clarity

one of the largest issues i have had to deal with working in the athletic department, specifically from those whom i talk to about my current job, are precisely the comments from my colleagues.
while many of the student athletes are of color, these students represent nowhere near half of the total population of students of color on campus. by making the assumption that the diversity of this campus comes from student-athletes, the continual connection of athlete-person of color is only solidified-- and students of color who are not athletes (like our colleague Aaron) will only continue to be assumed an athlete, therefore assumed to be less-than academically.
the point raised by Aaron in her post was the most intriguing to me: the faculty's response to students of color (athlete or no) is one of the most frustrating aspects of this campus. and due to the recent budget cuts, it looks like no one cares about recruiting faculty of color, let alone beefing up any sort of diversity education here. what needs to be addressed first and foremost is that creating limiting stereotypes for all students makes it possible for us as a whole to live down to the expectations put upon us by faculty. and although i'm sure the professors did not intentionally mean to insult Aaron, it is disabling to any student to have a professor assume intelligence based on race or any other social factor.
the fact is, student-athletes make money for this University- but more than anything they work very hard at what they do. in season, student-athletes practice 20 hours a week on top of competition alone. it is rare to find many regular students who spend their time working that hard. many students do hold jobs for 20 hours a week (like myself) but there are many students who don't- what many athletes don't get credit for is how much they do get done. resources are available for all students, but what i have found from many student-athletes is that resources in the ARC are used because the academic counselors they have there treat them with respect and genuine care. i wouldn't want to go into a stigmatizing environment that assumes i am dumb because i play sports. it is a safe environment, point blank. much the same way other students join other organizations (church groups, the greek system, multicultural grousp, etc), a community is formed that supports all aspects of life. as a scholarship student athlete, many of whom do not have the community of friends from home or high school.
also, a stat that many people don't know and surprised me after about 6 months of working: The graduation rate for those in the University sits about 60% for those staying five years or less. Others drop out. For student athletes who exhaust their eligibility (which means they compete for four years and usually stay for five) the aggregate data from ten years reveals a 96% graduation rate.
stereotypes abound for all of us, regardless of what groups we choose to affiliate ourselves with. unfortunately, student-athletes are the face of this University so their stereotypes are made all the more salient to fellow students, faculty, and staff. how can we tell the University in a greater way about the problems that all of us have talked about here? what should be done?