Regent doesn’t think athletes get special treatment

The board which governs the state-supported universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City meets tomorrow (Wednesday) to set tuition for next year, but recent controversies about student-athletes are not on the agenda. Board of Regents member David Fisher of Des Moines doesn’t think athletes are getting special treatment when they run afoul of the law. He says the athletes do get more coverage because of their high profile in sports.Some members of the Board have questioned the plea bargain agreement accepted by Iowa basketball player Pierre Pierce who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in September. He’ll serve a year of probation while sitting out of competition for a year, and the charge will be erased from his record if he completes probation without getting into trouble. Over a dozen athletes at Iowa and Iowa State have been charged with alcohol violations in the past two years, but Fisher says those cases have been overblown.Fisher says if you were to go to any college town, you’d see excess and underage drinking among the general student body, not just among athletes.Fisher says he’s confident the university presidents are handling the cases appropriately, and treating student athletes who’ve done wrong just as they would any other student.