Last Chance U: A Candid Response

If you have not had the chance to look into Netflix’s series Last Chance U, I would highly recommend it.  I will preface my opinion with a disclaimer, clarifying that my point of view comes from that of an athletics department employee at a Division I institution.  While watching the show, I definitely found it to be entertaining; two main thoughts came to mind.  The first was a perpetuation of, what I would consider, a “stereotypical” perception of athletics.  After hearing the academic advisor say, “Now it’s my job to make sure they are eligible,” I was admittedly shocked.  Coming from a student affairs background, I tried to put myself into her shoes and consider her intentions and reasoning behind the way she was supporting these students.  I come from the school of thought that while student affairs is very much so a service industry, it is not a customer service industry.  What I mean by that is simply that there is no “quid pro quo” or “this for that.”  You don’t “pay so much in tuition to get a degree,” which we hear a lot; rather, you pay for the opportunity to earn a degree.  Similarly, we should not “make sure they are eligible” because they are a star athlete; instead, we should make sure they are afforded the same opportunities to earn a degree.  Which brings me to my second thought -- As student affairs professionals do we have favorites? Do we treat some students differently than others?  Do we go out of our way to make sure one students succeeds while expecting more effort from others?  If so are we actually hindering their development by being too accommodating? Maybe even perpetuating entitlement? I hope not.