As a follow-up to my previous post about whether athletes should be paid, it’s important to note that they are not only paid via tuition, room and board and a stipend, but they are allowed some sources of income. The IUPUI Handbook states that “All athletically related income and benefits from sources other than IUPUI must be reported in writing to the Chancellor on an annual basis.” Example sources of income include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Sports camps. 2. Complimentary ticket sales. 3. Television and radio programs 4. Endorsement or consultation contracts with athletics shoe, apparel or equipment manufacturers. 5. Speaking engagements or appearances. 6. Private lessons or individual skills instruction. The Athletically-related Outside Income Reporting Form is to be completed by each coach and submitted to the Associate Athletics Director for Compliance each fiscal year. The completed forms are then sent to the Director of Athletics for approval. Completed forms are maintained in personnel files. While income sources are limited, athletes are not completely limited is the point here. I know they can receive stipends from sports camps. As I ponder my observations during this mentorship experience, the question related to whether athletes should be paid has often come up. While I know many think they should, my perspective is that they are already paid through tuition, room and board and the stipends they receive. Tuition alone is a benefit that can equal $30 – 40,000 per year and even more depending on the university. If it is every decided to pay college athletes, then there is a bidding for which athletes get the most, which can create unfair and unequal treatment and disputes Title IX of the NCAA rules. Money generated from athletics also pays the athletic department staff, athletic scholarships, stipends received, and all of the athletic department expenses for all sports. We all know some sports generate more revenue than others and can limit funding for those sports that don’t generate as much income. While the NCAA rules can be interpreted as somewhat stringent, they simply have to be followed and I believe they align with the best interests of both the school and the student. I always thought athletes should be paid and this hasn’t changed since this experience.
I finally got a chance to thoroughly review the IUPUI Student Athlete Handbook and wanted to share a few things I learned from the review and how it applies to my experiences so far. First, the mission of our academic departments is to help student-athletes to realize their academic goals, personal potential and career aspirations. The mission of the IUPUI Athletics Academic Support Program is to challenge and support student-athletes, promote student-athlete learning and encourage intellectual and personal development of student-athletes. A goal that supports this mission is to assist student-athletes in clarification of life and career goals.
This is a part of what I enjoyed about this internship/mentorship. I truly enjoy supporting student athletes because I know it is needed having been a student athlete myself. It is also to provide to provide information and assistance to student-athletes regarding degree requirements, course selection, career planning, campus resources, eligibility, registration, study skills, tutoring, etc. This was a good part of what I have been spending my time supporting during this experience. For me it is about getting through to the students not only the importance of athletic performance and focus but also on academics because there should be a balance and education is critical, especially since not every athlete will continue on with a professional career and for those that do, education is something that can never be taken away. The department also focuses on the importance of education and required student athletes to declare a major by the end of their freshman year. It is also expected that they graduate in a timely manner. There is also a fair amount of oversight provided to students which I believe is important to student’s success. So far my experience has been one in which I thrive because I know it aligns with the direction of my career in collegiate athletics. Today I provided support for the Jags Reading Club. This is an example of how IUPUI’s Department of Athletics and its student-athletes are continuously involved in community service activities. The Department of Athletics joined with Elder W. Diggs Indiana Public Schools to provide a reading program for elementary students, referred to as the Jaguars Reading Club. The program is designed to have a mentor, an IUPUI Athletics Administrator, coach or student-athlete, paired with two students for 30-minute periods.
During this time, the students read to the mentors and the mentors are able to work with the students on word recognition, definition, and comprehension. Following each 30-minute period, notes are taken and put in a folder to document where the students left off and what was accomplished during the session. The department’s mission calls for it to be involved in community service that makes a difference. It is also missioned to develop every student athlete and this is one of many ways that mission is accomplished. I see it as a way of building character with our students. It is strictly volunteer but many of our student athletes participate. You can say that I played the role of an Academic Advisor as a part of my mentorship experience who gained exposure and experience to the role of the Athletic and Associate Athletic Director. I have been an academic advisor and even managed academic advisors in previous roles, but never in an athletics department. There are many similarities including providing guidance and advice to students, review progress, offer guidance for classes to register for, etc. One difference is that we had to ensure students are attending required study tables, are registered for classes, are prepared for tests, address concerns and challenges, and schedule tutoring. We also have to ensure our student athletes are adhering to NCAA rules. There is much more oversight with the student on the academics side of collegiate athletics.
At many universities there is a separate academic and NCAA compliance department. This is not the case at IUPUI. The academics department handles the much of the compliance as well which was good for me because it gave me exposure to two areas of collegiate athletics that I might not have had at another university. This was an exciting day for me because I finally go to meet 1:1 with Athletic Director, Dr. Roderick Perry. I realize that I knew him from another school where my brother, a college basketball prospect was recruited. He remembered my brother so that was a nice connection.
In the meeting we talked about the business, his plans to switch the school’s sponsorship to Adidas and the business reasons why. He also talked about balancing academic standards, and finding ways to generate revenue and visibility for the university’s athletic program. He has students do things in the community on and off campus to generate more interest in the school, including having student athletes reach out to boosters. An example of an event I participated in this same week was called Jag Jam, where students can meet some of the athletes. This is fun for both the students and athletes and generates more visibility to the school’s athletic program. I learned a lot from my meeting with him that I will apply in my future career in collegiate athletics. Study tables are in the evenings. M-R (4-10 p.m.) Sunday (4-9pm). Again, study tables are there to provide academic support to our athletes. It can be a long night during finals time as shared in a previous post. This is a good opportunity to really observe the students, determine their needs, and assess any issues that need to be addressed.
I was able to share game plans for preparing for big tests, especially when athletes were on the road. When tutoring I also had to stop and check-in to ensure their understanding. It was interesting to note how students get their required study table hours completed. Some would treat their life as a student athlete like a job. For example. I had a student who had to travel for to compete a particular week, so he went to study table, went to class, and went back to study tables for a total of nine hours so he could complete his required hours for the week. Class could be thought of as his lunch break. I loved seeing students her were dedicated to being successful and making it work for them. Indianapolis hosted the NCAA swimming tournament, and IUPUI along with Indiana Sports Corp. (for which I am a member) co-hosted the actual events. Hosting such events is an example of how IUPUI promotes its school and athletic department. I not only attended some of the competitive events but also got to proctor exams for both IUPUI, Wisconsin and Cal who both had athletes competing. We received instructions from the schools to administer the exams because school work still continues and tests in this case were administered at our school. We work with the academic advisors at the other schools to manage the academic side of things and we simply scan and email or mail the test results. Good experiences as I continue to be in a thriving environment that brings me excitement, a college athletics department. What a perfect combination!
I spent most of this week conducting class checks, which is all about utilizing the student roster and class schedule, and walking around to student classes to check that they are in class as they should be. I started doing this early on and found a mixed bag of students who attend class regularly and few for which I had to have 1:1 chats. All student-athletes are expected to be present for every meeting of classes in which they are enrolled unless excused for team travel and competition. This is a policy that is upheld at the school. In the case of an illness, accident or an emergency, student-athletes are required to make direct contact with his/her instructor(s) or the Athletics Academic Support Program as soon as possible. The student athlete handbook is very explicit about this.
I can say that IUPUI is truly committed to supporting its student athletes in every way possible. This might be one aspect of my experience I enjoyed the most because it also involved having real talks with the students and connecting with them on a different level. Indianapolis hosted the NCAA swimming tournament and IUPUI and Indiana Sports Corp. (for which I am a member) co-hosted the actual events. I learned that IUPUI and Indiana Sports Corp work together with the city to host such events, which gave me more insight into the business side of collegiate athletics. Hosting such events is a way for the city and school to generate revenue. Indianapolis hosts many major sporting events including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four back in 2016. The Athletic Director, Dr. Roderick Perry is also on the NCAA board.
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