Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/collegiannews
January 28, 2015 VOLUME 31 NO.2 Visit online at www.collegiannews.com
Follow us on Twitter! @GPCollegian THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE STUDENTS SINCE 1987
Athletes disappointed over Jaguar curtain call
Around the Perimeter Campus News
All sports recruitment is cancelled, effective immediately, says interim president Rob Watts
Our Journeys
3
Who's Up for MVP?
3
State of the Union
4
Dr. King Vigil
4
Town Hall Update
5
Centerfold: Merger Concerns
6-7
Sports Student Athletes: More than Just Jocks
8
Basketball Captains Freshman forward Darius Bridges (#25) scores on Albany Tech at one of his last games as a GPC Jaguar.
By Ben Abrams Collegian Staff
Q
uite frankly I think it’s unfair, because it leaves a lot of athletes without what we were promised: free education and a chance to play basketball, said Brie Reckley (#11), a sophomore for the Lady Jaguars basketball team. “That’s how I feel about it.” GPC interim president Robb Watts made the decision on Jan. 12 and announced it at a town hall meeting on Jan. 13 on the Dunwoody campus to suspend recruiting and scholarships for GPC athletics next year. The meeting was hosted Georgia State’s President Mark Becker to discuss the early details of the consolidation between GPC and GSU that will happen next year. Akiem Balium, sports editor for the GSU Signal, reports that a meeting took place between Watts and Athletic Director Alfred Barney on Jan. 5. The meeting ended with Watts and Barney in agreement about status of the athletic program for 2016. Watts officially told The Collegian on Jan. 16 that there will be no
intercollegiate athletics at GPC for the next academic year. The decision was met with disappointment from the entire athletic staff. Barney, also men’s head basketball coach, said, “I’m disappointed to be honest that we don’t have athletics next year. A lot of people put a lot of time, effort, and energy into building these programs to recruit on a national level.” Marlon Reid (#44), a forward for the Jaguars, shared his disappointment. “I feel that it is unfair to the students, especially the freshman, the fact the they only get to play one year." Reid’s teammate Darius Bridges (#25) also said, “It’s a hurtful feeling to know that it’s my freshman year, and my last year to play basketball here.” Freshman forward, Daryl Tucker (#20) has accepted the end of his GPC career. “Everything is happening so fast. I really like this school, and playing for this school is an honor," he said. "I’m just flabbergasted that everything is happening so quick. You have a basketball team full of brothers, and you feel like we’re just breaking up.”
Watts shared his reason for ending GPC sports after this semester during the town hall meeting. Watts felt that it would be wrong to bring in a new class of recruits next year and then force them to transfer after the year was over. According to Watts, 47 scholarship athletes are sophomores and 86 are freshmen, with Barney estimating around 70 of them are being recruited to play for other schools right now. What happens to the freshmen and redshirt sophomores who were planning on playing at GPC next year? Barney explained that there are two options for these students. Option one is that the athletes can stay at GPC for academics and the school will still honor the cost of the scholarship. The second option is that the athletes will be granted their release and they can transfer to any jcollege they want without having to miss any potential playing time. Any sophomores who have played for GPC for two years but still need classes to graduate will have their fall classes covered by the school. Watts sent all 86 freshmen letters informing them about
9
Photo by Ben Abrams.
their options. Reid still had objections about the decision after the alternatives were announced. “I feel that it is unfair even though they're going to fund us, I still don’t think that they should stop the program.” He also pointed out, “We didn’t hear about it until now, and with basketball most schools and colleges they recruit early so we try to get on another team and they tell us this now it’s going to be hard to earn a spot on a roster that is already halfway full.” The second concern that has to be addressed with Watt’s decision is what will happen to Barney and the rest of the athletic staff ? “As athletic director and a coach, my tenure at the end of the semester is over,” Barney confirmed. “Hopefully, I can stay on in some other capacity. I don’t know. I’m just waiting to hear from the president and the powers to be to see how that goes.” What does this mean for the rest of the department? Barney continued, “Sad to say coaches, athletic directors, trainers, and secretaries are going to have to look for new jobs.”
Opinion Paper or Plastic?
10
Volunteering: The Key to Making a Difference
10
Features 2015 Fashion Trends
11