Feb. 2 of each year marks National Signing Day, when student-athletes across the nation sign their Letters of Intent, finalizing which university they will be attending in the fall.

But what many of these student-athletes do not realize is the fact that they will have to register for classes that do not conflict with their sport's practice times. This not only leaves them at a disadvantage compared to non student-athletes, who do not have mandatory scheduled practives, but it also puts them at a disadvantage compared to non student-athletes from other universities who are allowed to pre-register.

"There is absolutely no pre-registration for student-athletes here at Sacred Heart," Chris Connerty, the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), said. "Out of the 11 universities in the Northeast Conference, only Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart do not offer some form of pre-registration for their student athletes."

Connerty, a senior forward for men's ice hockey and native of Raynham, Mass., was very shocked when he transferred from Iona College to Sacred Heart and found out that student-athletes here are not able to pre-register for classes.

"At Iona," Connerty said, "all the student-athletes were able to pre-register for classes, with seniors (having) priority over the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. It was great because what many people don't realize is that not every student-athlete is there on a scholarship, leaving them in a bind between the classes that they are paying for and the athletic team that they are committed to."

Pre-registration is an early form of registration for some college students that takes place before the general registration period. Monmouth University, located in West Long Branch, N.J., is one of the schools in the NEC that offers all of its student-athletes the ability to pre-register for classes.

"(Monmouth administration members) recognize the contributions that their student-athletes make both on and off the fields of play," Connerty said. "Athletics is one of the largest sources of revenue, besides tuition, that the university receives."

Fairleigh Dickinson University, located in Madison, N.J., is an NEC member that offers a different, yet effective, form of pre-registration.

"Our student-athletes can register the first day of priority registration," Jennifer Quirk, the Director of Academic and Student Athlete Support Services at Fairleigh Dickinson University, said. "They receive the same special accommodations as the honor students, seniors with at least 96 credits, and those students in our Regional Center for Students with Learning Disabilities."

In many cases here at Sacred Heart, student-athletes are forced to decide between taking classes that they would not normally take or missing scheduled practices.

But Ass. Dean Michael Bozzone, a dean to the College of Arts and Science and an English professor here at Sacred Heart, looks upon pre-registration for student-athletes in a different light.

"I am not for pre-registration for just student athletes, but for anyone," Bozzone said.

"I understand that student-athletes have other commitments besides academics, but they are still students and it is not fair to non student-athletes to give them a limited choice of classes that they could take. Student-athletes should take their turn just like every other student here at Sacred Heart."

Connerty believes it is unfair when a student-athlete has to change his or her major due to scheduling problems.

"The truth is that at the Division I level, student-athletes at this university should not be missing any practices because of scheduling conflicts; they should be allowed to fulfill both their athletic and academic commitments in order to be as successful as possible," he said.

Bozzone, on the other hand, believes non student-athletes' rights would be unfairly infringed upon if student-athletes were given pre-registration privileges.

"If a student-athlete encounters a problem with class scheduling," Bozzone said, "Then myself, as well as the rest of the administration, are more than happy to help them with their problem. We aren't against anyone getting a good schedule, but we feel that everyone should have an equal shot."

Another problem that some student-athletes are faced with is the scheduling of required core courses, such as religious studies and philosophy courses. A student at Sacred Heart is required to take either two religion courses and one philosophy course or two philosophy courses and one religion course in order to graduate.

But Sacred Heart only offers 15 religious studies introduction courses a semester, with eight of the courses between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. All of the classes combined only hold 450 students, which is just over half of the 850 student athletes, alone, that attend the university.

"If an athletic team schedules its daily practices from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.," Connerty said, "it would put a student-athlete in a bind in this situation, because it would cut the number of available spots in half. It is not fair to a student-athlete to be forced to miss a class or a practice because of an insufficient amount of course offerings that the university provides."

But Bozzone doesn't feel that the number of classes offered by Sacred Heart should affect student-athlete pre-registration.

"Sacred Heart is not big enough to allow certain students to register before others," Bozzone said. "The only students that get preferred registration are seniors who need to graduate. The system has been proven to work and is fair, but most importantly, doesn't favor anyone.

"And if I am not mistaken, coaches just want to get their players out there, even if they are a little late. And it has been from my personal experience that some of my best students are student-athletes," he said.