Firing Back

[AUloggerhead 2,231]

Link

Ex-Auburn players deny receiving special treatmentAssociated Press

AUBURN, Ala. -- The one-on-one coursework an Auburn professor provided to dozens of students, including a number of football players during the Tigers' unbeaten 2004 season, is typically granted only under special circumstances, a professor said.

The university is investigating claims that the athletes were able to maintain eligibility and help boost the program's academic rankings by taking what are known as "directed-reading" classes by Dr. Thomas Petee, interim director of Auburn's sociology department.

"A student may need a class for graduation that may not be offered at a time that fits into their schedule," Auburn sociology professor Paul Starr told the Opelika-Auburn News in a story Friday. "So if the professor agrees, they can meet with the student on an individual basis and assign work and reading.

"A professor normally doesn't take on many of these because of the demand on your time and workload," he said.

But Petee offered the directed-reading format to 250 students in 2004-2005, including 18 members of the 2004 football team, along with other athletes, according to a report in Friday's New York Times.

The 18 players took a combined 97 hours of the criminology and sociology courses with Petee during their careers, the newspaper reported. The Tigers went 13-0 and finished the 2004 season ranked No. 2 nationally.

The Times cited records compiled by professor James Gundlach, the director of the Auburn sociology department who reports to Petee. Neither professor immediately returned e-mails or calls Friday from The Associated Press.

Coach Tommy Tuberville and athletic director Jay Jacobs were also unavailable for comment.

Auburn interim President Ed Richardson said in a statement Thursday that the university would deal with the issue "directly and openly" and release the investigation's findings.

Two players who took the courses under Petee, tailback Carnell Williams and defensive end Doug Langenfeld, said they did nothing wrong and didn't get special treatment.

Williams took two courses during the spring of his senior year in 2005 while spending much of his time on the road meeting with NFL teams. He had already completed his playing career at the time.

"I didn't do nothing illegal or anything like that," Williams, now a tailback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told the Times. "My work was good. It was definitely real work."

Langenfeld was battling to remain academically eligible for Auburn's Sugar Bowl game when he dropped one course and picked up a nine-week criminology class. He said he took the class at the advice of his academic counselor and that it wasn't comprised only of athletes.

"I don't know if any teachers give away free grades," Langenfeld told The Huntsville Times. "If they do, they're not at Auburn."

Tuberville's program has drawn praise for more than its play on the field. The Tigers scored 981 on the NCAA's Academic Program Rate released in March, trailing only Stanford, Navy and Boston College among Division I-A football programs.

Under the NCAA's academic reforms, programs that fail to meet the NCAA's minimum academic progress rate -- determined by a points formula that rewards long-term eligibility and retention of student-athletes -- can lose scholarships.

Auburn football players received an average GPA of 3.31 in Petee's directed-reading courses, according to statistics compiled by Gundlach. Their average was 2.14 in all other credit hours, he said.

Gundlach said he found that more than a quarter of the students in Petee's directed-reading classes were athletes.

He also told the Opelika-Auburn News that Petee started doing the directed-reading in small numbers just in criminology courses but the numbers grew and included sociology, which Gundlach teaches.

"I didn't think it was appropriate for him to take over teaching the sociology major entirely on his own in a directed-reading format. It was an insult to me and what I do," Gundlach said.

That last comment is very telling -- appears to support the theory of disgruntled employee motivation. Still, I would like to see the results of the university's investigation before passing judgement.

[DKW 86 7,424]

The more he speaks the more he sinply looks like a disgruntled employee.

[TexasTiger 12,876]

Link

Ex-Auburn players deny receiving special treatmentAssociated Press

AUBURN, Ala. -- The one-on-one coursework an Auburn professor provided to dozens of students, including a number of football players during the Tigers' unbeaten 2004 season, is typically granted only under special circumstances, a professor said.

The university is investigating claims that the athletes were able to maintain eligibility and help boost the program's academic rankings by taking what are known as "directed-reading" classes by Dr. Thomas Petee, interim director of Auburn's sociology department.

"A student may need a class for graduation that may not be offered at a time that fits into their schedule," Auburn sociology professor Paul Starr told the Opelika-Auburn News in a story Friday. "So if the professor agrees, they can meet with the student on an individual basis and assign work and reading.

"A professor normally doesn't take on many of these because of the demand on your time and workload," he said.

But Petee offered the directed-reading format to 250 students in 2004-2005, including 18 members of the 2004 football team, along with other athletes, according to a report in Friday's New York Times.

The 18 players took a combined 97 hours of the criminology and sociology courses with Petee during their careers, the newspaper reported. The Tigers went 13-0 and finished the 2004 season ranked No. 2 nationally.

The Times cited records compiled by professor James Gundlach, the director of the Auburn sociology department who reports to Petee. Neither professor immediately returned e-mails or calls Friday from The Associated Press.

Coach Tommy Tuberville and athletic director Jay Jacobs were also unavailable for comment.

Auburn interim President Ed Richardson said in a statement Thursday that the university would deal with the issue "directly and openly" and release the investigation's findings.

Two players who took the courses under Petee, tailback Carnell Williams and defensive end Doug Langenfeld, said they did nothing wrong and didn't get special treatment.

Williams took two courses during the spring of his senior year in 2005 while spending much of his time on the road meeting with NFL teams. He had already completed his playing career at the time.

"I didn't do nothing illegal or anything like that," Williams, now a tailback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told the Times. "My work was good. It was definitely real work."

Langenfeld was battling to remain academically eligible for Auburn's Sugar Bowl game when he dropped one course and picked up a nine-week criminology class. He said he took the class at the advice of his academic counselor and that it wasn't comprised only of athletes.

"I don't know if any teachers give away free grades," Langenfeld told The Huntsville Times. "If they do, they're not at Auburn."

Tuberville's program has drawn praise for more than its play on the field. The Tigers scored 981 on the NCAA's Academic Program Rate released in March, trailing only Stanford, Navy and Boston College among Division I-A football programs.

Under the NCAA's academic reforms, programs that fail to meet the NCAA's minimum academic progress rate -- determined by a points formula that rewards long-term eligibility and retention of student-athletes -- can lose scholarships.

Auburn football players received an average GPA of 3.31 in Petee's directed-reading courses, according to statistics compiled by Gundlach. Their average was 2.14 in all other credit hours, he said.

Gundlach said he found that more than a quarter of the students in Petee's directed-reading classes were athletes.

He also told the Opelika-Auburn News that Petee started doing the directed-reading in small numbers just in criminology courses but the numbers grew and included sociology, which Gundlach teaches.

"I didn't think it was appropriate for him to take over teaching the sociology major entirely on his own in a directed-reading format. It was an insult to me and what I do," Gundlach said.

That last comment is very telling -- appears to support the theory of disgruntled employee motivation. Still, I would like to see the results of the university's investigation before passing judgement.

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He's obviously disgruntled, but it points out the fact that Petee is teaching courses he's not really qualified to teach. He's a criminologist, not a sociologist. He may be qualified to teach some sociology courses, but he seems to have overreached. Most any professor would take issue with this and I'll be shocked if Auburn's investigation doesn't conclude it was a bad practice-- maybe not a violation, but not a practice any respected academic institution condones. To me, this story is really less about athletes than it is about a poor academic practice that should not have happened.

[KunzelTiger 0]

I agree! Mr. Thamel missed the real story....its not a story about Auburn athletics this is a story about the bad practices in our sociology department! Either way I would have prefered they let us handle it internally and not put it in the NYT

[Raven_tiger 5]

Auburn football players received an average GPA of 3.31 in Petee's directed-reading courses, according to statistics compiled by Gundlach. Their average was 2.14 in all other credit hours, he said.

If true, why couldn't Petee have taught some ME classes??? It would have sure helped my GPA.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

Texas you are probably right that he did overreach, but the question is what classes did he teach.

The only real class that has been listed is the statistics class, and if you go to his home page he has a link set up that shows that stat 2010 (my 2010 was taught by someone from the psych department) and has a link to problem sets. So he does teach that class and is qualified to do so. The sociology major requires taking 2 criminology classes with one being over the 3000 level, and there is a directed reading/independent study criminology course that is at the 4000 level.

For the stats and research methods class, all those instructors are qualified to teach those. That Gundlach guy teaches stats 2010 and the research methods class. I think the research method class was mentioned also, those things are the same in every major with the end changed. My HLHP research methods and Psych research methods were identical in content. Being a sociologist, criminologist, anthropologist or any other ologist won't make a difference.

Gundlach wasn't well liked prior to this from reading students comments, so was Peete doing the whole major or were students avoiding Gundlach and going to Peete for the classes, which he is qualified to teach, and that added more fuel to the fire.

[AFTiger 282]

Ray Melick had a nasty column in the Birmingham News today

In it he said "But if I had a degree - any degree - from Auburn University, I might be inclined to hide it right now. "

I say; Only if it were a degree in journalism.

Melick's link

[Iluvorangeandblue 0]

Professor Petee used to be a neighbor of mine. He has great character and I believe only wants to be a help to students. The only problem he probably has is that he is too dedicated.

[JohnDeere 0]

Ray Melick had a nasty column in the Birmingham News today

In it he said "But if I had a degree - any degree - from Auburn University, I might be inclined to hide it right now. "

I say; Only if it were a degree in journalism.

Melick's link

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From the story "If Auburn wants to hand out degrees in sociology like toys in a McDonald's Happy Meal, as long as the drive-through window is open to everyone, the NCAA's hands are tied.

But if I had a degree - any degree - from Auburn University, I might be inclined to hide it right now.

The value of every Auburn diploma just went into a major decline. "

F*&$ the B'ham rag and AL.com

[Draven 0]

Did anyone honestly think we would see anything different out of the Bamaham News? Or AL.com for that matter? Not Me.

[AFTiger 282]

Ray Melick had a nasty column in the Birmingham News today

In it he said "But if I had a degree - any degree - from Auburn University, I might be inclined to hide it right now. "

I say; Only if it were a degree in journalism.

Melick's link

248161[/snapback]

He replied

"Thank you, and very clever. I laughed out loud. I should have used that one myself."

[AUwingsfan 1]

Ok, well one question I have is how many students that have gone to college have not looked for a way to lighten their course load while still getting credit hours?? Last time I checked independent studies weren't illegal either. From what I've heard all these students, whether they are athletes or not, did their work, so honestly why is it seeming like the student's were doing things wrong?? Who in their right mind would decide to do something that they knew was more demanding of their time when they could get the same result from doing something which was less demanding, and more flexible?? It's funny that student athletes are being singled out, because they are the ones who have to attend practices, games, meetings, banquets, and probably publicity things, along with whatever community involvement they have. I know many will say they are paid with an education, and they are, and so are people who are on academic scholarships, but those with academic scholarships aren't having to do all of these extra things to earn their money, and it's not like the schools are making money off of these student's method of earning their education. So whoever wants to tell me that students at any school who play sports don't look for an easier schedule while still earning credit towards their degree, I'm all ears. How many of you took some "easy A" courses when in school to boost the old GPA and free time for some of the more difficult courses you took during the same semester??? I know I have, and to be honest, I don't see anything wrong with it. The real blame for this situation should be on those who are at the university who know if something is "not fair" and should bring it up to the proper people, and I have a sneaking suspicion that those people are not writing for the New York Times.

Bottomline for me is, most school's athletic programs probably are looking after their kids and making them go to class and study halls (as is the case at Auburn). It's funny that now that students are working to get a degree it's questioned as to how they got the degree....isn't them getting a degree through a few easy classes better than them taking money under the table to play a sport???