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chapter 11 Beyond Grades and Wins Wins? Grades? The University of Tennessee takes both very seriously, and our student-athletes are expected to do the same. I’m proud to say they do. On Day One, when women athletes walk into a classroom, they are expected to follow an established protocol that sets them on the right road academically . They are required to sit in the first three rows of their classes; they must introduce themselves to their professors and make an effort to develop a relationship with them; and if they have an unexcused absence and miss a class, they miss a competition. Tough stuff. Setting high standards on the field, court, or pool produces champions . Setting high standards in the classroom produces graduates, and I have the statistics to prove it. Women’s basketball, cross country/track and field, tennis, and volleyball at the University of Tennessee have a 100 percent graduation rate according to an October 2011 report.29 The entire Athletic Department graduation rate for men and women is 76 percent, compared to an overall four-year student body rate of 36 percent and a five-year rate of 59 percent.30 That there is life beyond wins and grades is something I remind athletes of during the course of their collegiate careers. The college experience is about expanding horizons, learning about one’s self and the world, and maturing into an adult. But it also is in the athletes’ best interest to understand that when they become “civilians” again, like the rest of us, they will need to focus on fitness to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I do see some student-athletes enter college with a single-minded, onedimensional focus that is counterproductive to experiencing the full gamut of college life. That can and will change if they jump right into the college culture that encourages creativity, independence, free expression, selfexploration , and respectful debate, as well as learning. For some, that’s a difficult transition, but one well worth making. Curiosity, eagerness to try new Beyond Grades and Wins 86 things, and willingness to explore different ideas garner success in college. Traditional students have the flexibility to vary the number of classes they take, change majors, take part in extracurricular programs, and join campus organizations. However, student-athletes do not enjoy this same level of flexibility because of the demands of their sport, their team requirements, and NCAA rules. Kerry Howland, former assistant director at the University of Tennessee Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, worked directly with studentathletes to assure that they achieve their academic goals. “All students follow academic plans set by their majors,” she noted. “The student-athlete, however, deals with the added demands of practice, play, and travel. Experiencing campus life beyond the classroom in clubs and in social and special events is even more difficult. Student-athletes have very little margin of error.” Voicing her seasoned perspective as an academician and faculty representative to the NCAA, Dr. Anne Mayhew admits that participation in college athletics can impede a student’s academic development and intellectual curiosity. “The time demands on student-athletes are sometimes a roadblock to their academic development,” she explained. “College is more than achieving passing grades; college is about developing the intellect. The accepted standard is to make the grade, but the academic experience is about exploring and discovery.” When I consider our athletes’ schedules, I am amazed that they can keep their heads above water. A student-athlete’s week day or weekend day is dictated by one of four scenarios: (1) practice, (2) home competition, (3) travel, or (4) away competition. The schedules vary from sport to sport, but the elements are the same. A typical practice day includes classes, study hall/tutors, treatments and rehabilitation, and three to four hours of practice , team meetings, film sessions, and weight training. Additional responsibilities may include community service and mentor programs. If it is on a week day, home competition includes classes, a shorter practice , film session, pre-game meal, pre-game treatment and rehab, and the competition. Afterwards there are media interviews, an autograph session, and post-game treatment and rehab. A travel day involves going to classes, traveling to a destination via bus or airplane, treatment and rehab, practice, film session, group study hall, restaurant meals, sleeping in a hotel, and curfew. An away competition day means a shorter practice, film session, treatment and rehab, individual study time, pre-game meal, the competition, [3.144.244.44...

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