attaway lutes Developing student-athletes into campus leaders
J
en Thomas ’98, ’99 wears many hats in the PLU athletic department: assistant athletic director, a senior woman administrator and assistant athletic trainer. One of Thomas’ roles is mentor for the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). The council is just one of several methods by which athletics is seeking to develop student leadership and more effectively connect athletic programs to the university as a whole. “We have some great leaders in our programs, but sometimes the only people they interact with are their own teammates,” said Laurie Turner, PLU director of athletics. “Our goal is to provide leadership opportunities for athletes beyond their teams and contribute to the larger campus community.” Developing leaders in athletics fits with the mission of the university, Turner said. “It’s why we do what we do. We believe that we can have an impact on these young men and women for a lifetime.” Thomas is finishing her fourth year overseeing the SAAC. Her work supports the National Collegiate Athletic Association requirements that “a student-athlete advisory committee is an entity made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and polices that affect studentathletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses.” Thomas’ work is clearly paying off. At the outset, SAAC met once a month. Attendance – and effectiveness – was irregular as committee members sought to determine SAAC’s role on campus. Much has changed in the intervening years: twice-monthly meetings are now well attended, with most of the sports sending multiple representatives. The council has taken a strong leadership outside athletics as well, initiating programs that have improved the student-athletes’ connection to the
Jen Thomas ’98, ’99 serves as mentor for the Student Athlete Advisory Council, one of several methods by which athletics is seeking to develop student leadership and more effectively connect athletic programs to the university.
university. For instance, SAAC annually sponsors the Fall Kickoff, which takes place the first week of classes, enabling all of the student-athletes to have an opportunity to be introduced to the athletics staff, socialize with athletes from other sports, eat pizza, and receive an athletics t-shirt. Another strategy is the creation of an ASPLU Senate seat for student-athletes. The senator will function as a strong advocate for athletics within student government while also building stronger connections between athletics and the general student population. Additionally, the athletics department regularly sends representatives to NCAA-sponsored leadership conferences. There, student-athletes from around the country gather for several days to learn leadership styles and deal with real-life issues in team settings. Carl Field, SAAC representative for football, attended the 2007 StudentAthlete Leadership Conference and came back with the “buddy team” program. It pairs PLU athletic teams with
others of similar size as a way of building support and interdependence among the teams. For instance, volleyball and men’s tennis were paired during the school year. Several members of the men’s tennis team were regulars at the volleyball matches, and a number of the volleyball players returned the favor during the spring tennis season. “I think there’s been some success (with the program) that we can build upon,” Thomas said. SAAC president Missy Waldron, a member of the softball team, will be the Northwest Conference SAAC vice president during the 2008-09 school year. She and men’s tennis representative James Odan will attend the NCAA Student-Athlete Development Conference this summer. “The opportunities I’ve been given have helped me develop more as a leader,” she said. Next school year, Waldron added, SAAC will spearhead a campaign to continued on page 37
ATTAWAY LUTES > PLU SCENE SUMMER 2008 23