USCA ATHLETIC TASK FORCE

Community Service

                                                            (Action Team:   Angie Osbon, Randy Duckett)

USCA Mission Statement:                                                                 
…..USCA endeavors to apply knowledge, skills and wisdom in ways that promote  the common good.  Accordingly, the university seeks to build strong community ties.  The institution enriches the quality of life not only on campus but also throughout the surrounding region through a variety of activities including the fine and performing arts, athletics, continuing education, distance learning, and community service.  In fulfilling its role as an institution of higher learning, the University of South Carolina Aiken is a community of individuals engaged in broadly based educational experiences necessary for an enlightened society.

USCA Values Statement:   
We at USCA embrace the following values:

1.      A High Quality Learning Environment.    ….

2.            Collegiality            ….

3.            Character          ….

4.      Citizenship

·        We strive to foster in students an understanding of the rights and responsibilities associated with membership in a community

·        We seek to develop responsible citizenship and working for the common good

·        We advocate involvement and partnerships with our external constituents to promote meaningful engagement and applied learning

USCA Strategic Plan

Goal Five: Expand and nurture relationships with local industry, schools, other universities, state government and community and professional groups

Goal Six: Develop and implement a strategic enrollment plan to attract and retain an increasingly diverse and qualified student body

·        Objective 6.h. Maintain quality student service and athletic programs that meet student and community needs, enhance recruitment and retention efforts, and contribute to USC Aiken’s mission 

Guiding Principles for a Model Division II Athletics Program (Section 2 – of Athletics Task Force Note book)

XI. Citizenship/Leadership/Sportsmanship

·        Respect each other; practice civility, teamwork, understand citizenship responsibilities during the conduct of practices and competitions.

XIV. CHAMPS/Life Skills

·         Committed to the total development of a student-athlete’s life skills, as evidence by implementing the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills or similar program  (one of the 5 components of this program is Commitment to Service – to engage the student-athlete in service to his/her campus and surrounding communities.)

Attachment:          NCAA  CHAMPS/LIFE SKILLS program

The Athletic Department’s Annual Program Review and Annual Report documents both highlight “Community” as an area of emphasis.

In addition, Mrs. Osbon surveyed athletic department personnel and asked them to respond in a written format to various questions regarding, community and campus service of their teams, individuals on their teams, and their participation.  She also asked questions regarding the philosophy of community service, inhibitors to campus/community service, as well as the idea of a Department (rather than team) initiated community service program.   The following are the results of this survey:

A.        Student-athlete volunteerism in the Aiken community, program visibility, program image in community by sport

Team Activities:

·        Free Clinics (Cheer, Dance, M&W Soccer, M Basketball, Baseball, W Basketball)

·        Free Judging of Tryouts – ongoing (Cheer, Dance)

·        Free Performances - 3+ per year (Dance)

·        Relay for Life – 1 time, 2+ hours (Dance)

·        Fall Baseball League (Baseball)

·        Host Fall Fling for Council on Aging – 1 time, 3 hours (Baseball)

·        Help with homework at Helping Hands – 2 hours/year (Softball)

·        Blood Donors for SC/Clemson Blood Drive – 1 hour/year (Softball)

·        Assist at Aiken Soccer Club Tournament (M&W Soccer)

·        Latch & Habitat for Humanity Roofing Projects (M&W Soccer)

·        Special Olympics (M & W Soccer)

·        Hurricane Relief Effort s (all teams)

·        Polo Event (all teams)

·        Read to Chukker Creek Elementary Students (M Basketball)

·        Help with Local Juniors Tournaments (M & W Tennis)

·        Assist with Cedar Creek Church Concert (Baseball)

·        SPCA (W Basketball)

·        Halloween Carnival Volunteers at HO Weeks Center (W Basketball)

·        Unload pumpkins for St Augustine Church – 2 times, 3 hours (Baseball, M Basketball)

·        Pass out candy at Western Carolina State Fair – 1 time, 3 hours (Baseball)

·        Volunteer Ushers at Bull-Riding in Augusta (Baseball)

Individual Student-Athlete Activities:

·        Breast Cancer Awareness and Fundraising (through Zeta Tau Alpha – Cheer, Dance)

·        Children’s Miracle Network Awareness and Fundraising (through Phi Mu - Cheer)

·        Fundraising for Hurricane Victims (through SAAC – all teams)

·        Special Olympics Volunteers (Softball)

·        Counseling for 3^rd & 4^th graders (W Soccer)

·        SPCA (W Soccer)

·        Hospital Volunteers (W Soccer, W Cross Country)

·        RAINN Program through Cumbee Center (Baseball and others)

·        ARMY ROTC (Baseball)

·        Habitat for Humanity (W Basketball)

Coaches & Staff Activities:

·        Various Campus Committees (all staff)

·        Advisor to Student Organizations (Cheer, Dance)

·        Adopt-A-Parkway (all staff)

·        Personal donations to charities (all staff)

·        Various church activities (several staff)

·        Dixie Youth World Series – Speaker at Awards Night (Baseball)

·        Free Summer League Coaching Clinic (Baseball)

·        Deliver Food during Thanksgiving and Christmas (Softball)

·        Free One Day Clinics (Softball, M Basketball, Soccer)

·        Golden Harvest Food Bank (NCAA Compliance)

·        March of Dimes Walk (NCAA Compliance)

·        Heart Walk (NCAA Compliance)

·        Relay for Life (NCAA Compliance)

·        Family Partner for Family Connections in SC (NCAA Compliance)

·        Habitat for Humanity (Soccer)

·        Leadership Aiken County (M Basketball, NCAA Compliance)

·        Aiken Chamber of Commerce Activities (M Basketball, Athletic Director)

·        Sertoma Club Activities (M Basketball)

·        Deacon at SA Presbyterian Church (M Basketball)

·        Aiken County Forum (M Basketball)

·        CSRA Tennis Activities (Tennis)

·        Donation of Racquets & Balls to Community Center (Tennis)

·        Aiken Volleyball Club Activities (Volleyball)

·        Family Fund Coordinator for Division (Athletic Director)

·        Jail & Bail Participant (Athletic Director)

·        Greater Augusta Sports Council Board of Directors (Athletic Director)

·        Junior Golf Association Activities (Golf)

·        Aiken Chapter of Hook A Kid on Golf Activities (Golf)

·        Participant at Celebrity Golf Disney (W Basketball)

·        Volunteer at Aiken Christian School (W Basketball)

B.        Trends, opportunities, and external influences that impact community service

Community service requirements:

·        Five teams currently require community service activities for their members (softball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball)

·        Seven teams currently do not require community service activities for their members (baseball, golf, volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis, cheerleaders, dance team)

·        All but one responder felt that community service was important and seven of those teams felt that one community service activity per year should be required by each team

·        When considering having the athletic department coordinate philanthropic activities, four responders felt that this would be a good idea, while six responders felt that it was not a good idea.

Reasons why our student-athletes participate in community service:

·        To teach student-athletes that it is good to help out in the community and increase their awareness of problems and the less-fortunate in our community

·        Provides student-athletes to receive a different view of things occurring in the community

·        Good for teams to see different groups of people

·        Very rewarding to be a part of ; nice to give back to the community

·        Help with team unity; good opportunity for team-building; fosters team spirit

·        Teaching teams to give of themselves allows them to better understand each other and work together better

·        Welcomed by students as most of them realize the opportunity for personal growth, chance to invite the community into the university setting, and increasing the status and impact of USCA in the community

·        Gain characteristics to allow students to grow into better adults and students

·        Seniors feel these activities have allowed them to mature, become more understanding,  and to be less selfish

·        Can benefit the athletic department financially

·        For USCA to grow, we must show the community the positive aspect that the students can have on Aiken

·        Increase visibility and easy publicity of USCA athletics

·        Involvement is always positive

Reasons why our student-athletes are not participating in community service:

·        Limited time of team members and coaches

·        Need to make sure that community service does not interfere with the team getting better at their sport

·        Student-athletes have enough responsibility as it is

·        Limited manpower on smaller teams and on teams without coaching assistants

·        Haven’t found anything the team seems to be passionate about

Comments about departmental coordination of community service activities:

·        Motivate those groups who do not currently participate

·        The Athletic Department should adopt a few broad based community service projects

·        One per year would be good

·        Would be a great idea to have athletic department wide coordination of community service efforts to create a pool of activities for teams to choose from

·        Needs to be well organized and planned in advance; two months notice would be important in planning

·        Should be left up to each team because time and schedules are a problem

·        Some coordination would be nice, but a specific philanthropy should not be named because coaches/teams choose to support things that are close to them

·        Each team should decide on what and when

·        Have to keep in mind that the athletes are under time constraints already with school, practices, games, conditioning, weight room, and part-time jobs

·        Need to remain respectful of why coaches and athletes are here – to be better at their sport

C.        Student-athlete participation in campus (beyond athletics)

Student-Athlete Involvement in USCA student organizations

·        Student Athlete Advisory Committee (all teams)

·        Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity (Cheer, Dance, W Soccer)

·        Phi Mu Fraternity (Cheer)

·        Education Majors Club (Dance)

·        Homecoming Committee (Cheer)

·        Fall Festival Committee (Cheer, Dance, M Soccer)

·        Monday Night Madness Committee (Cheer, Dance)

·        Athletic Task Force (Men’s Soccer)

·        Student Government Association (Men’s Soccer)

·        Peer Educators (Baseball)

·        Pacesetters (W Soccer)

·        PAADD – Pacers Advocating Awareness of Drinking Decisions (W Soccer)

·        PBC SAAC (M Soccer)

·        International Program/Panel (M Soccer)

·        AASA – African American Student Alliance (M Soccer)

·        Chancellor’s Panel (Cheer, Dance, Men’s Soccer)

·        Student Nurses Association (Cheer, W Cross Country)

On-campus jobs held by student-athletes

·        Resident Assistants (Cheer, Baseball, Softball, W Soccer, Tennis)

·        Math Lab Tutor (Cheer, M Soccer)

·        Athletic Department Assistants (Men’s Soccer, W Basketball)

·        Wellness Center (Soccer, W Basketball)

·        Student Athletic Trainers (W Soccer)

·        Library Assistant (Soccer, Tennis)

·        Language Labs (Tennis)

·        ARAMark (Baseball)

·        School of Business Assistant (W Basketball)

Residential:

As of November 2004, 85 of the 635 (13%) students who live on campus are athletes:  

Males:  (46)                                          Females:   (39)

      Soccer       14        (47%)                          Soccer             9          (45%) 

      Baseball    13         (34%)                          Volleyball         7          (44%)

      Basketball 12         (86%)                          Cheerleaders    7          (44%)

      Golf            4          (40%)                          Softball             6          (35%)

      Tennis        3          (38%)                          Tennis              4          (57%)

                                                                        Basketball        3          (25%)

                                                                        Dance              2          (18%)

                                                                        C Country        1          (9%)

Discipline:

While 7% of the undergraduates are athletes, 25% of all Judicial Board cases (those charged and found to be in violation of the Non-Academic code of conduct) for 2003-2004 involved student athletes….

By sport those found to be in violation were:

Men’s Baseball:            15

Men’s Soccer:              4

Men’s Basketball          4

Men’s Golf                   2

Women’s Softball         2

Women’s Tennis           2

Women’s Soccer          1

Men’s Tennis                1

Repeat offenders: (not included in numbers above)

Baseball:                       3

Women’s Soccer          3

Men’s Soccer               2

Women’s Tennis           1

We are in the process of determining the % of athletes involved in violating the Academic code of conduct and will present this information at a later date.

D.    Strengths

·        The recognition by most coaches that community and campus service should be encouraged and a part of the student-athlete developmental process.  (5 individual coaches actually require community service activities.)

·        The number of community service and campus activities (and leadership positions) in which athletes participate.

·        Individual commitment and service given to the community by coaches and other athletic staff members

·        Percentage of Men’s Basketball players who live on campus

E.     Weaknesses

·        Lack of recognition (rewards) for Community Service activities

·        Community Service participation not required of athletes by all coaches

·        While mentioned in the Athletic Departments Program Review, many community activities dealt with fund raising for the Athletic Department or teams.  (fuzzy line between community activities and community service)

·        No stated Departmental requirement or specified program in place.

·        The number of athletes found to be in violation of the Non-Academic code of conduct

·        While very active in the community, coaches generally do not serve on campus committees unless they are directly related to athletics

F.      Commendations

·        The number of community service and campus activities in which athletes participate.

·        The breadth and depth of community involvement (including the coaches philosophy) by the soccer team.

7. Recommendations:
   • Develop a CHAMPS/Life Skills or similar program which includes commitment to campus/community service as a component and require departmental participation.
   • Create a team and individual “Community Service Award” to be given at the Sports Banquet
   • Create more opportunities for coaches to serve on “non-athletic” campus committees
   • Consider required attendance at preemptive educational programming and departmental sanctions (not left up to individual coach), in addition to those imposed by the Judicial Board, to detour deviant behavior of athletes