Proposal 42: Perhaps I have missed some crucial point about this issue. I've been following this issue through the Collegian. Please correct me if I am mistaken, but those opposed to it seem to feel that we should lower our academic standards, in terms of admission to the University, for those students who have demonstrated excellence in athletics.

Correct me again if I am mistaken, but the goal of a university/higher education (institution) is to educate. We are here to face academic challenge and expand our minds to be more able to succeed in the world. That is the main objective of higher education. No? We as university students have earned the privilege through demonstrated interest in academics to attend and become educated persons.

The argument has been made that some of us grow up in environments that do not provide the resources necessary to get the scores needed to get into some schools.

The problem does not lie with the NCAA who sets some of these standards when it comes to athletes, or the office of admissions at the schools in question, or with the people who make up the SATs. If lower income and/or minorities are having problems getting into college because of low test scores then the problem is with the high schools which graduate them.

How can we feel that we, as a university, are not being fair to those who grow up underprivileged when there are opportunities abounding for the underprivileged athlete to get motivated enough to get the aptitude to get the scores on SATs.

Vocabulary was one issue mentioned in a recent article concerning Proposal 42. So read a book or two or three and expand your working vocabulary.

How about sending a person who is not yet prepared for the academic rigors of college life to a junior college to prepare him/her for what he/she will have to face in a recognized university?

We do not benefit from letting good athletes who cannot achieve academically into our universities.

Standards are lowered, like it or not, when we allow ill-prepared students into our schools to show us how well they learned how to catch balls during their secondary education. We may have great teams and good spirit as a result, but where will that get you after graduation if you are not one of the star athletes? If you happen to be a star athlete, what do you do when your time is up?

I like sports. I have fun at sporting events. But after the fourth quarter, last inning, and final hoopla is over what's left? School, studies, tests, quizzes, lectures and notes, that's what.

I don't have a problem with giving people a chance, but it's only fair that we all face the same standards for admission athlete or not!