Football season is in full swing, and our team is doing an outstanding job. When I start to think about our team, I remember a situation that occurred last year, and I get a little frustrated.

In one of my freshman classes, I remember there being quite a few UNA football players, along with other student athletes. During a time when we had a huge exam coming up, one of them gave me a revelation that made me question how classes are run.

One of the athletes told me he had a copy of the exam we were all studying for. My first question was, “where in the world did he get it?” When I asked, he simply said he got it from the professor.

I was confused. He said he got to take his test home and complete it, while the rest of us had to take the test in class on the designated date. He then told me all of the football players in the class got a take-home test as well.

During that time, we were in the playoffs and performing well. The football team was bound to have tiring practices, and they also had to travel long distances while still completing assignments.

I remember talking about this situation with a friend the same day it was brought to my attention, and she was livid. She said, “I’m taking 15 hours, and I have a job. My life is stressful too!” She said she did not see why they received special treatment.

Neither do I. I know I am not a student athlete, so I will never understand the stress it brings. I do, however, know that college is not easy for anyone. Whether students are supporting themselves financially, working with a language barrier or returning to school late in life, we all face situations that make getting a degree hard at times.

While I don’t know if what this professor did was a one-time thing or a common practice, it would be hard to believe this has not happened before or is not happening now. What I ask from those who make the decisions on when, where and how we receive our assignments, lectures and tests is this: treat us fairly.

Give us the same assignments in the same fashion, unless a student has talked with you previously about an actual reason prohibiting them to do so. What most students deal with personally will probably never cross ESPN3, but believe me, we do have activities or situations that are time-consuming. We all deserve a fair chance to prove what we know.