Dear Faculty,
I hope that this week is the beginning of a great semester for you and your students. As the campus faculty athletic representative, I'm writing you with a couple of reminders as we begin the new semester.
As an institution we are among the elite when it comes to the academic standards to which we hold our student athletes. The academic performance of student-athletes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC, our conference), make it one of the premier division II conferences nationwide.
As the faculty athletic representative, I serve as a liaison between athletics and academics. My primary functions are to help maintain a balance between academics and athletics, ensure academic integrity within athletics, promote student-athlete well-being, and contribute to the institutional control of the athletic program. If you have any questions about these matters or matters involving the NCAA or the GLVC, please do not hesitate to contact me or our new Athletic Director, Mike Hermann.
Concussions
Along with several members of the athletic staff, I facilitate the return to learn protocol student-athletes undergo after suffering a concussion. This protocol follows NCAA best practice guidelines. If you have questions about the process, you can ask me or head athletic trainer, Chris Camburn.
Missed Class
UIS has a sanctioned events policy that offers recommendations to faculty on how to handle missed class for students who represent the university. I encourage you to conduct your classes consistent with the policy by giving any student who misses any of your classes while representing UIS the opportunity to make up those points with alternative work.
Athletic participation carries the risk of injury. There are times when student-athletes are injured and cannot immediately inform their professors or attend/participate in class (e.g., they have suffered a concussion). In these situations, you will be contacted by Chris Camburn, head athletic trainer.
Free Admission
Faculty have free admission to UIS sport contests. I encourage to support the students who are participating by coming to watch their games.
Academic Contracts
Within the first two weeks of the semester, many student-athletes in your classes will approach you to discuss their travel and game schedule. The contract is in an electronic form which includes the potential dates that student-athletes may be missing your class due to their travel or game schedule. On the contract, there is a place for you to indicate how you will handle these absences. You should receive the contract electronically after the student-athlete has entered the attendance policy for your class into the contract.
- I encourage you to consider the value that all co-curricular activities have on our campus as you make your decisions, but you are not required to make any special accommodations for athletes or students in any co-curricular activity. The purpose of this contract is to establish clear expectations for the semester, not to imply that you must handle absences in a particular way.
- The contract was developed by the former Intercollegiate Athletic Committee (IAC) in conjunction with the Athletic Department. If you are unsure how to handle these absences, you can discuss it with faculty members you trust or me.
- There are times when the contract might need to be amended, such as make-up games for games that are rained out (for example) or for post-season play. In these cases, student-athletes need to open a conversation with you to discuss how these potential additional absences would be handled.
Progress Reports
Once the semester starts, you may be asked to document the progress of some of the student-athletes in your classes via a progress report. Please take care to complete the progress reports accurately and completely. Given that coaches can’t contact you directly about their players’ grades, this is their best way to learn how they are doing in your classes.
- Athletic staff and I have encouraged student-athletes to approach you with the academic contracts and progress reports and determine a time that suits you best to complete them (e.g., before or after class, office hours, special appointment, etc.).
Have a great semester!
Thanks,
Dr. Marcel Yoder
Faculty Athletics Representative
(217) 206-7228