Tuesday, April 6, 2010


Student-Athletes

.
Professor to appear on CNN’s ‘360’

April 5, 2010 by News Staff

By Drew Teague

CNN contacted communications professor Alan DeSantis through UK Public Relations when the network was looking for professors with expertise in the area. DeSantis, who had been the faculty athletics representative for four years, will focus particularly on low graduation rates in men’s basketball, specifically at UK.

DeSantis’ role as the faculty athletics representative had two parts to its mission, DeSantis said.

“Being a champion for student-athletes’ rights and maintaining a level of academic excellence,” DeSantis said.

He placed some of the blame of low graduation rates on the tough traveling schedules of student-athletes, which causes them to sometimes miss multiple days in a row of class. DeSantis said the NCAA, CBS and ESPN contribute to the problem.

ESPN says teams that do not have at least a 40 percent graduation rate should not be eligible for post-season play, yet outlets like ESPN decide when games are played, and late times often contribute to difficulty in class attendance, he said.

Americans have a hunger for college basketball, DeSantis said, especially around March, which is feeding the problem of the media outlets pulling students from classes.

“(The outlets) tell our kids they have to play at 10 p.m. to satisfy the appetite of Americans,” DeSantis said. “Before we start blaming the athletes, we need to change the system.”

The university is doing its best to help the student-athletes graduate, DeSantis said, but there are some outside forces that administrators cannot control.

“We work hard here at UK to get students through, but we are doing it with one hand tied behind our backs,” DeSantis said. “We as a university can’t do anything about what CBS and ESPN dictate. This is through the NCAA.”

Because ESPN and CBS decide when the teams have to play, and games make the networks money, stations are using athletes like they do actors — to entertain the public, DeSantis said.

“We need to define (the athletes’) role as entertainers,” he said.

DeSantis said March Madness is a particularly difficult time for basketball student-athletes, because they are pulled out of class even more.

“They may be (in class) only Mondays for five weeks in a row,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said the NCAA should limit when games are played to the weekends — Friday afternoons through Sunday.

The episode of “Anderson Cooper 360” featuring DeSantis will air on Tuesday at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on CNN.

No comments:











Post a link to this blog on your Twitter
page by clicking on the logo above.




Our doggy, Kai, was in the hospital for 5 days,
the Veterinarian bill is over $4000.
We need Help!
If you can, Please donate,
we'll appreciate it very much:


Thank You.





Click on the map to see how much Anderson
is admired all over the world.


You are visitor #

Since October 19, 2008


New Orleans'
PONTCHARTRAIN
Humane Society's
WISH LIST
Sam
They helped find and care
for pets lost after Hurricane Katrina.
Now they need your help.
PLEASE DONATE
Anderson would love you
even more!


Television Blog Directory

My Zimbio

[Valid Atom 1.0]


AC's Book


A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival," a "New York Times" best seller, is his account of the people he's met, the things he's seen and the lessons he's learned in the midst of devastation.


Dispatches from the Edge
Woven into the narrative is Anderson's struggle to understand his own family's personal tragedies. The paperback version came out May 8, 2007.

Excerpt: Dispatches from the Edge
Review: Anderson cooper's journey
'360' Blog: Anderson on the new book





Peter's Books

(3 short stories and 1 short play.)


The first installment of "The Gay Ghost Trilogy" is the story of Charles Lanier, a young gay guy who rents an apartment on Lake Shore Drive on the near north side of Chicago, and the unexpected adventures he encounters from the day he moves in. And that's only the beginning; follow up with "The Next Gay Ghost" and "The Two Gay Ghosts." Each story can be read independently from the other two installments. Or get all three books in one with "The Gay Ghost Trilogy."

"The Gay Ghost"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Next Gay Ghost"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Two Gay Ghosts"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Gay Ghost Trilogy"

Paperback: $22.91 + shipping


And a One Act Play about a gay Garamatean and a gay Earthling:

"Baktrohmm"

Paperback: $10.70 + shipping






Fast, easy and free submission
to many of the main Search Engines.


Visit my web sites dedicated to these handsome and talented TV guys.

Anderson Cooper

Click on Anderson's face
to visit my "Shameless
Anderson Cooper
Worship" Web Page


Thomas Roberts

Click on Thomas' hunky face
to visit this
Handsome and Talented
Anchorman


A.J. Hammer

Click on A. J.'s cute face to
visit this other
Handsome and Talented
New Yorker


Rob Marciano

Click on Rob Marciano's
handsome face to visit
this Sexy and Talented
Meteorologist






Links:


Anderson CNN

  • Anderson Cooper Program Index
  • Anderson Cooper 360° Blog
  • Anderson Cooper 360 Transcripts


  • Anderson Fan Sites

  • Shameless Anderson Cooper Worship 1
  • Shameless Anderson Cooper Worship 2
  • CNN-Fan Page Anderson Cooper
  • Addicted to Anderson Cooper
  • All Things Anderson
  • AnderNation: Anderson Images
  • AHC - Wikipedia
  • AC360 - Wikipedia



  • Present for Anderson on his 40th birthday.

    Star name: Anderson Cooper
    Star number: 111604
    Star magnitud: 8.20
    Star color: white (brilliant)
    Constellation: Gemini
    Coordinates: RA: 4H 6m 13.01s
    Declination: 8° 30m 10.22s