A Polk County District Court judge ruled Tuesday that Drake basketball players Lamont Evans and Dontaie Smith will not be allowed to rejoin the basketball team. The players were removed from the team after being declared academically ineligible.Drake enforced its requirement of a 2.0 grade-point average, which is higher than the NCAA-required 1.8 and removed Evans and Smith from the team. They were right to do so.As an institute of higher education, Drake has a right and a responsibility to hold their students to a high academic standard. Athletes should also be held to this standard.A 2.0 GPA is a reasonable expectation for a college student. This means maintaining a C average, which any college student should be able to do.Student-athletes often receive a great deal of academic support, such as tutoring from both the university and the athletics department. With the amount of help they receive, these students should be expected to maintain a 2.0 GPA.Student-athletes used to play sports as an extra-curricular — meaning they were at a university to get an education, and played sports in their spare time. However, today, the standard seems to have changed. It is important to remember that the first goal of any student is to get an education.Athletes are not the only students on a campus who spend a lot of time on extra-curricular activities. Leaders of student governments and organizations, as well as those who hold outside jobs, have just as many time restraints as student-athletes. These people are still expected to maintain academic excellence, and athletes should be expected to do the same.