Athletes cluster(f)ing academics

Student-Athlete clustering in Communication, Business Administration, Sociology and other restricted majors

Academically unprepared athletes tend to cluster in certain "less rigorous majors" and areas.

College with highest clustering in 2010:

• College of Arts and Sciences

Major with highest clustering in 2010:

• Business Administration.

"Professor Teresa Harrison, Faculty Representative and Chair of the Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Board […] reviewed the distribution of athletes in all of the university's majors. The percentages are highest in the College of Arts and Sciences with the most popular major being Business Administration. […] Vice President [Lee] McElroy indicated that some student athletes, who may not be prepared academically, such as students of color, may be looking for less rigorous majors and there may be a tendency for clustering in certain academic areas."

University Senate Executive Committee, Monday; April 26, 2010 3:30-5:00 PM, http://www.albany.edu/04-26-10_SEC_Minutes_(rmr).doc

Majors with highest clustering in 2011:

• Business Administration.

• Communication

• Sociology

"Professor Harrison reviewed the percentages of student-athletes in each school […] The three most popular majors are Business Administration, Communication and Sociology. Faculty members have in the past expressed concern about some teams clustering in certain majors but the data does not support this view."

University Senate Executive Committee, Monday, February 28, 2011 3:30 PM, http://www.albany.edu/2-28-2011_SEC_Minutes.doc

Majors with highest clustering in 2011-2012:

• Restricted majors

"Dr. Harrison explained her role as Faculty Athletics Representative […] She noted that we have a significant number of student athletes enrolled in restricted majors."

2011-2012 University Senate. Monday, April 2, 2012 2:45 pm, http://www.albany.edu/senate/images/4-2-12_Minutes_REVISED(1).doc

I'd be surprised if the clustering were across *all* restricted majors. Mathematics, for example? That would be fairly shocking.

"Currently, admission to the following majors is restricted: accounting, business administration, criminal justice, economics, mathematics, psychology, rhetoric and communication, social welfare, and sociology."

"Majors - University at Albany-SUNY." http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/majors.html

Business Administration, Communication, and Sociology are restricted majors, and familiar ones from 2010 and 2011.

No mention of clustering in minors, but that would be worthwhile to review.