The Observer, September 22, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 4
Mentoring program links faculty and student athletes
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Among the many changes that have taken place in the athletic department over the past six months, one of the most potentially beneficial to the student-athletes is the implementation of the Faculty/Staff Athletic Advisor Program. The program follows a precedent that has been set at many renowned institutions in the Ivy League as well as in the New England Small College Athletic Conference. which is better known as the "little Ivy League."
By and large, all of the coaches in the athletic department here at Case are excited about the program
"It's another great way to help our athletic department further connect with the campus community," head men's basketball coach Sean McDonnell said about the program. "This initiative allows our student-athletes to have another voice among the faculty." Many advisors are wasting no time getting involved with the team they are representing and have already been spotted attending numerous varsity games and team-sponsored cookouts.
The program is a collaborative effort between the athletic director, head coaches, the Office of Student Affairs, and of course the faculty members themselves. The basic premise of the program is to allow the faculty/staff advisor to serve as an advocate for students participating in a given sport, and to provide a valuable link between the student-athletes and the faculty.
Creating this link is certainly not the only function of the new program. In addition to providing general support to the athletes and team, the advisor will also be looked at to communicate changes in university policies that will affect intercollegiate sports participation, as well as communicate to the university community the outstanding performance of individual student-athletes and teams. Further, the advisors will act as sources of recruiting help that the coaches can utilize when hosting prospective student-athletes.
For many of the advisors, the program is simply a way to become more officially involved with a team they have been supporting for several years.
"Connie has become a familiar face to the team over the last several years," said head women's basketball coach, Jacki Windon, about new advisor and nurse practitioner Connie Crihfield. "We are extremely excited to have her as a faculty advisor for our team. The opportunities for her to be involved with our team as a resource, sounding board, and an active supporter will be a tremendous benefit to our student-athletes."
The women of the volleyball team have already formed a strong bond with their mentor, Peter Garfield, who attended all four of the team's games at its home tournament last weekend.
"He's a great person to look up to," Julianna Burrows said. "Some of the girls have had him as a professor. He'll be good in terms of spreading the word about volleyball and the rest of the sports to the student body."
At the time of printing, 12 out of the 17 varsity sports were represented by faculty advisors. Among those faculty members donating their time to the betterment of the university are Gary Pillar, who is acting as a liaison for the baseball team; Joseph Prahl, who can be seen at a wide variety of sporting events, but whose official role is with the soccer team, Jim Hurley for the football team, and Kevin Carduff for the men's basketball team.
Because of the format of the selection process, those involved with the program have very high expectations, even in this inaugural year. Instead of being a program where the faculty members are selected at random and essentially forced to fulfill a role in which they may have no interest, the opportunity was presented to everyone across campus, with only those desiring to be part of a growing athletic program taking on a role.
"This is an exciting time to be part of intercollegiate athletics at Case Western Reserve," McDonnell said. "A number of our fall sports programs are off to great starts, and I encourage all members of the Case campus community to get involved in any way that they can."
