Adequate Progress Is Key
(Also posted from another thread: What I Don't Understand...)
Recalling the Kevin Payton situation last season, who if I'm not mistaken, graduated in May 2009 after being declared "ineligible" that same semester, Nolen may have an issue with incompletes/credits. So the comments regarding "get to class" or "why don't you get your
work done over the break" are moot.
Instructors have one year to accept work to make up an incomplete and many create a more stringent requirement for those students in an effort to be fair to students who completed the coursework on time. Not too many professors I've dealt with are too jazzed with using their holiday break time for this purpose and they are not required to do so. As a person who has actually worked with college undergraduates (most of them NOT athletes), given the constraints on student-athletes regarding the revamped academic eligibility rules, it precludes them from the advantages that the "I" grade provides for the non-athlete student for that reason alone.
Students are required to maintain a minimum amount of credits per semester to be considered "full-time" and in the non-athletic world that means most students take 15-18 credits as a cushion. To drop a class or take an "I" does not have an impact on that student's full-time status or adequate progress towards graduation (on paper).
Many student-athletes (and other first-generation college students) do not have the organizational skills to successfully handle that credit load. Unfortunately, the practice used by most athletic advising offices is for those student-athletes to carry the minimum credit load of 12 (three 4 credit classes, four 3 credit classes -not common- or some combo that equals 13). This does not leave a lot of room for error or mistakes. One bad semester, if properly timed (in this case, Spring for basketball) won't hurt you since you can complete the "I" or take another course over the summer. However, if this happens with a 12 credit course load in the Fall semester, it's the kiss of death (especially if the Fall semester is preceded by a "catch up" summer).
Now I'm not close enough to the Nolen situation to know what is going on with him, but as a person who has had experience assisting both types of students (athletes and non-athletes) with these issues, I think that both Tubby and the Academic advising office bear greater responsibility for this situation than the average fan thinks. Ultimately, the brunt of the responsibility falls on Nolen, but as I've learned working with first-generation college students, they don't always know when or how to ask for the type of academic assistance they need. If you know a student-athlete is "struggling," a more hands on approach is required. Without knowing more about the situation, I cannot offer solutions and that would a 20/20 hindsight scenario anyway.
The University has always had a suspect academic advising crew because they base their hires on cronyism and academic record, not actual effectiveness and concrete advising skills. This is why the Minnesota has one of the lowest graduation rates in the Big Ten. Other institutions are doing a much better job.
Hope that Nolen works it out and is back on the court soon. Meanwhile, it will be a great opportunity for both Cobbs and Joseph to step up their games.
