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Last weekend brought some welcome news from the athletic department: the University of Maine presented academic honors to more than half of its student-athletes for their academic performance in 2007. This is the fifth consecutive year in which more than half of all athletes received this award.
The awards were given to athletes who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better for each semester in 2007 or cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better for that time period.
This announcement is a breath of fresh air compared to the headline-grabbing misbehavior from UMaine athletes – and one coach – last semester.
Recently, calls have echoed from the pages of the Bangor Daily News and The Maine Campus to highlight ways in which athletes have a positive impact on their community. The 231 student athletes that received academic honors are an example of the positive achievements of the department and deserve to be acknowledged.
With the department enforcing such measures as mandatory study time, this cannot be written off as simply the achievements of students who happen to be athletes. The department deserves credit for providing a positive support system for its community.
This news, as well as the focus that the department places on academics, should help to dispel stereotypes about the study habits of team players. These athletes have shown that it is possible to balance extracurricular activities and school work.
Bangor Daily News