“Best Practices” Guidelines for Vassar Student-Athletes:
Suggestions for successfully navigating academic and athletic commitments
As a student-athlete at Vassar, you have two very important, time-consuming and usually complementary commitments. While academics come first, finding the ways to best balance academic and athletic commitments will be important to your success in both domains. The faculty and administration at Vassar are supportive of Vassar’s athletic program and proud of the many accomplishments of its student-athletes. Yet sometimes conflicts arise, and it is important for you to set the stage for working collaboratively with your professors to address these conflicts, and in the process, to encourage and earn the respect of your faculty for you as a student-athlete and for the broader athletics program.
1. Give your best academic effort. If you are a serious student and your instructor knows you are working hard, he or she is more likely to work with you to meet both your academic and athletic commitments.
2. Learn as early as possible the competition schedule for your sport and check it carefully for conflicts with your academic schedule. Check for conflicts with class meetings, of course, but also pay special attention to conflicts with scheduled exams and other assignments.
3. During the first week of classes, speak with instructors of courses in which there may be some conflict with your athletic schedule. Do not try to catch the instructor after class when he or she is likely talking with several students; instead visit during office hours or set up a special appointment. There are two reasons for speaking with an instructor very early in the semester: (1) It shows that you are a responsible student, and (2) it allows you to identify any potential conflicts that may mean you will miss an athletic event, something you will need to discuss with your coach.
4. Never tell an instructor that you need to miss a class, exam, etc. Ask for permission. Attitude and communication can make a difference. If you and the instructor agree that you can miss a scheduled academic event, then work together to create a plan for how you will make up any work you miss. And then do it!
5. If an athletics event conflicts with a scheduled exam, do not ask for permission to take the exam later than scheduled. Offer to take it earlier. If you are lucky, and it is best for both of you, the instructor may offer to let you take it later.
6. If you are traveling on a day when a paper or other written assignment is due, complete it early and hand it in before you leave campus. If you have a laptop and are confident that you can get an Internet connection, you may offer to meet the deadline by submitting the assignment electronically. Many instructors, however, may prefer early submission in hard copy. And of course, you might not actually find the Internet connection.
7. In accordance with NCAA bylaws, you may not miss a class in order to attend a practice, regardless of how important the next day's game may be. This is a situation/conflict you need to address with your coach.
8. Invite your instructors to attend a game/match/meet in which you will be participating. Give him or her a copy of the athletics schedule. Tell him or her that faculty support is important to student-athletes.
