By Rob Tokanel
Northeastern athletes are scoring in the classroom as well as on the playing field, according to recent statisitcs.
On Oct. 22, Athletics Director Peter Roby said Northeastern athletes have a 15 percent higher graduation rate than the general student body, with 83 percent of student athletes graduating,. He also said the collective GPA for student athletes is currently a 3.014. In spring 2008, 11 athletes had a 4.0 GPA and 150 out of 550 student athletes made the Dean’s List, Roby said.
To maintain high standards for athletes, it is important to have support systems in place and to seek feedback from faculty about the academic performance of student athletes, Roby said.
“It’s important for us to have athletics serve as part of the university’s enhancement of the academic mission and our overall mission as a university,” he said.
Lauren DeSantis, director of Student Athlete Support Services (SASS), said her program is designed to support the student athlete population in all of its academic endeavors. This includes a mandatory study hall session for freshmen and upperclassmen athletes who do not meet a GPA standard, a tutoring program, a mentoring program and periodic progress reports from professors, she said.
There are four SASS advisors who split the 19 athletic teams and act as academic liaisons for the coaches and athletes to make sure student athletes remain in good standing with the NCAA and the university, she said.
DeSantis said the supplemental support for athletes is necessary because it compensates for the amount of time they have to dedicate to sports.
“There are some extra support systems put in for the student athlete population, but you also need to consider the time and commitment they put into their sports,” she said.
Tina Kondopoulos, senior associate director of the College of Arts and Sciences Tutoring Program, said the difference between the tutoring programs for student athletes and that of the general student body is that athletes do not always have to seek help on their own.
“[Athletes] have very close supervision, closer than any other students in the university,” she said. “There is a blanket there to provide the support instead of having the student have to go out and find those resources on their own.”
DeSantis said about one-fifth of student athletes are in the mentoring program; the rest of the athletes seek help on their own when they find it necessary, and tutoring is only mandatory for a very small minority of the athlete population.
Volleyball head coach Ken Nichols said he attributes the higher academic achievement of student athletes to the lessons they learn as competitors and the pride they take in representing the university.
“[Athletes] are not receiving services that are not available to the general student body,” he said. “The thing that is more indicative of the success of student athletes is the competitive nature and the history of people who have competed at this level.”
Football head coach Rocky Hager said recruitment of academically strong prospects is another contributing factor to maintaining high standards outside of athletics.
“There is a substantial amount of time spent on evaluation and recruitment of student athletes and you don’t want that to be wasted because someone isn’t dedicated to their education,” he said.
Hager said that once a student is recruited he monitors his work closely and is passionate about seeing the student succeed.
“For lack of a better analogy, we are the mom and dad that was waiting for them when they came to school,” he said.
The field hockey team graduated all of its seniors last year. Senior communication studies major and co-captain Ashley Bascetta said the services provided to them by SASS have been helpful, especially in the initial period of adjustment upon arriving at school.
“My freshman year I took advantage of the free tutoring that we get,” she said. “It was really useful for me, whatever you needed was available.”
Kris Dabroweicki, a senior finance and management major who received the Herbert W. Gallagher Award for top male student athlete at Northeastern last year, said that when he was busy with baseball it was sometimes easier to get schoolwork done.
“I have a lot more time now [that I am not playing], but it’s easier to get motivated when you’re with the team to study because you have a tight schedule and you know you can’t waste any time,” Dabroweicki, a pitcher for the baseball team, said.
