Freshmen should sit

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Summer Wildcat Chris Jackson

For a normal student, the shift in both academics and the expanded social life is tough enough. Throw in trying to be a Division I athlete and it becomes almost unbearable.

Sure, the jocks are coddled to some extent. Free tuition, free books, academic advising, etc., but they are not free from their classroom obligations or the distractions of the campus social system.

Academically, most athletes aren't coming from preparatory academies. Most come from public high schools, which are pathetic at best in preparing their students for the rigors of college.

Many athletes can overcome the academic transition, but not all.

Remember Miles Simon? He wasn't even a freshman, and he could barely get through his family studies classes. Now, no offense to the Family Studies Department, but that major doesn't even compare to the athletes who choose to major in things like biology or math (and yes, some athletes do major in those subjects).

Giving freshmen a year to get acclimated to the UA is a good idea.

But it's the social end of the spectrum where they must truly learn to adjust.

Face it, college is a social scene dominated by the party mentality. To paraphrase KISS, everyone does want to rock and roll all night and party every day.

How many classmates did you know who are no longer here because they partied too much?

You don't think it happens for athletes? Then why did some of the UA men's basketball freshmen get sent home from their trip to Las Vegas to play Iowa State?

Because they were running around their hotel in the wee hours and causing a ruckus. Another UA athlete, who shall remain nameless, said his team partied so much on one road trip he felt it was definitely the reason his team lost its games on that road trip.

Athletes are popular people. They were in high school and they are here. In fact, their stars are even more magnified on this level.

Being popular, they are expected to follow the code of what is popular. Namely, they are expected to party and have fun constantly, everything else be damned.

How many times did Lute Olson complain about the immaturity of his freshmen? You think these guys were at home hitting the books every night?

Partying is something that every college student does, well, almost every student. But it's a fact of life that college students will continue to party as long as time allows.

Learning how to balance parties, classes and athletics can't be easy. Giving freshmen a year to balance the first two without making them worry about carrying a basketball team makes sense.