College athletes can unionize, federal agency says

[The Brain]

Should high school athletes be considered employees?  Musicians?  Actors?

Some soccer players maybe actors, but not generally I think.

[grumbler]

there isn't any principal being violated by the mere missing of classes.

Well I'd hope they were playing sports during those times, not doing *that*.  

  Damn spell-correct!

[alfred russel]

College athletics has already been litigated. College athletic scholarships aren't taxable. Rulings by the labor relations board doesn't overturn existing tax case law.

The case of graduate student instructors had already been litigated, and then the law (and tax law) changed when GSIs at some universities declared themselves employees and formed unions.

We shall see. I would bet quite a bit that college athletes don't have to pay taxes on their scholarships.

[Capetan Mihali]

I thought the NLRB shot down the GSIs on the basis that they were "primarily" doing their teaching (i.e. work) to fulfill a requirement for their own education.

[grumbler]

I thought the NLRB shot down the GSIs on the basis that they were "primarily" doing their teaching (i.e. work) to fulfill a requirement for their own education.

There is a tax difference between Graduate Assistants (not employees) and GSI (are employees).  As far as I can tell, that difference is just that GSIs are GAs who have formed a union and declared themselves employees but that may be too simplified.

Remember that NRLB rulings apply only to private schools.  At public universities, any employees are public employees and so bound by their own state's rules.

[The Brain]

I thought the NLRB shot down the GSIs on the basis that they were "primarily" doing their teaching (i.e. work) to fulfill a requirement for their own education.

In a blaze of glory?

[Capetan Mihali]

I thought the NLRB shot down the GSIs on the basis that they were "primarily" doing their teaching (i.e. work) to fulfill a requirement for their own education.

There is a tax difference between Graduate Assistants (not employees) and GSI (are employees).

Ah right.  I think that was sort of the purpose of the GSI appellation in the first place.

[grumbler]

Here is the 197 IRS ruling on the topic:  http://www.charitableplanning.com/document/672289

[The Minsky Moment]

I don't see why anyone would advocate the elimination of college sports, like Timmay does.

He said death to the NCAA.  Not death to college sports.  Not the same thing.

You can't have inter-collegiate sports without an agreed set of rules and framework to enforce them.

Correct.  But that leaves a lot of room to discuss what those rules and frameworks should be.
Something like an NCAA is needed, but not necessarily the NCAA we have.

[crazy canuck]

I don't see why anyone would advocate the elimination of college sports, like Timmay does.

He said death to the NCAA.  Not death to college sports.  Not the same thing.

You can't have inter-collegiate sports without an agreed set of rules and framework to enforce them.

Correct.  But that leaves a lot of room to discuss what those rules and frameworks should be.
Something like an NCAA is needed, but not necessarily the NCAA we have.

Perhaps one could go further and say certainly not the NCAA we have today.

[The Minsky Moment]

Athletics are (or imo at least should be) an integral part of the educational experience. I don't see any contradiction with the educational mission of a university to miss a small number of classes to participate in athletic events.

Sure, as long as the dog is the one wagging the tail and not the other way around.
But if you get to the point where non-trivial numbers of students are being admitted without proper academic preparation and qualification and little is done to educate them, it starts to look like a chihuahua hanging off a sauropod tail.

[Capetan Mihali]

Something like an NCAA is needed, but not necessarily the NCAA we have.

You go to college athlete unionization with the NCAA you have, not the NCAA you wish you had.

[alfred russel]

Athletics are (or imo at least should be) an integral part of the educational experience. I don't see any contradiction with the educational mission of a university to miss a small number of classes to participate in athletic events.

Sure, as long as the dog is the one wagging the tail and not the other way around.
But if you get to the point where non-trivial numbers of students are being admitted without proper academic preparation and qualification and little is done to educate them, it starts to look like a chihuahua hanging off a sauropod tail.

Certainly not at Northwestern.

[crazy canuck]

[Certainly not at Northwestern.

Certainly?

[alfred russel]

[Certainly not at Northwestern.

Certainly?

97% graduate. I'd *certainly* say something is being done to educate them.