2008 Woodie Awards
Student athletes face challenges in classroom
By Mike Mallory
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 1/20/06 Section: Sports
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A student-athlete at Slippery Rock University must balance their time between school, a sport, focusing on the future and if they have time, a glimmer of a social life. The key intangibles are the words, student-athlete, with student coming first. The goal of administrators and faculty is to promote that education needs to become a priority, without taking away the importance of athletics.
"I think the campus does a good job with keeping things in perspective," Athletic Director Paul Lueken said.
Beginning with the Athletics Academic Assistance Program, the university assists all athletes from the first time they walk on the SRU campus. The program's goals are to encourage academic and athletic excellence, to assist athletes with time management and to help first-year students adjust to the demands of college.
Benefits of the program include a student athlete academic orientation, which takes place at the beginning of the school year to help first-year students get acquainted with various support programs. Each first-year student must also attend two college workshops throughout the fall semester. Grade reports are distributed the fourth week of each semester to report the status of grades, attendance, assignments and class preparation, for example. Mid-term and final grade reports are delivered to respective coaches as well.
"We really play hard on the academic end of things," Lueken said.
The final pieces of the program are study table sessions. All first-year students and transfers, as well as any upperclassmen who have obtained a 2.3 or lower cumulative grade point average must attend study tables each week throughout the semester. All first-year students who obtain a 3.5 grade point average in their first semester will be excused from attending in the spring.
Reprimands for study table violations include staying extra hours during future sessions, being forced to miss a practice, a game or being dismissed from the team altogether if the number of violations reaches an alarming level of significance.
"I think that some of the kids need a study table. It shows the students that we care. It is a solid indicator," said John Papa, cross country and track & field coach. "You just have to have the attitude of, I have to do it, I have to get it done."
