Tracy Shea brushes herself off after diving for a ball, checks her watch and groans as she realizes she'll only have half an hour to shower, change and get to work after practice.
Shea, 21, usually spends more than 18 hours a week practicing and playing for the SF State softball team, not including travel time to away games or time spent in the training room.
She also holds down two jobs, working about 20 hours a week while softball is in season. She recently had to transfer from the Disney Store in the Stanford Mall to the one in Serramonte because she simply didn't have the time to get to and from work given her already hectic schedule.
Because of NCAA regulations, she must be enrolled in at least 12 units that satisfy either general education requirements or count for her liberal studies major. One of the ways she is able to meet these NCAA regulations, called satisfactory progress, is priority registration.
SF State athletes currently get priority registration as part of an agreement with the NCAA over the university's probation. In 1994, SF State was placed on three-year probation for various infractions, including giving credit hours for remedial, tutorial or noncredit classes after some of the athletes' first year.
Though none of the athletes involved attend the university today, the NCAA demanded more institutional control over student-athletes and their courses. According to athletics advisor Doug Hupke, the agreement states outright that athletes must have priority registration.
However, Hupke said there is some question as to whether athletes will continue to have priority registration when the probationary period is up.
If it is taken away, the university will be in the same situation that caused it to be on probation in the first place. The athletes were not able to get the classes they needed, so they were counting classes toward satisfactory progress that didn't actually satisfy the guidelines.
"Any other student can take any class they want to," Assistant Athletic Director Randi Lydum said. "If they're interested in ceramics, they can just enroll in the class for fun.
"Athletes can't do that. If we don't have priority registration, students will be unable to arrange a schedule that allows them to meet the requirements and to participate in their sport," she said.
Shea agreed. "If we didn't have priority registration, it would be hard because we couldn't get all morning classes. I would not have time to practice or to go to work."
She also pointed out that priority registration is one of the few advantages SF State has to offer to recruits. She said that one of the main reasons she chose SF State over Chico State was that she knew she would get playing time, and she knew she would be able to get classes that allowed her to play.
"Now that women's sports have to add even more people, what benefits of playing time will we be able to give them?" Shea said. "We don't get many priorities or privileges by being an athlete here. There are no scholarships offered, so it would be hard to recruit without priority registration."
Even though athletes do have the privilege of priority registration, many don't use it for a couple of different reasons. First, fees must be paid in time in order to keep the early registration date.
Also, athletes who do not continue to meet satisfactory progress do not get to keep their priority registration.
"It's not a given right," Hupke said. "It's there, but it's earned."
Lydum said there are about 250 athletes eligible for priority registration, but there are no figures available for how many take advantage of it.
According to Shea, even with priority registration the pressures of being a student athlete can be overwhelming because of time constraints and a lack of a personal life.
"My boyfriend and I are having problems because of lack of time spent together due to school, work, practice and games," Shea said. "There just isn't enough time to do everything."
On Feb. 14, 1997 the probation period will be up, and the department will be reviewed. When that time comes, one of the main issues will be whether priority registration is here to stay. If it is cut, many athletes will have to weigh the advantages offered by SF State and the difficulty in getting an education while playing their sport.
"The fact is there are certain rules and regulations set by the NCAA, and those rules do make athletes different," Hupke said. "They need to be afforded the opportunity to get classes. I know a lot of people don't agree with it, but when you impose rules like these, you are separating the athletes out."