Athletes

Utilizing Existing Programs, Resources to Build Relationship with Athletics

On campus, Greeks and athletes are often identified as "high-risk" for many of the topics we address. While many campuses have a Greek advisor and/or a Greek Affairs department to help with the education and management of these areas, many in student affairs struggle with how to address these issues with their student-athlete population and athletics department.

Many intercollegiate athletic departments have wonderful people and resources to address health and wellness topics (coaches, sports medicine staff, sports psychologists, etc.).

There are also programs and resources designed to help student affairs professionals build a successful working partnership with their athletics department. This article will briefly describe several of these programs and resources that can help you build an effective and collaborative working relationship with your athletics department as well as help you to more effectively connect with your student-athlete population.

CHAMPS/Life Skills
The first program to highlight is the NCAA's CHAMPS/Life Skills program. This program was developed by the NCAA to provide guidance and support to student-athletes in five key commitment areas:

• Academic Excellence
  
• Athletic Excellence
  
• Personal Development
  
• Career Development
  
• Service to Community
  

Four of the five areas are directly related to student affairs. Therefore, this program provides a logical opportunity to collaborate.

Much like the BACCHUS model, there is no set template on how you structure or implement your program. The only requirements are that you have a campus professional serve as a coordinator, assess and evaluate the needs of your students (while student-athletes are the intended target population, the NCAA encourages your CHAMPS/Life Skills program to include and incorporate all students), and commit any available resources to the program.

The CHAMPS/Life Skills program has a Continuing Education Conference every February. Campus professionals involved in their CHAMPS/Life Skills program can share ideas and network with others to learn how to enhance and improve their own programs.

CHOICES Grant
Since funding can often be a challenge, especially in these tight budget times, the NCAA Health and Safety division has a couple of great resources to help you build your partnership.

The CHOICES grant program provides up to $30,000 of funding over a three-year period to support a collaborative campus-wide effort to address alcohol issues. Campuses must actively involve student-athletes and their athletics department.

CHOICES grant guidelines are typically mailed to athletic departments in September and the deadline is in February.

Speaker's Grant
Another funding opportunity is the Speaker's Grant program. This program allows campuses to apply for up to $1,000 per year to support speakers that address health and wellness topics. Anyone on campus can apply for this funding, but the application must include the signature of the Athletics Director; student-athletes have to be at least part of the intended audience.

Again, tremendous opportunity exists to work with your student-athletes and athletics department to fund a speaker for campus. Institutions may apply for one $500 grant per semester, per academic year (August 1 through July 31). Application deadlines are September 1 for fall speakers and January 15 for spring speakers.

Research and Resources
In addition to the funding resources outlined above, the NCAA Health and Safety division has a variety of research, information and other resources that can be helpful and supportive of your partnership efforts. It can provide valuable information to help you understand and relate to the student-athlete culture.

APPLE Conference
One of the most dynamic and cost-effective resources to help build the collaborative bridge between campus health professionals and athletics is the APPLE Conference. This two-day, weekend conference invites a team of up to six people from a campus (at least two members of your campus team have to be student-athletes).

Attendees learn about current health and wellness topics facing today's student-athletes, with a specific focus on substance use and abuse. The team listens to speakers, attends workshops and develops a game-plan to address a need identified by a pre-conference assessment tool.

It is research-driven, results- and action-oriented, and highly cost-effective (thanks to funding support from the NCAA). The entire weekend, including registration, meals and hotel for your entire team, is only $250. If you can partner with your athletics department to be part of your campus APPLE Team, this could be a very valuable and cost-effective experience.

There are typically two conferences offered each year during the month of January, one in Charlottesville, VA (since the University of Virginia coordinates the conference), and one that rotates to various regions of the country. Registration for the conference generally opens in August, with the conference typically filling up by the end of October.

Step Up!
Finally, a new bystander intervention training called "Step Up!: Be a Leader and Make a Difference" was released last year. It can be used simply to reach out to and train your student-athletes, or it can be used with students across campus. Many campuses are using this training with Greeks, housing, student organizations and other audiences.

It was initially designed for use with student-athletes, but its versatility and applicability has been quickly realized by many campuses across the country. An accompanying website with additional resources and support for trainers and participants was launched in August 2009.

Doug Everhart
Manager, Alcohol Programs
University of California, Irvine
Athlete Liaison for The BACCHUS Network™