In response to the editorial on Feb. 12 dealing with student-athletes, I write this letter to show my support for student-athletes and to express my disappointment once again on the ignorance and lack of research or preparation the Daily has been doing in the recent years.

Now, I never have been a student-athlete at Iowa State, but I have seen firsthand the time and dedication that these students have put into not only their sport but also into school. I know this because I worked for three years as a student-athlete tutor, where I worked with them for hours a week, sometimes on the weekends or late at night after practice.

The editorial’s first paragraph stated “Imagine if some of those athletes were being paid for their actions on the field. They would no longer be students.” The editorial goes on to say that they would just be professionals attending our classes. I disagree with this assertion that student-athletes would no longer be students if they were paid because attending class, doing assignments and taking exams would in fact make them still students, as those actions are exactly what I do as a student.

Next, I want to talk about how the Daily undermines and does not recognize the time and commitment that the student-athletes go through. I’ll use a sample day from one of my student-athlete friends who is on the track team. First, he wakes up early either for conditioning or for a run before breakfast, then has a full schedule of classes before a daily four-hour practice. Then after practice, he goes to Hixson-Lied where my past colleagues, as tutors, will work with them on homework, studying and tests.

Off the field, many of these student-athletes participate in Veishea, Dance Marathon and during the TCU-ISU football game, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee even held a canned food drive which was put on by 77 student-athletes and collected 13,443 pounds of canned food. The proceeds went toward putting 27,638 meals for Iowans this winter in the Food Bank of Iowa. SAAC also organizes an adopt-a-family event, which had 6 families around central Iowa receiving holiday gifts paid for by student-athlete donations this year.

It is no secret that some of our student-athletes are only in college because their skills and talents as athletes allow them the opportunity to attend college. I cannot begin to tell you how many athletes I tutored were the first in their families to attend college. It is humbling to me and put me in my place because where I come from, the students take it for granted.

As a member of the Government of the Student Body, I regularly put in up to 10 hours a week on stuff for the elections, and complain about then having had to go to a 10 hour-a-week job sometimes last year. When I went into to tutor, very rarely did I ever hear any of my tutored students complain after being up for almost 15 hours, and they were still ready to learn at 8 or 9 p.m.

Lastly, I want to express my disappointment from the last paragraph. I found distasteful the way the Daily paints these ISU student-athletes as ungrateful. Student-athletes represent Iowa State on a higher scale of visibility and deserve to not look ragged when they are going to and from a game or tournament. Heaven forbid we feed them while they are away.

Most student-athletes I have had the distinction of knowing conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and, as the editorial said, most of the student-athletes go on to something other than professional sports. In fact, so many of them do, the student-athlete graduation rate is higher than the non-student-athlete graduation rate, and the student-athlete graduation rate at Iowa State is one of the highest in the nation among BCS schools.

Overall I think this editorial shows the outright immaturity and ignorance the Daily has shown recently. I personally was offended by the piece as it undermined my efforts previously as a tutor for the athletics department. I remember it was 2 years ago that they had a piece by Darrin Cline that had the boldness to critique what the student-athletes wear around campus. This is an ongoing issue with the Iowa State Daily, and I am disgusted with how they think they can treat our ISU students.