Division III athletes are not pampered. They don’t account for much of their university’s revenue, as superstars and franchise types of players do. These athletes are real and dedicated students, not the characters who float around with a ball in their hands and a book somewhere – maybe in the locker, or perhaps at home.
A record number of USM student athletes were recently awarded in appreciation for their hard work in class. Up from 96 students last year, this year an amazing 123 William B. Wise Scholar-Athlete Awards were distributed to students who play sports and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above.
Freshman athletes coming to USM cannot look past the message of academics before athletics sent by the Athletics Department. First year athletes are under mandatory academic supervision.
Freshmen are assured full academic support through the Academic Initiative Program. With the assistance of Meredith Bickford, learning center manager, and a staff of tutors in all subjects, student-athletes are given the tools needed to remain on top of their busy schedules. Freshman athletes are not only required to spend four hours of study time in the Gorham Learning Center every week, but are also required to attend meetings with Bickford at least once every two weeks.
The academic status of each athlete is monitored scrupulously. Professors are hounded about the grades and midway through the semester a progress report is issued for each one. If student-athletes start falling behind, USM will put the whip to them.
The incoming athletes also attend two workshops to give them pointers on how to adjust to collegiate studies. They attend a 50-minute seminar on an organizational topic such as note-taking or time-management, and they are also required to listen to a workshop on civility.
Freshman athletes know what is expected of them. They make the meetings and keep up their grades or they will no longer be athletes. This is effective enforcement. The young students are not given a trial period before they start with academic assistance. It is not ‘Wait until they fail and then throw them a lifeline as they are drowning in work that is overdue.’ The athletes in the program never have the opportunity to slack off.
The resulting mass of award winners has proven this program to be no waste of time.
“Recognition is very important,” said Kim Turner, assistant athletic director.
Clay Conrad earned the Scholar-Athlete Award as a sophomore this year for his performance last year.