With the increased requirements of academic reform, academic advisors in athletics departments around the country are feeling the pressure to keep their student-athletes eligible. Although these advisors report to the athletics director, in many ways their position sits at the intersection of academics and athletics and that can sometimes be difficult to balance.

In its spring 2008 edition, NCAA Champion magazine took a hard look at the world of academic advising and found that since academic reform was instituted "expectations are higher, stress levels have increased and downtime has become almost nonexistent." According to the article, advisors "might encourage student-athletes to stretch their limits by taking challenging courses. But they also must consider that student-athletes need to meet specific grade standards and show progress toward a degree in order to compete."

It's this tension that sparked today's article in USA Today. While it's clear that the dual goals of academic advisors may occasionally come in direct opposition, the USA Today article takes the issue a step further, insinuating that advisors encourage athletes to avoid tough majors altogether.

The paper points to a study it released yesterday which implied that athletes at many Division I institutions select easier majors so they can balance their academic and athletic demands. While there may be some advisors inclined to usher student-athletes into easier majors as a solution to remaining eligible, the characterization in USA Today didn't take into account the hard work and dedication of the vast majority of Division I academic advisors?

While academic advising is important, the USA Today article also fails to point out that ultimately an athlete's academic success falls directly on their own shoulders. "It's the student-athletes' responsibility to go to class, to take the tests, to write the papers," Jim Rost, director of the student-athlete enhancement center at Middle Tennessee, told Champion.

"It's our responsibility to provide the best environment for them to be as successful as possible," he said.

Academic reform has made many positive contributions to Division I athletics. The transformation hasn't always been easy, but in the end, student-athletes are better prepared for life thanks to the education they received at their institutions.

"By and large, people are very passionate about what they're doing and they really care for the welfare of the kids," Rost said. "It's a really rewarding field, but it takes a lot out of you too."

Do you think USA Today correctly characterized the work of academic advisors?