Ohio State Basketball Will Play In Aircraft Carrier Game
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May 26, 2012
Patrick Maks checks in with some of the latest in Columbus. You guys will love this one. Be sure to follow our Buckeye correspondent on Twitter.
In an incredibly brilliant move, Ohio State, on Wednesday, announced that they will start issuing all student-athletes iPads starting next fall. This proclamation came on the same day the university decided to raise tuition 3.2 percent.
According to The Lantern, the department of athletics has budgeted $400,000 for the iPads to distribute to the some 1,100 student-athletes (or athlete-students in some cases). It’s all apparently an effort in conjunction with OSU’s new Digital First Program “which looks to transform the educational experience on campus through technology.”
As such, to kick off the initiative, OSU will issue about 500 iPads to select athletic teams this fall. While much of the specifics — like who will get them first — are still a mystery, the devices will be distributed on an “issuance and retrieval basis” meaning the iPads need to be returned upon the end of an athlete’s career at OSU.
Here are more of the deets:
Who’s Paying For It?
According to the press release on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, “the athletics department will fund the initial phase while looking for support through development opportunities over the next several years.”
Why issue some 1,100 student-athletes iPads?
In that same release, Dr. David Graham, Ohio State assistant provost for student-athlete success, said:
“The use of iPads will allow us [OSU] to find creative and innovative ways to enhance our tutoring and mentoring services for student-athletes.”
Additionally, Graham said the iPads will be “preloaded with athletics department materials currently provided to student-athletes in paper or book form.”
Again, from the release, faculty athletics representative Dr. John Bruno said:
“The state-of-the-art initiative of providing our student-athletes with iPads is consistent with this trend and, with the academic apps available, will allow our student-athletes to continue to keep pace with our student body.”
What I and Most of Us “Regular” Students Don’t Understand
For most rational thinking people, reasons why some students are outraged should be obvious when OSU is handing out iPads like fun-size M&M packets on Halloween while steadily pushing tuition up another 3.2 percent (and 3.5 percent on other things like room and board).
It’s a slap in the face for many and creates a perception that’s already out there that the university bows to Gene Smith and the athletics department’s wishes. The argument from supporters is that student-athletes put in 35 or 40 hours of work a week—almost the equivalent to a full-time job.
I can’t possibly agree with that logic when I see just “regular” students who actually work some 40 hours a week at unpaid internships. They bust their butt just as much as any student-athlete at OSU. Athlete or not, at OSU, every student is working extremely hard in one way or another.
By OSU singling the student-athlete portion of some 43,000 undergrads, it feels like, you know, to us “regular” students that they’re favoring the kids who are here on partial or full scholarships.
Not to mention, we’re just talking about the average student-athlete at OSU—not those playing high-profile sports. Undoubtedly, those athletes have extra benefits not available to the general population (calm down—that’s not to say they’re improper in any sort of way).
I’m not going to say that OSU has a tendency of placing a higher priority on athletes than the rest of the student body because I don’t know that to be true. But dropping 400k on what’s really an accessory more than anything for 1,100 of the 56,867 total students at OSU doesn’t do a lot to work against that notion.
24 Comments
I am also an OSU student and this drives me nuts. Can’t wait till all the athletes are playing Temple Run or Angry Birds on their free “educational devices”
“the devices will be distributed on an “issuance and retrieval basis” meaning the iPads need to be returned upon the end of an athlete’s career at OSU.”
Because nothing holds value like consumer electronics!
Players caught in selling iPad scandal in 3, 2, 1…
Well, at least they will raise tuition. The school district in my area wants to raise taxes to give IPADS to high school kids.
You do realize your tax dollars subsidize state universities, right? You are paying for these iPads too.
Student-athletes. Good one!
I usualit like the stuff here on WFNY…
But talk about an inflammatory headline which implies the two are somehow related. And to make such an implication is irresponsible.
Yea it may look bad to some, but that’s all.
Do you know where the money came from to buy these? Surely not from the millions and millions of dollars the athletic department makes and all the donations it gets. Cite evidence that the iPads are being paid for straight from money from students, and that the elimination of the new iPod initiative will save students money and then you have a story – because right now you don’t.
speaking from someone whose job is derived from everyone needing the latest and greatest ‘new’ thing; dang skippy.
it’ll depend on what sports these go to. if it goes to the baseball, basketball, and other teams that are constantly traveling during the week, then I am 100% down with it.
if it goes to the football team, who are always home during the week (outside a very rare thursday night game), then it’s a crock.
agreed. the subject matter inside discusses this issue fairly, but the headline is ESPNesque.
“Cite evidence that the iPads are being paid for straight from money from students”
Umm, you understand that money is fungible, right?
I do… But but the implication of the headline, and perhaps the article, is that the tuition hike and the iPads are indeed related. In order to make such a connection one should provide evidence it exists. If that can’t be done, then so be it.
However, at a state institution like Ohio State, they most likely have to stipulate exactly what fees pay for what.
My point is simply that it’s irresponsible journalism to draw connections that may or may not exist.
My advice would be to call Ohio State and request documentation on the exact funding of the iPads – that information must be provided if requested.
According to the press release on OhioStateBuckeyes.com, “the athletics
department will fund the initial phase while looking for support through
development opportunities over the next several years.”
And for the record, I agree with you and others on here that the headline is a bit sensationalist, given the article content.
However, I also don’t think the headline can be dismissed entirely. In my mind, this is similar to how people would be furious if a local municipality increased the fines from traffic tickets and then gave all the councilmen raises. The money probably would be going to new roads, improved infrastructure, etc., but it sure would look like it was going right into the paychecks of the bureaucrats.
I also wonder what “development opportunities” consist of? Are they going to sell ad space on student iPads?
Before you do homework, watch this short ad from Pepsi. Pepsi, proud beverage partner of The Ohio State University.
Haha that would be interesting…
I guess that’s my point. The statement from the OSU website is vague.
I worked for three years as a news reporter. The first thing I would have done is call OSU or visit the athletic department to find out the exact source of funding. That information is most likely specific and avaliable. If that process delayed my story a few days, so be it. I would feel that I owe my readers a reporting of the compete facts, and in the case of an editorial I would feel obliged to have my opinion be informed by as many facts as it can be.
And you are absolutely correct. The tuition increase and iPads look like a bad combo on the surface. Buy the point of journalism is not to just look at the surface – any lay person can do that.
Before I would write any news story, editorial or hard news, I need all the information. It’s lazy to just look at how things look in the surface and complain about it. It’s journalism to dig deeper.
Especially for a site that just recently ripped ESPN for a sensationalized headline concerning Lowe’s comments about Tribe attendance…
thank you.
I am an OSU student and this is just ridiculous. Aside from the obvious misallocation of funds, I would like to know if they really believe this will help the student athletes. Laptops and Ipads are TREMENDOUSLY DISTRACTING for students. It’s just a way to make OSU a better destination for potential recruits. Hopefully Stephon Diggs and Davonte Neal are thinking about recommiting and really really want a new iPad.
How is it irresponsible? The university is paying for the iPads and is increasing tuition at the same time. Should they have decided not to pay for the iPads, they would have more money, thus not necessitating an increase in tuition.
for basketball and baseball teams (and other sports with weekday games) that need to keep up on classes, many prof’s will offer to help keep much of the material online (for all students of course) and they need to be able to access it on the road for it to be useful for them. not all of these athletes can afford such electronics on their own.
and yes, they’ll get to use the play features too. don’t know why that is so damning as long as they use it for school too.
See, that’s not necessarily true!
It’s easy to assume that, but there is no reporting to show that. In fact, is quite possible the two are completely unrelated.
What of the athletic department allocated money from their bowl game to technology integration in athletics for example? What if the Turin increase is for rising health benefit costs, etc?
* tuition
I need to stop doing these comments on my phone!
When we see that the iPads go to the football and basketball players (i.e. revenue creating sports where every bit of recruiting advantage matters) can we finally admit that we’re asking the students to finance the sports teams? I understand what mgbode says above about how certain students who travel more often could use the iPads, but I can assure you that the women’s gymnastics teams will have to go down to the business center at the red roof inn to print out next weeks homework assignment.
I understand where you are going with this and agree with 1/2 of it. I absolutely do not think the football team should be “early adopters” in the iPads (and I also think they will be).
However, those revenue creating sports are likely financing this venture. I doubt the students are footing any kind of bill (they have boosters if they have to go further).
No, the students are financing the HD-LED screens on every floor of the dorms, in the student centers, classrooms, etc. And all of the other crazy fluff that is nice to have, but really unneeded and driving tuition up like crazy.
“can we finally admit that we’re asking the students to finance the sports teams?”
No… because the two are most likely unrelated. At a school like OSU the athletic department is, most likely, self-sufficient and the money for athletics does not come from students. Rather, it comes from boosters, bowl games, etc.
These two stories are separate – they don’t belong in the same headline or same article.