Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

Office for Post-Eligible Athletes

Cole Whited
Oregon State University

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

Office for Post-Eligible Athletes

The academic success of collegiate athletes has been disconcerting for many years, as
research has consistently shown that collegiate athletes are academically unsuccessful, have low
graduation rates (Denhart, Villwock, & Vedder, 2009), and do not obtain the same type of
cognitive development benefits that other undergraduate students receive from attending college
(Howard-Hamilton & Sina, 2001). For example, Wyatt (1999) argued that graduation rates of
college athletes were alarming in the years prior to 1999, declaring that only 4 out of 10
collegiate basketball players were graduating within six years. However, it should be noted that
this statement was made in 1999 and universities have taken action to resolve this graduation
issue by enacting propositions such as the Southeastern (SEC) Conference proposal, in which
academic success of athletes dictates the number and dollar amount of scholarships an institution
can provide (Wyatt, 1999). To further complicate the matter, a study conducted by Denhart et al.
(2009) indicates that the overall graduation rates of collegiate student athletes are higher than
that of non-athletes, but when looking at male football and basketball players, graduation rates
are below the average. This is echoed by New (2014), although he added that graduation rates
(within 6 years) for collegiate athletes hit an all time high of eighty-four percent in 2013, which
is greater than that of non-athletes. Unfortunately, the graduation results for 2013 were released a
week following a report declaring that academic fraud had been committed by the UNC Chapel
Hill athletic department in which athletes could pass certain classes with little to no effort, which
may have had an impact on these rates (New, 2014). It is also likely that UNC Chapel Hill is not
the only university that has created fraudulent classes for their athletes, so graduation rate data
for collegiate athletes seems to be quite unreliable (New, 2014).

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

Outside of academics, collegiate athletes also find it difficult to build relationships with
individuals in classes and other places on campus, and feel as though they miss out on the social
aspects of college because they are so involved in their sport (Kimball & Freysinger, 2003). It
has also been found that non-athletes may not see student-athletes as anything more than
athletes, and are thus unlikely to provide social support because they are unable to relate or they
lack an understanding of athletes' lives (Kimball & Freysinger, 2003). Lastly, there are concerns
with the rates of binge drinking and unsafe sexual behaviors of college athletes as well (Moore et
al., 2013). For instance, Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Grossman, and Zanakos (1997)
conducted a study in which it was found that 61% of male athletes consistently engaged in binge
drinking while only 43% of non-athlete males did. Martens et al. (2006) also states that male
athletes are more likely than non-athlete males to experience negative consequences of drinking,
such as getting hurt or injured or sexually assaulting another person. Furthermore, results from a
study conducted by Moore et al. (2013) indicate that athletes who binge drink more often,
commonly have more sex partners as well.
With all of this in mind, there are three important details to note as you navigate this
paper:
1. When looking at the graduate rates of collegiate athletes, the data is often reported within
a six-year time frame.
2. The research consistently shows that collegiate athletes need support in many different
arenas of their college experience. However,
3. The college experience of collegiate athletes is predominately investigated while the
athletes are eligible for competition, and rarely conducted post-eligibility.
The significance of these details becomes more obvious when we examine a policy that
was implemented by the NCAA fifty-four years ago. In 1961, the NCAA implemented the 5-

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

year Rule that requires collegiate athletes to complete their four years of eligibility in collegiate
athletics within five years (Fleisher III, Goff, & Tollison, 1992). Thus it is highly likely that a
collegiate athlete, who has a large piece of their identity engrained in their athletic participation
and has had little opportunity for other identity exploration (Kerr & Dacyshyn, 2000), may still
be attending a university while they are no longer eligible to compete in NCAA athletics. This
population of students is commonly referred to as "post-eligible athletes" (Fleming, 2011). For
the purposes of this paper, post-eligible athletes will also include athletes injured to the extent
that their NCAA career has ended.
As previously stated, there is little research exploring the experience of post-eligible
athletes on college campuses. However, a thesis written by Fleming (2011) underscored that
post-eligible athletes often face a loss of identity, social isolation, lack of career preparation,
depression, decrease in self-esteem, and have feelings of lack of support, alienation, and
disconnection from team/coaches. Findings like this have led individuals to suggest that
transition courses or workshops should be provided to this population of students, so that posteligible athletes have access to resources they need to transition out of NCAA athletics and have
a positive experience while they remain on college campuses (Whited, 2014). As technological
advances and the increasing access to college changes the world of higher education (Niehoff,
2014), it is hopeful that research on the topic of post-eligible athletes continues to expand. The
purpose of this paper, then, is to describe an office that will be created to support post-eligible
athletes as they navigate the challenges they face on a college campus. This office will be set in
the context of a university in the year 2035, and will be titled "Office for Post-Eligible Athletes."
To begin, important details of what a university might look like in 2035 will be highlighted. To
follow, the Office for Post-Eligible Athletes will be described, including its organizational

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

philosophy, physical environment, organizational communication, visual identity, on and off

campus partnerships, and how colleagues will be developed within the office.
The University in 2035
It is suggested that education will become free by 2035, which will be a change that has a
large impact on the culture of higher education in the United States (Kadiec, 2012). This change
will stem from individuals questioning why it is not free in the United States, but is free for
students in countries like Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia, and Brazil
(Noack, 2014). It will also stem from the popular belief that the cost of higher education may no
longer be worth it, and that young adults would be better off working or developing a business
after graduating high school (Kadiec, 2012).
To assist with accessibility and the cost of higher education, classes will be taken
primarily online by 2035 due to the continued increase of distance education and advancements
in technology (Chaney, Chaney, & Eddy, 2010). With this distance education, students will have
the ability to cater the courses to their individual needs, and will be utilizing the technology
available to "hologram-in" to classes (3D Hologram Meetings?, 2010) or simply watch or listen
to a recording of the class session. Colleges consisting of predominately online education will
have the ability to utilize classroom spaces and buildings for other needs (gardens, parks, offices,
more residence halls, etc.). Also, offices for things like advising, financial aid, career services,
university housing, diversity/multicultural affairs, etc. will still exist. Students enrolled in
distance education will have access to these offices as well, with the ability to make in-person
appointments or online appointments (or both, if "hologramming" is used).
The last change to higher education addressed in this section is that collegiate athletes
will become paid employees of the university, as the profits of big companies continue to rise

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

while little is provided to the athletes (Duffy, 2014). This change, along with the prevalence of
distance education, would mean that the current challenges faced by athletes and post-eligible
athletes will still exist (negative feelings from identity loss, social isolation, lack of academic
success, lack of career preparation, etc.) and may be even more problematic by 2035. With that
said, the Office for Post-Eligible Athletes will be available to post-eligible athletes to support
them as they face certain challenges. The details of this office will be highlighted next.
Organizational Philosophy
To reiterate, the office being suggested will be titled the Office for Post-Eligible Athletes.
In order to summarize the purpose of this office, a rough draft of its mission statement will be
provided below:
The office for post-eligible athletes will facilitate the transition from athlete to posteligible athlete, so that the college experience for post-eligible athletes is a positive
one, and these individuals graduate and succeed in life beyond higher education.
This office will be of critical importance to post-eligible athletes for a number of reasons,
including the fact that athletes will now be considered employees of the university and will be
paid (Duffy, 2014), and distance education will be the norm. This means that the concerns
suggested by Fleming (2011) for post-eligible athletes today will still be present in 2035, and
will be even more problematic. For instance, their status as employees means that they may have
a deeper connection with their athletic identity, so the transition into post-eligibility and the
feeling of identity loss may be more difficult to overcome (Kerr & Dacyshyn, 2000). In addition,
becoming post-eligible also means becoming jobless. This may create financial concerns,
especially since post-eligible athletes are often underprepared for the professional world (up-todate resume, interview practice, etc.) (Fleming, 2011).

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

To fulfill the mission, the office will provide a space for post-eligible athletes to interact
with others with similar experiences, study, and prepare for future careers. More specifically,
there will be a "study space" that can be used for studying, doing homework, or manipulated into
a social space. There will also be resource representatives from the athletics department, sports
club office, academic and life advising offices, career services, the office of student life, financial
aid, and counseling services so that the students can get everything they need in one place. It will
also be important to cater to the needs of those enrolled in distance education, as they may need
to "hologram in" (3D Hologram Meetings?, 2010) to their meetings with the resource
representatives.
A key project implemented by the office will be the transition course/workshop that will
take place once each term. This course/workshop will be a collaborative effort between the
resource representatives within the office. Those that become post-eligible will be required to
take the course/workshop so that they can meet others that are post-eligible, learn about the
challenges often faced by post-eligible athletes, and how they can overcome those challenges by
utilizing their resources (especially the resources available to them in the Office for Post-Eligible
Athletes) (Whited, 2014). Furthermore, the course/workshop will allow for exploration of
interests outside of athletics (clubs and organizations that they might want to become involved
in) and career preparation (resume building and interview practice) (Whited, 2014).
Finally, it is imperative that value is placed on customer service, as creating a space that
is welcoming and comfortable will be a driving force for the organization. To be specific, the
customer service traits that colleagues must exhibit will be patience, use of positive language, the
ability to learn from mistakes and be "coachable," friendliness, and the ability to manage time
well (Customer Service Heroes, 2014). Colleagues will also need to be capable of building

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

positive relationships with coworkers and the students they interact with (Parasuraman, Berry, &
Zeithaml, 1991). The customer service traits mentioned will also be role modeled by those in
positions of leadership, since Culture is a reflection of leadership and management (Biwan,
2015).
Physical Environment
In order to create a space that is comfortable, allows for collaboration, and provides
access to important resources, physical characteristics of the office are quite important. First,
because of the strong athletic identity existing within the population the office is supporting, a
weight room will be available to these students. This weight room will also be available for the
individuals that are considered post-eligible due to injury, as they may need to utilize the space
for physical therapy. Additionally, the weight room will be interactive, so athletes can record,
review, and change their workout regimens (see picture below).

Another aspect of the office that will cater to the needs of the post-eligible athletes will be the
study room. This room will provide desks and chairs, and all of the walls will be glass. These
glass walls can be manipulated by the touch of a finger to fit individual privacy needs can or so
that the environment can be adapted to meet individual student or group needs (social, academic,

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

collaborative). Furthermore, the walls will allow videos, websites, etc. to be projected for the
purposes of studying, practicing presentations, or socializing (Electric Glass, Switchable Privacy
Glass, 2011). A picture of the study room and glass walls can be seen below.
As shown in the picture above, much of the office will consist of glass windows and
other physical characteristics that allow for natural light, such as skylights. Not only will this be

a more sustainable method for lighting the office, it will allow for a more comfortable feel for the
students that are utilizing the space (Wymelenberg, 2014). Lastly, offices for many different
resources will be represented within the office space, including representatives from career
services, counseling services, academic and life advising, student life, financial aid, and athletics.

Running head: OFFICE FOR POST-ELIGIBLE ATHLETES

10

This will allow students to utilize the physical location as a "one-stop-shop." Although the vision
is for the cubicle spaces provided to these representatives to be larger, the picture below is an
example of the type of comfort that the spaces will provide for the students.
Organizational Communication
In regards to communication within the organization, in-person communication between
colleagues will be stressed. To allow for and promote this communication meeting spaces will be
utilized often, as weekly meetings will take place so that individuals can catch up on a personal
level, describe projects they are working on, share important information that may impact other
employees (since many resources will be represented in the office), and to ask for assistance

and/or collaborate on projects (such as the post-eligible athlete transition course/workshop).

Individuals away at a conference or other business events will be able to "hologram-in" to
meetings if necessary (3D Hologram Meetings?, 2010). Additionally, there will be in-house

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11

conflict resolution specialists in case staff conflict takes place. The conflict resolution specialists
on-hand will allow for speedy resolution of conflict, reiterate the importance of communication,
and show the employees that appropriate resolution of conflict will assist in the growth of
employee work and personal relationships (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2009).
Strong communication with individuals outside of the organization, such as the posteligible athletes, is also extremely important. Due to the increase in students enrolled in distance
education, the online website will house much of the office information and may be the most
commonly used place for students to schedule appointments, register for the transition
course/workshop, find out information about the office, etc. Students will also be able to
"hologram-in" to their scheduled appointments or come into the office (3D Hologram Meetings?,
2010). Regardless of the method used and as stressed early on in the paper, customer service will
be key while the employees interact with the students (patience, use of positive language,
friendliness, ability to build relationships, time management, quick response to emails, etc.).
Visual Identity
The visual identity of the organization will be expressed through three mediums:
1. The online webpage
2. The physical location
3. Advertisements to students
In all three of these mediums, the Office for Post-Eligible Athletes will be represented as
a place for support, of comfort and openness, for connection, and a place that can become a
"home away from home," similar to what Starbucks likes to create (Summer, 2015). Online,
these pieces of identity will be represented through the easy navigation of the webpage,
including a simple procedure for scheduling meetings and registering for the transition
course/workshop; use of pictures of athletes and the weight room provided in the office (home

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12

away from home - athletic identity is still important); and the promotion of the numerous
different offices available to the students. A skeleton of the website can be found here:
http://colewhited11.wix.com/post-eligible-site. As far as the physical location goes, details have
already been described in this paper. To reiterate, the use of natural light, provision of amenities
like the weight room and study room, and the comfortable resource representative offices will
allow for the creation of a positive environment for the students utilizing the spaces. Lastly, in
advertising and promoting the office, use of the word "support" will be stressed; the concept of a
place of connection will be shown through pictures of post-eligible athletes utilizing the study
room for social events and for academic support; and athletic identity will be promoted as still
important through the use of photos of the interactive weight room.
On and Off Campus Partners
In order for the organization to run efficiently and effectively, partnerships with other
organizations will be crucial. On campus partners will consist of the athletics department, sports
club office, academic and lifestyle advisor offices, career services, financial aid, office of student
life, and counseling services. These partnerships will be expressed via the resource
representatives that will have cubicles within the Office for Post-Eligible Athletes, as well as the
referral of students when necessary. Off-campus partners will be the NCAA as well as ESPN.
These two organizations have been chosen intentionally due to the large sums of money they
take in from the coverage of collegiate sporting events like "March Madness," which reflects
how athletes, especially in football and basketball, are exploited by universities (Denhart et al.,
2009). The partnership with the NCAA an ESPN will be one in which these organizations
provide financial support to the universities and to the players, as these student athletes will
become student employees.

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13

Development of Colleagues
There will be three key components of the development of colleagues within the Office
for Post-Eligible Athletes: Support, collaboration, and conflict resolution. According to Park,
Oliver, Johnson, Graham, and Oppong (2007), support of colleagues can have a large impact on
individual professional development, and consists of emotional support, tangible support (doing
something for someone), sharing of information, and collaboration (described further in a
moment). All of these elements of support will be engrained in the culture of the Post-Eligible
Collegiate Athlete office, and those not engaging in the culture will be considered "On the wrong
bus," (Johnson, 2015).
As previously mentioned, there will be a lot of value placed on collaboration within the
office. Weekly meetings will allow for the sharing of specific student needs (staying within
FERPA guidelines of course) when multiple resource representatives may be interacting with and
supporting a specific student. Moreover, a central effort of the office will be to plan and
implement the transition course/workshop, which will be a collaborative effort so that the holistic
development of the students can be addressed and the representatives can become interested in
what other resource representatives are doing (Biwan, 2015).
Lastly, it is relatively easy to remain positive, get work done, and collaborate efficiently
and effectively when things are going well with fellow colleagues, but what about when things
aren't going well? As mentioned, trained professionals in conflict resolution will be available
within the office. These individuals will provide a space for employees to discuss their conflict,
suggest ways in which the conflict can be resolved, and will utilize the time to promote the
growth of the working relationship of the colleagues involved.
Conclusion

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14

The Office for Post-Eligible Athletes, or something like it, will be put into operation at
universities across the country by 2035, as continuous research will indicate that post-eligible
athletes are in need of support. The changes to the world of academia will exacerbate the
challenges faced by this student population, but the advancements in technology along with the
implementation of these offices will allow for more support of these students. In order for these
offices to be successful, however, the advanced technology should be used well; physical
locations should meet the contextual needs of the students while exemplifying comfort,
openness, and support; and colleagues must exhibit skills in customer service, collaboration, and
a willingness to work through conflict with others. If these things can be done, the Offices for
Post-Eligible Athletes will be able to fulfill the mission of "...facilitating the transition from
athlete to post-eligible athlete, so that the college experience for post-eligible athletes is a
positive one, and these individuals graduate and succeed in life beyond higher education."

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15

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