TDNet Discover

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the graduation and enrollment rates of underrepresented minority student athletes in a public 4-year institution of higher education preCOVID-19 pandemic (2017-2018) and post COVID-19 pandemic (2022-2023). This study focused on two research questions through the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory (CRT) and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The first research question was what is the difference in graduation rates of underrepresented minority student athletes at Auburn University pre-COVID19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022-2023)? The second research question was what is the difference undergraduate enrollment rates of underrepresented minority student athletes at Auburn University pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2018) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022-2023)? The population for this study is 4,827 URM student athletes in the 2017- 2018 dataset and 4,425 URM student athletes in the 2022-2023 dataset. The data is analyzed by calculating Independent Sample t-tests, Cohen’s d tests, Leveine’s test, and using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). There was no statistical difference and the null hypothesis was accepted for both research questions. Based on the results of the study, the COVID-19 pandemic might have correlation with lower graduation rates of URM student athletes and slightly higher enrollment rates of URM student athletes but this study did not prove causation. There are areas where future research can be completed especially with different populations and financial literacy for students earning money through the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) policy.