Camila Figueroa is a multimedia journalist for Samford News Network.
About 10% of the freshman class this year came in undeclared. Dana Basinger, an advisor for Howard College of Arts and Sciences explains why this is so. “We do have a lot of undeclared majors,” Basinger said. “Some of those are athletes. The athletics department likes for the to come in undeclared, it helps them with their NCAA regulations, we also have pre-harm that are undeclared. Most undeclared students are not ready to say what they will do.”
After learning about what types of students come in undeclared, it was important to know why some of them do, more specifically, student athletes.
Colin Ash, the head advisor for student athletes, described that students are encouraged to come in undeclared and why.
“We like for our students to come in undeclared if they can,” Colin Ash said. “It helps us get a better response of what they want to explore, what they are interested in. We start out with taking the general classes, one major class for a degree they are interested in pursuing.”
When asked about the NCAA regulation student athletes must follow, Colin Ash explained what is expected.
“[The rules are] not too restrictive, they’re a guideline so they are on the track for graduation. Every student must pass a certain amount of hours each fall, each spring, and a total amount each year. There are numbers that relate to the percentage of each student’s degree plan they have to finish at the end of year to stay on track for graduation.”
According to the NCAA guidelines, student athletes must specifically take at least six hours each term.
They must also finish 20% of their degree by their second year, 60% by their third year, and 80% by their fourth year.
The student also must adhere to the school’s average GPA.
Samford Athletic’s Bylaws specify this rule.
According to the bylaws, student athletes must achieve 90% of the average GPA by their second year, 95% by their third year, and 100% by their fourth year.
While athletes have these regulations to follow, coming in undeclared is also encouraged to help students find a career they can pursue outside of athletics.
For more information, tune into Samford News Network.
