On the TunneySide of Sports June 22, 2020 #801 Up next… The Underserved!
After further review… There may be several definitions of “underserved.” The Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) defines its MUA Fund as too few primary care providers with such items as inadequate mental and dental health, etc. The discussion here has to do with another inadequacy that was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
College, high school, and kindergarten students were denied their final semester and an opportunity to graduate in their normal commencement ceremonies. (Yes, today’s kindergarteners, in some places, do have graduations. Darn, they didn’t have that for me!)
We have a grandson, Gavin, who faced this misfortune. However, with the help of his family, he handled his virtual high school graduation with class! The underserved need support.
Since this column is about sports, my question is about those high school and college athletes who missed out on their spring semester’s competition. Is that fair to them? Do we just follow the tried and true: “Life isn’t fair so just deal with it.” As adults we have learned we must “play the hand we’re dealt.” Many young people are learning that the hard way!
Is it at all feasible that we could keep those high school seniors who were so affected for another year and give them that missed opportunity to compete as a “5th-year high school senior? As a former high school administrator, I would be confident in saying the national and/or state high school federations that govern such regulations would deny that senior a 5th year. Only a few might suffer that missed opportunity to qualify for a college scholarship.
How about those 4th-year seniors in college that might need that missed spring semester to help them be accepted into the professional level in their sport? Do they qualify as being underserved? There is a legitimate term for a 5th-year senior called “Super Senior.” It is now in place but only for those who have a year’s left of eligibility. Would a senior track athlete, male or female, who has been denied their final year of competition qualify as a Super Senior?
In a recent survey by the (Leon) Panetta Institute, a large majority of college students indicated that they are longing to return to campus saying that distant learning is less meaningful than in-class learning. Some colleges have already opened and some will start today with their football T*E*A*M starting practice. Hopefully, we can provide college athletes their full athletic opportunities.
Will you log-in your thoughts about student-athlete opportunities?
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