Challenge Check-In #2

To: Mikayla Beaudrie
From: Peggy Porter <pporter@ufl.edu>
Date: November 16, 2014
Re: Challenge Check-In #2

As I stated in an earlier blog post, I have chosen challenge number two, hip-hop spaces. I will be writing about the basketball weight room, and how I feel it has hip-hip elements. I am still in a brainstorming phase on this assignment, and I have taken some photos of the motivational quotes on the wall and I am thinking of how to tie these into my paper. I feel as though these quotes have aspects of hip-hop. One of the quotes, "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" I feel strongly correlates with the deeper meaning of hip-hop. Hip-hop resonates a sense of overcoming financial and social obstacles, specifically from residents of the inner-city. This quote ties in perfectly to this overcoming aspect, but that is not the only element of this space that I feel correlates with hip-hop. Hip-hop music and rap are constantly blaring, and I have actually written a paragraph about the musical aspect of the gym and how it correlates with hip-hop. A third aspect, that is delaying my writing process because I am finding it difficult to describe in words, is that this space fills me with adrenaline and a sense of power and strength. I feel as though these feelings I get at the gym are feelings that hip-hop tries to inspire in its listeners. I have written one paragraph about the musical aspects of hip-hop within this space, taken photos of the gym (and I don't know whether I should include these somehow in my paper or not), and I am brainstorming how to write about the feelings I have when I walk into this space.

10 Solutions to My Problem Statement

In another post to your blog, identify 10 different solutions to the problem you previously identified. There are three types of solutions you can propose: practical, research, or multimedia. (Try to incorporate a mix of different solution genres.) Briefly (in 2-3 sentences) explain the solution. Post this to your blog by Monday, November 17th by 9:35am. 

Problem: One of the most prevalent issues amongst NCAA sports is the fact that student athletes, who are competing in an effort to promote their respective schools, may not receive pay from their school for their athletic participation, and because of this do not have access to funds for personal use.

1) The reason colleges may not pay their student athletes is because of NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2, which prohibits athletes competing in collegiate events from receiving pay for their sport. This policy needs to be changed to allow colleges to pay their athletes for their competition at school, but still keep professional athletes out of college sports. (practical)

2) NCAA should not change Bylaw 12.1.2, but should further regulate the hours that a coach can require his or her players to practice. This way, if student athletes wish for additional funds, they have time to have a part-time job.

3) Instead of paying athletes, colleges should research other ways that are already legal by NCAA policy and provide more amenities to student athletes.

4) Colleges should conduct a survey on their student athletes to see what they feel they are lacking and that the school could potentially provide to them. This could be done in various ways, from having coaches ask them individually to having a mass email survey. 

5) Change NCAA policies so that colleges can give whatever scholarships they can afford. Increase the budget of the athletic department so that all student athletes receive a full scholarship (room and board included). Not all athletes receive a full scholarship, so this would help to alleviate financial stress.

6) If the budget of the athletic department cannot be increased, cut some sports teams so that all remaining athletes receive a full scholarship. Although this takes away opportunities for some student athletes, it provides a greater opportunity to the students that would remain.

7) Come up with a set of criteria for which a student athlete is eligible for a full scholarship. If student athletes are struggling financially, and they meet the criteria, they will be rewarded a full scholarship. Although this does not eliminate the need for funds for personal reasons, it will relieve financial stress for those who need it most.

8) Create jobs on campus that are designed for student athletes. For example, the school cafeteria could hire student athletes to assist with clean up or serving, and because they are being employed through the school, their work hours would be based off of their practice and study schedule.

9) Allow student athletes to accept money for autographs. This way, the athletes that are bringing in the most money for the school are compensated for their time and the utilization of their name.

10) Eliminate athletic programs. This would completely eradicate the problem.

Problem Statement Rough Draft

One of the most prevalent issues amongst NCAA sports is the fact that student athletes, who are competing in an effort to promote their respective schools, may not receive pay from their school for their athletic participation, and because of this do not have the ability to access funds for personal use. Although college athletes do receive scholarships and monetary benefits not received by other students, their sport and studies do not allow time for a part time job, as many other students may have if they so choose. The college will provide food, lodging, and other benefits necessary to the athlete’s sport or studies, but may not provide money for anything else. This places student athletes at a disadvantage with regards to spending money. In order to have a well-rounded college experience, students need to be able to afford leisurely activities and events.

            The reason colleges may not reimburse student athletes for their athletic endeavors is because of NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2, which states that a student athlete is not eligible for participation in college sports if he or she has ever “Taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport” (2012, p. 2). This clearly states that if a college athlete were to receive payment for competition in their sport, it would result in a loss of eligibility to compete in any NCAA sporting events. This rule is in place to make competition fair amongst all universities, no matter the budget of the Athletic Department. The reasoning behind this rule is that if colleges were to be able to pay their athletes, the bigger schools with greater athletic budgets would be able to buy out the best athletes, thus making the competition unfair. However, the primary reason that the NCAA exists is to protect student athletes, and to ensure that they are given the greatest chance of success possible. Although it is important to keep athletics competitive across all divisions and attempt to allow all schools, not matter their size or budget, an equal chance of success, it is more important to protect the actual competitors of collegiate sports.

            NCAA Bylaw 12.1.2 does not support student athletes. These student athletes, particularly in sports that provide a high income such as football or basketball, are not fairly reimbursed for their time, work, and the use of their name and character. It should not be allowed for a school to utilize the name of their students and make millions of dollars off of their character and athletic performance, as is the case of some high-profile athletes, and for these students to not receive monetary reimbursement of the same proportions that the school receives. Because these student athletes work so hard for no pay, this Bylaw also increases the chances that student athletes will violate other NCAA policies, as they have not other way to earn spending money. It is not uncommon to hear on the radio or see on ESPN news coverage of a student athlete that was caught for violating NCAA policies in order to make a profit. Common examples of this are the selling of autographs, or “rigging” games in order to make a profit by gambling. This should make it so obvious that if these student athletes are willing to risk their life’s work, both academically and financially, then they are desperate for money. Although room, board, and education are provided for student athletes through scholarships, other necessities such as travel to the school and back to the student’s home, as well as money for food on weekends when school cafeterias are closed down are not provided. The fact that these basic needs of college students are not provided proves that the inclusion of Bylaw 12.1.2 is exploiting college athletes.

11.10 Homework

The article "Reducing HIV and AIDS through Prevention (RHAP): A Theoretically Based Approach for Teaching HIV Prevention to Adolescents through an Exploration of Popular Music" investigates the lack of engagement adolescents feel when being educated about HIV prevention, specifically how this lack of engagement takes from the potential of these adolescents to learn and keep themselves safe from STDs, such as HIV. The solution that is being implemented is the RHAP program. The RHAP program looks to raise adolescent awareness of HIV and AIDs through the use of hip-hop/rap music. The program is run through schools, and asks students to identify lyrics that promote behaviors that lead to an increased risk of contracting HIV. Three terms used in this article stuck out to me as unfamiliar. One such term was "sexual script". I now know that a sexual script is an expectation of how males and females are supposed to behave in sexual situations based on their gender. The second term I did not understand was "pedagogue". I have heard this used before, but did not know what it meant. Pedagogue means teacher. Although I likely could have inferred what "self-efficacy" meant before reading this article, its meaning is more clear to me now. This term is used to describe self-confidence, or belief in oneself, especially regarding the ability to reach a goal.

11.7 Homework

Several ideas come to mind when I brainstorm problems I would like to address in my proposal assignment prompt.

1) College athletes and the financial difficulties they are faced with.
- although college athletes do receive scholarships and monetary benefits not received by other students, their sport and studies do not allow time for a part time job, as many other students can have, and this places them at a disadvantage regarding spending money, which is important to have a well-rounded college experience.
2) College students and difficulties picking a major.
- It is scary for teenagers to make decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, and perhaps universities should offer programs that will help them make well-informed decisions.
3) Media portrayal of the "ideal" female figure
- everywhere women look, they are faced with photoshopped photographs of rail-thin women, and is leads women to believe (unrealistically) that this is how they should look in order to be seen as beautiful.
4) Negative public opinion regarding genetically modified crops
-GMOs have not been proven to be detrimental to health, and could be the key to providing a balance between solving world hunger problems and keeping the environment healthy. The negative public opinion regarding this solution to so many problems limits the potential of the world.
5) The United States of America's role as "international peacekeeper"
- Any country in the world that has the ability to intervene in crimes of humanity or terrorism to help the common good should do so. However, the US seems to do so out of selfish and underhanded motives.
6) animal shelters that euthanize
- if an animal shelter is going to round up animals only to euthanize them in a matter of weeks, it should not exist. Although this is beneficial to human health to keep stray dogs and cats off the street, this is only from the very selfish mindset that human life is more important than the life of other organisms.
7) feedlot cattle farming
- cattle that are kept on a feedlot and plumped up on foods that are not natural or healthy (either for cattle or for humans) in order to be slaughtered should not be allowed into the food industry. It is not healthy or humane.
8) police brutality
- increasingly, the media is portraying the police force for their brutality, and it causes fear and distrust in society regarding the very people that are meant to keep us safe. Better care should be taken in who is allowed to be a police officers, and this should be done by taking a closer look at their mental health.
9) Disregard of mental illnesses
-American society as a whole has a habit of not taking mental health seriously, to the point where mental illnesses are ridiculed and made fun of. This has to stop.
10) High school drop outs
-more creative solutions to preventing high school students from discontinuing their education must be found.

11.3 Homework

The two sources I found that I think would be helpful in my essay are "Enduring Dilemmas of Female Celebrity," by Karen Sternheimer, and "Social media, gender, and privacy," which is sourced to "Marking to Women: Addressing Women and Women's Sensibilities." The source written by Karen Sternheimer is an online PDF, and it addresses the fine line female celebrities walk as they are both judged and celebrated for every decision they make. This will help me with my paper, because the photo leak of female celebrities that I am evaluating addresses how women that are in the spotlight are constantly judged, as the rest of society often forgets that they are allowed to make mistakes and are also human beings with emotions and faults. Hopefully I will be able to both generate and pull ideas from this source. The second source, "Marketing to Women: Addressing Women and Women's Sensibilities"is a brief article that offers statistics and percentages of women and men and their habits over social media. I feel as though this is appropriate in my essay because it will give me the facts regarding the average woman's comfort level online. My essay covers the photo leak, and it will be helpful to know how comfortable most people are sharing intimate photos and information over social media.

Blog Post #3

B. Find an image of a famous person who you have always, for whatever, reason identified with. This person may be a writer, movie star, musician, athlete, etc. Beneath the image, briefly describe who this person is. Then freewrite about what significance you ascribe to this person and/or why you have always felt drawn to, admired, etc. this person.

Above is Caroline Wozniacki, a professional tennis player and former number one in the world. She is currently ranked top 10 in the world, and she fights for every match as hard as she can. Throughout her career, she has been faced with several obstacles. At certain points of her career, nobody believed in her, and it was often vocalized that she didn't deserve to be world ranked number one, or that she didn't have the potential to win a grand slam title. I've always admired Caroline Wozniacki for her resilience. Despite what everyone had to say about her, her tennis, and her personal life, she has remained positive, put her head down and just kept working. She fell dramatically in the rankings after being world number one, and she climbed back up into the top ten when everyone believed her career was done. I feel as though I can relate to her passion for the game and her work ethic. Although I obviously don't know her personally, the way she handles herself off the court is extremely admirable. She has always been classy, whether she comes out of matches as a winner or in defeat. I aspire to handle myself and my emotions during and after tennis matches as well as she does. She never speaks ill of anyone, whether it is an ex, a rival, or somebody that speaks poorly of her. I find this her most admirable and classy characteristic.