News Magazine of the UW Department of Communication
Photo by Nick Trost
Nicholas Trost, COM 361
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See pictures of the Conibear Shellhouse.
In the shadow of Husky Stadium sits a two-story building that seems out of place amid the warehouse architecture of the buildings that surround it. This building has a front lawn that looks like a golf course fairway. Gray brick surrounds the windows that reflect the water of nearby Lake Washington . The sidewalks are scraped clean of the wads of discarded chewing gum found everywhere else on campus.
Walk inside. Twenty new Dell computers sit on a polished wood table. Chairs with soft black cushions stand in front of each computer. Inside of this building are teams of close to 60 tutors and 14 administrators ready and willing to help student athletes succeed academically. This building, the Conibear Shellhouse, is a symbol of how much energy the University of Washington puts into making its athletes succeed in the classroom.
UW basketball player Isaiah Thomas spends a lot of time at the Shellhouse because he realizes that it takes time and dedication to succeed both in the classroom and on the court.
“It's difficult,” Thomas said. “It is hard to be a student athlete and manage your time so you can do well in both your sport and in school.”
Kim Durand understands what Thomas is saying. As the associate athletic director for student development, she and her staff of 14 administrators work hard to make the lives of studentathletes successful. Durand says that the main goal is to get athletes into a pattern of studying so that academic work becomes part of what they do every day.
“We create structure around their schedule with tutoring, review sessions and mandatory study tables,” Durand said. “We get them into a routine.”
To make sure that the athletes stay on this schedule, Durand and her team have developed a database that chronicles everything a student athlete has to do in a given week. Both the athletes and their academic team are able to access the database and put in tasks for a certain week. Durand says that this way she can keep everyone in the loop.
“The academic services here are phenomenal,” said men's basketball coach Lorenzo Romar. “We are always aware of what the players are doing academically.”
Elston Turner Jr., a freshman on Romar's team, is among those who, like the coach, think that the academic services offered by UW are a huge help.
“I think college academics are easier than in high school because you have so much more help and so much support,” Turner said. “We have a lot of support here.
But this support can only go so far. Sometimes the burden falls on the coaches to make sure that their players go to class.
“We really lean on coaches to supply expectations,” Durand said. “The students need to buy into that structure, and then it becomes a habit.”
Romar also thinks that developing good study habits is key to a successful future.
“ We talk about doing things right. So you want to make sure that you go to class,” said Romar. “That just goes along with the whole scope of doing things right. You come to school to get an education.”
Not conforming to this structure can have consequences. It can affect participation in the athlete's sport or contribution to the team. Men's basketball player Scott Suggs has heard what Romar will do if one of his players doesn't succeed in school.
“If you are not doing well in the classroom, then you are probably not going to play a lot,” said Suggs. “There will be some type of punishment if you are not getting your work done.”
One persistent stereotype in college athletics is that of the “dumb jock.” At least one recent study suggests that that perception has some validity.
C. Keith Harrison, a college teacher at the University of Central Florida , who studies trends of student athletes, commented on a USA Today study that surveyed the study trends of student-athletes in five major sports at 142 top-level schools.
Harrison concluded that many athletes pursue “ a major in eligibility, with a minor in beating the system.”
He said the hectic lives of these athletes don't allow them to major in areas that require extensive amount of work. Instead these athletes “cluster” in the same field as their teammates because it's easier and keeps them eligible.
UW tries to be different.
“Some people have stereotypes that student athletes go to class just enough to maintain their eligibility; that school is just something you go through so that you can play sports,” Romar said. “We don't have an entire team full of guys that are going to do everything perfect. Not at all. I think that the guys do a great job, and there is a lot of encouragement from a lot of different areas.”
Durand and her team also believe that their services are unique and that UW's student athletes work hard.
“The bottom line is this: The University of Washington basketball team has the highest graduation rate in the conference. Even over Stanford,” Durand said. “The guys work each and every day to dispel these stereotypes.”
The UW men's basketball team has a Graduation-Success Rate (GSR) of 70. The GSR is a measure that the NCAA has developed to monitor graduation of college athletes. To put it plainly: 70 percent of the men's basketball team graduate within six years -- the highest in the Pac-10.
The dispelling of these myths often starts as early as the recruiting process. Coaches let potential UW athletes know that UW is a school that will require them to both play sports and be successful in the classroom.
“Many athletes know about the academic time commitment before they even apply to UW,” said Durand. “That is part of the recruiting process here (at UW). The coaches are up front.”
The UW does more than just advertise its academic reputation in the recruiting process. When the student athletes get to campus, they realize that the UW is serious about its academics.
Not only does the UW Academic Services Department find its home in one of the nicest buildings on campus and have the largest academic staff in the Pac-10, but it also has an annual budget of $1.25 million.
“The money has been invested,” said Durand. “For lack of a better term, we put our money where our mouth is. We make a statement that we value academics and that we will give you the support you need to be successful.”
