class is only a necessary evil to keep eligible. Graduating is something that may or may not happen after a player's eligibility is used up. How many high school students are good students? Then, how many good athletes are good students. It is hard to be one of those, to be both is very difficult and requires alot of discipline.
Click to expand...

That's very true, but if they are going to start measuring this stuff, there's going to have to be a response from the institutions. Comments pertaining to graduation rates among athletes versus the student body as a whole are somewhat pertinent, although a lot of kids in the regular student body have to work to pay tuition and if you're "pay as you go," it can take a lot longer at today's prices.
 

GopherinPhilly said:
So your saying that Strib has a bunch of lazy malcontents morons on staff that they call reporters....well if you aren't, I am.

I so ****ing hate the media in the Twin Cities...endless supply of ******baggery!
Click to expand...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the STrib doing the Gophers a favor by not showing the problem got worse over a year? Enough harping on the Twin Cities media. It's definitely no more difficult (and actually much less difficult) than major media markets out east (Boston, NY, Philly).
 

One difference is the major markets out east don't typically choose to write trashy, half-true pieces on the one major university in the city. They tend to trash the teams that play professional sports. A better comparison is comparing the TC media with the media in other Big Ten cities. I don't think you see Madison, Lincoln, Columbus, Iowa City, etc. media trashing their home university teams.
 

LongTimeGopher said:
One difference is the major markets out east don't typically choose to write trashy, half-true pieces on the one major university in the city. They tend to trash the teams that play professional sports. A better comparison is comparing the TC media with the media in other Big Ten cities. I don't think you see Madison, Lincoln, Columbus, Iowa City, etc. media trashing their home university teams.
Click to expand...

It's because they're not major media markets.

Read the Chicago papers ripping of Notre Dame back when they were garbage. Or Detroit ripping Michigan during the RRod era. If I can't compare inexact apples to apples then neither can you.
 

LongTimeGopher said:
One difference is the major markets out east don't typically choose to write trashy, half-true pieces on the one major university in the city. They tend to trash the teams that play professional sports. A better comparison is comparing the TC media with the media in other Big Ten cities. I don't think you see Madison, Lincoln, Columbus, Iowa City, etc. media trashing their home university teams.
Click to expand...

Good point, but for some reason it's the reverse here. The media--especially on the beats--just kowtow to the pro franchises. And you know, haters gonna hate. Just ask Silky Johnson.

[video]http://31.media.tumblr.com/aba92c79564b49aaabfd6fd49eb9e07c/tumblr_ms0ah8XddV1swp729o1_500.gif[/video]
 

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what an awful topic- are they using the awful 'one drop' standard of the Jim Crow days? well one of yer parents was black so you go to the black line....ugh. the time will come where this stuff isn't broken out like this and it can't come soon enough
 

wait!what? said:
what an awful topic- are they using the awful 'one drop' standard of the Jim Crow days? well one of yer parents was black so you go to the black line....ugh. the time will come where this stuff isn't broken out like this and it can't come soon enough
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Unless it shows a drastic difference in which targeted programs and support can be put in place to help close the gap.

This is an issue. It needs to be addressed and can be addressed. The article isn't discriminatory at all and it's not as if by being placed in the black category these players are somehow being subjugated to worse treatment. If you don't break it out you don't see the overall issue that is being faced by african-americans on these squads and thus nothing is done or at the very best less than ideal programs are developed that don't address the issue at heart because we refuse to recognize the real issue.
 

ok, what genetically defines african american? might as well break it out by state and blame the state.
 

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