Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell’s and the entire Athletic Board’s commitment to the student athlete is questionable.

After debating for an hour, the board apparently threw out a policy not to schedule games near finals week. The men’s basketball team will play at Liberty University in Virginia on Saturday, Dec. 8. The women will travel to Michigan State. Finals officially begin Monday Dec. 10.

Board chairman Ray Dembinski summed it up best. “We do have a policy. But there is an exception every year…(so) you have to question if it’s a valid policy.”

It’s disheartening to see NIU schedule such games as schools and NCAA officials clamor to cut the number of games and ease the pressure on student-athletes.

Apparently O’Dell and the board are confident in their players’ academic prowess. Apparently they believe the inconvenience of playing in Virginia and Michigan two days before finals can be overcome.

Not to mention the fact that professors always give their finals during finals week.

NIU has long stressed the importance of academics. They point to requiring athletes to perform better in the classroom than the rules the NCAA mandates.

But scheduling a game in Virginia and Michigan to insure that 28 games are played is ludicrous.

“It’s a very poor message for us to play 26 games,” O’Dell said. What kind of message does it send to play a game so close to final exams?