Most college campuses have divisions amongst their respective student bodies, specifically between traditional academic students and student-athletes. It seems that Marian University is the same.

There are disparities between how student athletes from various sports are perceived.

“I’m on the wresting team so I believe that we don’t get as much credit as an athlete on … the football team or the basketball team does,” a sophomore wrestler said.

Further, some students feel that student athletes that play football get special treatment.

“I think … the football team … get lots of scholarships,” a senior lacrosse player said. “They even get paid to come here when some of them don’t even try, so I feel like that’s not correct.”

A sophomore baseball player also stated that the football team gets special treatment but qualified it by saying that football is popular and brings in revenue.

“They just, they get a lot more things than every other team,” he said. “But they’re also really good. Yeah, they do bring in the most money.”

On top of stereotypes and special privileges, students also discussed the many perceptions, or perhaps misconceptions, that they had regarding Marian’s student-athletes.

“I think, people think that they’re partiers, or that they don’t take school as seriously,” a sophomore religious studies major said.

Another student stated that the conception that students-athletes were lazy wasn’t correct.

“A lot of people think they’re lazy,” the student said. “But honestly, now that they’re in school and they’re actually working, in order to play the sport, they need to keep their grades up. Most of the guys I know … actually want to keep their grades up.”

Most student-athletes need to play a sport to afford college.The athletic program requires them to work harder than most, just to be in school at all.

“A lot of people that aren’t athletes think that we get, almost babied in classrooms and work like that,” the sophomore wrestler said. “Which is definitely not the case. Most of the time … classwork can be … more rigorous because of practice. And …we have our coaches that are on us about our grades all the time because of eligibility rules.”

Another common misconception about student-athletes is that women’s sports aren’t as valid or important as men’s sports.

The senior lacrosse player said, “Being in a women’s sport, lots of people think that we’re … lesser, and not as good at our sports as the guys are.”

This student left her interview to endure a three-mile run later in the afternoon.