In the minds of many at Oakton, the school’s student-athletes are overloaded with commitments. Due to the consuming nature of their sports, many athletes find it difficult to keep up with both the pace of their schoolwork and their busy sports schedules. In order to help ease some of their stresses, a debate has arisen over whether the student-athletes, who make up about 40% of the student body, deserve special privileges that would help them compete better academically. While there is some dispute over such privileges, generally because of suspicions towards the actual fairness of such changes, several of the proposed privileges have been gaining traction among the student body.
In the eyes of many students, such changes would certainly be welcomed. For one tennis player, sophomore Avery Olsen, in-season athletes do deserve some lenience on their schoolwork. “If you’re trying to stay committed to a sport you really should get a break on your homework,” said Olsen. “How can you focus on either your sport or the schoolwork if you’re being weighed down by both of them?” Another athlete, field hockey player Cate Mustain, proposes that rather than getting extensions, or outright excuses on assignments, athletes deserve extra time to get their work done. “Student-athletes should get an extra study hall or something else to help them get their work finished, maybe in place of PE,” said Mustain.
Olsen and Mustain’s sentiments are widely shared, as many students agree that athletes deserve some kind of privileges to help them keep up with their schoolwork — and it’s not just student-athletes who subscribe to this belief. There are many students who don’t participate in school sports who share this idea, such as sophomore Barrett Calhoun. As Calhoun put it,“Student-athletes are helping Oakton be a better, more diverse place. Their effort and dedication deserves to be recognized.”
However, many also believe that allowing only student-athletes to have these advantages over other students is simply unfair. Take for instance history teacher Ben Kaplan, who also coaches baseball at the school. According to Kaplan, it should be more of an all-or-nothing proposition with the special benefits. “Basically everyone at our school has extra-curricular activities,” said Kaplan. “Why should just the athletes who play for a school team get benefits? There are kids at Oakton who do art, music, and even non-school affiliated sports. Shouldn’t they get some special privileges too?”
Kaplan’s argument provides an interesting perspective on the situation, especially coming from one who coaches a school sport.When looking at the situation of whether to give athletes certain privileges, it is vital to consider the other side of the argument, which is often less vocalized. The idea of allowing athletes certain benefits, such as an extra study hall, or assignment extensions, is to create a more fair learning environment for everyone involved. Were Oakton to start giving these privileges to athletes, a serious question would be raised:
Is it truly fair to give special privileges to a single group of students within the school community?
