In light of the Scholar Athlete Awards ceremony that took place a week or so
ago, with 9 members of the Maine Hockey team receiving recognition, I thought
it might be appropriate to mention, in this venue where we concentrate on all
the other aspects of the program.  Also, my husband being a member of the
Athletic Advisory Board, he received this cc. of a note sent to the Maine
Campus, which I thought would also be great to air in this venue:
 
 
To the UMaine Campus Community:
 
I would like to take the opportunity to call attention to the efforts
being made by many people to further the integration of athletics into
the academics which form the basis of this institution.  These efforts
are designated in BearWorks and are being made by the Athletics
Department, the Athletic Advisory Board, the administration of this
university, and others.
 
A university such as ours brings together many constituencies and a
variety of interests.  Some of these overlap, while others prefer to
occupy different corners of the ring.  That is their choice, of course.
 However, when the overlap works well, one hopes we can find the time
and desire to recognize it.  Such an occasion took place on Febuary 14
(no, I'm not referring to the kissing couples record, although I tend
to think that's a competition we'll beat the Spaniards at sooner or
later... )  That day over 100 scholar-athletes from all 5 colleges were
honored for their academic achievements over a period of 1, 2 or 3
years.
 
Yes, there is a program of Academic Support Services for student
athletes.  If it is a good program (and it is), we can look to emulate
it where that support might be needed.  Yes, there is a system of
academic and other sorts of accountability for student-athletes.
That's a great idea, is it not?  What is the alternative?  We have
coaches who set good, even excellent standards for their teams, and
hold their players to them. As a faculty member, I am pleased to have
been able to say this to community people on a number of occasions
 
When we think of athletics as not being an intellectual activity, we
might think again.  Some, perhaps all, of the skills one learns through
participation in a sport may serve as important life skills.  This
includes time management, cooperation and team work, strategizing,
creativity, motivation, and commitment and endurance, to name a few.
Students choose to spend their time in many ways while pursuing their
careers.  Some seek employment at a local business and are to be
commended for their ability to work and succeed in their classes.
Student-athletes do the same thing.  They may spend their 20 hours'
required time on a court, in a rink or pool or on the field, but they
are learning as well.
 
No one type of student is more special than another.  Whether they be
traditional or non-traditional - dare I say "older"? -, athletes, full
or part-time, chemistry, business, or even Spanish majors, as long as
they are here for the quality education they can receive at the
University of Maine, we are fortunate to have them.  If they win a
conference title or two in the process, or even if they win nothing at
all, they are making their contributions in their own way to the life
of this institution.  For that, a professor's thank you to the
Athletics Department and to the scholar-athletes for being an integral
part of this campus and recognizing that academics and athletics can
complement each other successfully.
 
Kathleen March
Professor of Spanish
(Chair, Athletic Advisory Board)