OT: UGA Admin. Standards
I'm sure Georgia isn't the only one...especially when it comes to bending admission standards to get an athlete in a revenue sport into school.
I think UGA deserves credit for helping Mitchell learn how to read. He used to be illiterate before he sought out help.
Now he's publishing children's books and encouraging others to read.
Good dude. Who knows where he would be if he didn't have the opportunities afforded to him by UGA.
"I think UGA deserves credit for helping Mitchell learn how to read."
Of course, because I'm sure they had no ulterior motive to do so...
That being said, not sure UGA is to blame for admitting him when he was obviously getting "help" in high school.
March 20th, 2017 at 10:38 PM ^
He learned while he was out for the season due to injury.
I mean sure the school had a motive to make sure he did well, but it's not like he just did the bare minimum. According to the article below, it seems like he sure does have a passion for reading and educating others.
I doubt he would join a book club full of 40-60 year old women if he didn't actively want to learn.
March 20th, 2017 at 10:50 PM ^
"but it's not like he just did the bare minimum. "
Maybe you need to learn how to read... Your post said UGA deserves credit for helping him. I never suggested he didn't deserve any credit, instead I prefer to give him 100% of the credit.
March 21st, 2017 at 12:24 AM ^
Alright, I know you're kind of a douchebag by the way you type, but I'll bite anyway.
In a perfect scenario in which colleges fulfill their duties to actively educate "student"-athletes, UGA would probably not be getting any praise from me for this. But since we don't live in that world and instead live in a reality in which some colleges recycle players solely for their athletic abilities, UGA had no reason to give a shit about this kid's educational shortcomings. They could have done what his high school and middle school did (and a lot of other universities *cough* UNC) and let him pass without any teaching whatsoever. It doesn't seem like that's what happened. So good for UGA and Mitchell.
Crediting the school =/= diminishing Mitchell's work.
Now go pick fights over minutiae somewhere else.
I was joking, but of course you know all about me from a few posts. Sorry I ruined your day...
March 20th, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^
They do not derserve credit for admitting someone illiterate into their university. Blame the middle school and high school for passing the young man and not giving him the help he needed, but UGA deserves no credit for violating the entire purpose of a university.
March 20th, 2017 at 11:19 PM ^
It's not the sole purpose of the university, and I would even say that they were fulfilling an academic purpose by making the world a more intelligent place, one good kid at a time. Go singlehandedly save the world somewhere else.
March 21st, 2017 at 10:08 AM ^
not a remedial education center. Just because the two are focused on education and making the world a better place does not mean that remedial students belong in a university.
March 20th, 2017 at 11:25 PM ^
Yeah damn those Bulldogs for admitting a kid screwed over by his high/middle schools and giving him the opportunities to better himself that he would not have had elsewhere!
March 21st, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^
students because they didn't have the opportunity to learn to read elsewhere? Give me a break.
Why did you have to go and make a good, positive story out of it?
March 21st, 2017 at 10:53 AM ^
Did he not know how to read? It just says he never read a book on his own. I know plenty of guys like that who can read. They just don't like to do it.
Edit: Well shit, someone posted a link below saying he actually was illiterate.
I don't think I'd interpret the quote about "not reading a book on his own" as never reading a book. Unless he explicitly stated otherwise, I imagine he meant he never read a book that wasn't required for school. I'd also imagine there's plenty of pretty bright kids in the same boat who simply don't enjoy reading for pleasure.
Right I would interpret his "not reading on my own" as "I only read when required".
Much to my surprise, turns out I was wrong, Malcolm used his words deliberately here:
Once illiterate, how reading led Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell to the NFL and authordom
Thank you for the link - awesome story. Really cool to see that he's still giving back and has a passion about this. It's a nice reminder that sometimes when the world is bleak, or we're concerned with other things, there's always a bit of hope shining through.
Yeah and he wouldn't tell the kids a book they haven't heard of. Even if he was illiterate let's not jump to judgment.
I feel like he took himself out of context. Surely he had finished a book before college. Surely.
Well I disagree. And stop asking for Shirley.
Some people don't enjoy reading.
Not an excuse.
Why? I have a professional degree and haven't read a book since high school. I don't enjoy it, never have. Doesn't mean you can't be quite intelligent without books in your free time.
agreed. I love history. I watch things on TV, the internet, etc. I still hate picking up a fantasy book and reading.
You should totally try reading a history book...
1944 - Jay Winik
1776 - David McCullough
Ah, but what are you doing right now ?
People may not read books as much as they used to, but I offer that perhaps we all read more than we used to.
March 21st, 2017 at 10:56 AM ^
Right. Most (some?) of my friends are very intelligent and haven't read a book since high school.
I mean, who knows what he meant. But by common usage, "never read a book on my own" means "I always had to have help to read one." I wouldn't read it as meaning he only read books required of him as opposed to books he read voluntarily. If you chose to pick up a book for the fun of it, would you say "you read it on your own"? Not really. Besides, in context, that makes NO sense. He's encouraging kids to learn to read. Why would he single out the first book he voluntarily chose to read? And lest we admit the obvious -- why would someone who otherwise reads requires books for school pick THAT book as the first one he chose to read "on his own"? Doesn't add up. Most logical inference is that, he simply always had someone helping him read (read: reading to him).
With his paycheck now, don't matter anyway. Whomever used to read to him, he can go hire that smuck and have him/her keep reading to him.
I've heard people, myself included, say "I don't like to read on my own" to denote voluntary vs. school required reading, so it's not far fetched to interpret that's what he meant.
That said, upon further review on the Googles, Malcolm indeed was borderline illiterate coming into college and there is many an article on the topic. You sir are correct.
Exactly and I agree. I've used the phrase and have heard others respond similarly in regards to completing required reading vs. Reading for fun.
Regardless of where he started, where he is now is impressive. He's in a classroom, as an NFL player, encouraging kids to read. To be clear, I think UGA cheats and pays recruits. What prompted my OP was a kind of extension of that thinking, with potentially admitting kids that were not strong academically (even to minimum standards) as another way to cheat. Poorly expressed, perhaps, but that's where it came from.
You make a good point. If programs were more judicious and concerned about the character of their recruits, we would likely hear more stories like Mitchell's.
How do you get a UGA grad off your porch?
A. Pay him for the pizza
You have a UGA wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back in a car. Who is driving?
A. The cop
How do Georgia grad brain cells die?
A. Alone
Lame post. I read 1 complete book in High school. Rumble Fish
And still was able to graduate from Madonna University. I own a company, have a hot wife. 2 awesome kids (who also hate reading)
GO BLUE!
Agreed, your wife is hot.
that part from Talladega Nights
Teach the ancient art of Rex-kwon-do, by chance?
who are just incapable of reading for the sheer enjoyment of it, which is probably a factor in the point of pride they take in their disability.
I don't find it surprising. Our culture values sales ($), boosterism, and extroversion more than it does intellectual development, thoughtful engagement with others, and introversion.
I don't mean for this to sound like a value judgment, and I described a couple of extreme points there, but the U.S. collectively doesn't value reading.
Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn't value academics as a whole in comparison to a lot of other countries.
Well, in a number of European countries, you take a test at age 14 or 15 that pretty much determines your life's path - if you don't do well on it, you can't go to a college-prep high school, and have to attend a "professional" school instead.
America gives students a lot of second chances. Even if they aren't college-ready after finishing high school, they can go to a community college. (Not many other countries have community colleges.) We also normally expect our elite athletes to at least finish high school, if not also go on to college, whereas in many countries they turn pro as teenagers.
The tradeoff of all this is that we have a higher number of high school students who aren't very strong academically, since in other places they'd be weeded out before then. So it's complicated: we are probably less demanding than other countries in the classroom, but expect a greater proportion of our society to receive an education.
Good points. I certainly enjoy the flexibility our system has, as I made a late career change in undergrad.
It's interesting to talk to foreign students about this topic though. I have a friend from Iraq and prior to immigrating she had already completed organic chemistry and other advanced courses prior to starting college. I'll have to ask her if the system was structured similar to your description.
Not all reading is the same and I find people take a condescending tone when I say I don't read for enjoyment. Then I find out they read Harry Potter or some other trash novel. I find that to be a waste of my valuable time. I'd much rather read an earnings report but all those sophisticated readers don't have time to be concerned with saving their money. In short, I'm glad you like reading books. Now, you can take your sad indictments elsewhere.
ugly wife. What does that mean?
March 21st, 2017 at 12:19 PM ^
It's a great tune!
Yes, but what do their administrative standards have to do with his reading ability?
...still got good grades. :)
His high school grades/test scores must have met the NCAA minimum, so he would have gotten admitted at a lot of schools. How he managed qualifying grades/test scores might be the bigger question.
In any event, from the linked article earlier in this thread, it sounds like he's worked to better himself and has learned to enjoy reading, so good for him. He took advantage of the opportunities college offered him.