January 18, 2013
SAAC Blog From the NCAA Convention - Update No. 2
Rose Pitkin, Emma Madarasz, and Richard Scott of the
Swarthmore College Student Athlete Advisory Committee are attending
the NCAA Convention in Grapevine, Texas. While at the convention,
they will be providing blog updates detailing their
experiences.
Wow! Today was awesome. It really could not have been much
better! We spent the day attending more educational sessions
followed by the opening business session and finally a wonderful
delegate reception.
In the morning, Rose and Emma attended an educational session
called “Creating Fair Learning and Competitive Environments:
Serving the LGBTQ Community in Athletics.” What an experience
this was! On the panel were the legendary and pioneering Pat
Griffin and Sue Rankin, the incredible LGBTQ advocate Nevin Caple,
and finally the executive director of the ground-breaking group
Athlete Ally, Hudson Taylor. We learned a lot about the ways
campuses can be inclusive of the LGBTQ student-athlete and
faculty/staff community. We also learned about a new 92 page
resource guide Pat and Hudson have put together regarding ways to
be inclusive of the LGBTQ athletics community.
(Hudson Taylor, Athlete Ally and
Speaker at the LGBTQ session)
Afterwards, Rose and Emma attended the session called
“Foul Language and Sportsmanship: Dealing with
Student-Athletes’ Offensive Language.” What we took
away from this the most was understanding exactly who foul language
effects. Not only does it effect your teammates, but also the way
referees and opposing teams view our school, the way fans view our
teams, the way young athletes develop as a result of aspiring to be
like collegiate athletes, and the way we represent ourselves.
Clearly, avoiding any and all foul language is one of the easiest
ways to work towards maintaining sportsmanship on and off the
playing field.
Finally, after a delicious lunch, Rose and Emma attended a
lecture entitled “Crisis Management: A Discussion with
Homeland Security” in which they gained valuable information
about how to maintain control of information in an age where the
media is such a powerful and infiltrating presence. The most
effective way to do so is to create a plan for moments of crisis
and practice it periodically in order to ensure that every
faculty/staff member and student athlete is briefed on both their
rights and role when outside parties become involved in scandal,
compliance issues, and personal problems regarding any members of
the campus community. Overall, the best practice is being prepared;
if your school can discuss problems before they actually happen
(and hopefully they never do), everyone involved in the
problem-solving process will know exactly what to do.
Richard spent the day attending the NCAA DIII specific
educational sessions. First, at “Student-Athlete
Well-Being—New Trends”, convention delegates from
different parts of the country shared their experience with some of
the newest ideas in student wellness. The panel touched on
interaction with drugs and alcohol (Did you know that DIII has the
highest incidence of drug and alcohol use?), bystander
intervention, and communication. At the end, an administrator
offered some suggestions for student wellness discussion topics to
bring back to school. We’re sure you’ll hear from us
about some of these topics at SAAC meetings throughout the
semester, like nutrition in athletics. You can check out some of
these wellness suggestions at ncaa.org.
The second DIII educational session of the day involved
compliance. The girls went to a compliance talk yesterday, so
Richard went with Adam and Nnenna to “Rues Compliance Campus
Integration.” What was most striking about this panel was the
overwhelming role that faculty members seem to play in athletics
throughout DIII. Something we’ll have to talk about back at
Swarthmore is how to best cultivate and foster relationships
between athletics and professors up the hill.
To end the educational sessions for the day, Richard went to
the final DIII specific talk of the convention: “Integrating
Athletics Fundraising with Institutional Advancement and
Development Programs.” While this educational panel was
geared mostly to athletic directors and institutional presidents,
Richard thought about some of the ways students can get involved
with fundraising and development. We students may not be the ones
making the connections with donors and alumni, but the department
needs to be able to show that we are getting the best of our
Swarthmore experience as both students and athletes.
(The signature ceiling of the Lone
Star Atrium at the Gaylord Texan)
Finally the business component of the convention began with a
huge presentation from NCAA President Mark Emmert. He told the
story of the first intercollegiate athletic events in the United
States in order to demonstrate the importance of the values upon
which the NCAA was founded. He described these values like a
two-sided coin: one side is shiny and appealing, the other dark and
dirty. The shiny side reflects the pure excitement of raw
competition and the draw of sport and athletics. The dark side
symbolized the rules and regulations that limit the dangerous
aspects of raw competition. While the 1905 Harvard vs Yale football
game was the largest spectator event of the year, 19 athletes died
in football contests during that very year. It’s the
NCAA’s job to keep that coin balanced on its edge, so that
one side does not dominate sport.
At this presentation, Dr. Emmert awarded Donna Lopiano with
the Gerald R Ford Award. Ms. Lopiano was rejected from boys’
athletic leagues as a child and ultimately became a fundamental
part of the Title IX movement. Because of her, thousands of women
now have access to the same opportunities as male athletes.
(The lighting at dinner was blue for
the NCAA!)
To end the day, the NCAA provided all 3200 attendees with a
beautiful dinner reception. We sat for a couple of hours and
discussed A TON OF IDEAS that we’ll bring back to Swarthmore.
Here we got to meet some of the administrators from the Centennial
Conference. Tomorrow, Rose and Emma will be able to sit with them
and discuss the recent NCAA legislative proposals. Follow the girls
@SwarthmoreSAAC!
On the way back to the hotel, we got a taste of southern
hospitality when we shared some awesome conversations with a flight
attendant and a woman who wished she could play softball. Need any
reading suggestions? Cause the second woman had a few books that
sound pretty good.
Richard’s heading home early tomorrow morning. He thanks
the President’s office and the Dean’s office more than
he is able to say. You can follow the final stages of his trip
@garnetrunner.
Emma, Richard, and Rose
Blog Update 1
