Lunatics Running the Asylum

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

[quote="couch 'em"]All the anger isn't about these two guys being rejected. It isn't even completely about the timing.

You have known athletic department shills/mouthpieces coming on here and trashing Turner and the board. They aren't anonymous. If this is happening that means the AD and Turner might as well be at war with each other. No matter what your standards are, when you have the AD waging a PR war against the administration there are major problems, unclear expectations, feelings of betrayal, etc. that have lead up to this. This would not be happening over just two marginal recruits.[/quote]

Interesting comment. Reading the Observor article (for what its worth) gave me the impression that the conflict is between Jones and Turner, with Orsini as more of a mediator.

In any case, and without assigning any blame, I'm pretty confident that there are going to be changes. After all, Turner requested a personal meeting with Jackson and offered him admission after 1 semester at JUCO. That strikes me as a pretty big move. If Turner were hell-bent to run off Jones and kill football, I don't think he would have made that concession.

[WSGJ]

Again, does 1 semester at Cedar Valley really prove that he could pass at SMU? This was an empty offer in my opinion, one that Turner knew wouldn't be accepted.

[Mexmustang]

First, very well could have been the error of the coaching staff--I don't think so. However, why not simply acknowledge there was an errror within the university, appologize to the two students and let them in? Clearly define the rules and make them public. No, our answer is to form another committee and met in the fall to discuss it. Is their no executive willing to lead?

Secondly, the university comes off like an elitest organization that is out of control. Anti-football doesn't even seem to be the issue, simply looks like there is no teamwork or leadership amongst the power hungry heads of departments--"let's see, how can we embarass ourselves today?"

If you could hear the pettiness that goes on as one department fights and politics with another, for funds, students, office locations, dinning hours, it would cause a private sector company to fail in one calendar quarter. The school has too many on staff that has too much time on their hands if that is all they have time to do! The school doesn't seem to be operating on the theory of teamwork and common sense.

[Cardinal Puff]

Share the opinion Stallion that started this thread. Think that after this blow up there will be pressure to pick up the pace and make a better, quicker call on admissions. More concerned with keeping the players once they are admitted. We have to have athlete friendly programs and academic support which is in front of the problem rather than picking up the pieces after the nightmare grades get posted. Finally somewhere on all of this underutilized property SMU now has there must be an indoor practice facility. There, done, move on.

[EastStang]

One problem with that scenario Mex, these kids may not have met any qualification standard set by SMU. We don't know. Apparently, they didn't or they would have been accepted. Having said that clearly there were some gaps. The process went further into the summer than was acceptable. We don't know if the kids were kept in the loop or not during that period. I know that I went to a fairly solid prep school and had no problems academically at SMU and had better than average SAT scores and off the charts ACT scores. My class rank was low (due to the fact that out of a class of 40, we had 10 National Merit Semi-finalists). They were the top ten and the rest of us were separated by pretty much a percentage point. On a given quarter one's rank could be 15 on another it could be 30. So, when my rank jumped high enough, I got accepted. And I wasn't even an athlete. So, admissions is always a bit of an inexact science and has a bit of a snob factor involved.

[Mexmustang]

Your case wasn't presented to donors putting up $10,000,000, another group pledging and raising $5,000,000 and a coaching staff and families that committed to moving to SMU and make it work. We were repeatedly led to believe that NCAA qualifiers would be admitted, they did qualify under those standards. Somehow those personal pledges by Turner were changed and people are upset--it is just that simple. Again, this is the straw and things are far from settled.

[Junior]

If the committee bases their final ruling on whether they determine there is a 50% chance of the prospective student-athlete graduating, on what are they basing this probability? That in itself seems to open itself up to a lot of interpretation.

Is this a formulaic calculation, or just the gut-feel of 5 faculty members?

[Eddie P]

I think there's a way to settle this once and for all:

THUNDERDOME!!

[EastStang]

I suspect its probably a formula and then if the formula doesn't work, gut feel. That gut probably has been influenced to some degree by some of the failures in the classroom previously by football players. If that turns around, the spigot will probably open up more.

[EastStang]

I think there's a way to settle this onnec and for all:

THUNDERDOME!!

One of the great moments in Film was the announcer in Thunderdome. Now all they need to do to get Mel that riled up is put his girlfriend on the phone.

[Eddie P]

Now, when men get to fighting, it starts here and it finishes here. Two men enter, one man leaves.

[Nacho]

i would like to see the scientific study behind this 50% probability.
i'm waiting.

[ponyte]

I have two daughters that applied to SMU over the last 4 years. One is in with flying colors. The other, with a 3.75 GPA and 1100+ SAT top 15% of her class in a top 100 high school didn't get in. Her biggest problem, as far as I can see, is she didn’t play football.

Why should two marginal academic kids be given more consideration to get into SMU than one of my very smart daughters? Why should two marginal academic kids take the place of academically qualified students like one of my daughters?

Where is the balance in this process? If these two get in, then I will scream as loud as many others to fire Turner as it isn't fair to many kids to do the work and perform in the classroom only to be bypassed because they can't play football.

Yes, the Dr. Tarr and Professor Fethers are running the asylum.

[Junior]

i would like to see the scientific study behind this 50% probability.
i'm waiting.

same question I asked earlier. no response.

[ponydawg]

I have two daughters that applied to SMU over the last 4 years. One is in with flying colors. The other, with a 3.75 GPA and 1100+ SAT top 15% of her class in a top 100 high school didn't get in. Her biggest problem, as far as I can see, is she didn’t play football.

Why should two marginal academic kids be given more consideration to get into SMU than one of my very smart daughters? Why should two marginal academic kids take the place of academically qualified students like one of my daughters?

Where is the balance in this process? If these two get in, then I will scream as loud as many others to fire Turner as it isn't fair to many kids to do the work and perform in the classroom only to be bypassed because they can't play football.

Yes, the Dr. Tarr and Professor Fethers are running the asylum.

Correct me if I am wrong. Neither of these kids would be taking your daughter's place. They would be taking the place of another athlete's football scholarship. Two different pools requires two different policies.