Running head: VOICE PROJECT REFLECTION

Voice Project Reflection

Taylor L. Ridenour
Wright State University

VOICE PROJECT REFLECTION

Voice Project Reflection

When I was accepted into the Student Affairs in Higher Education program at
Wright State University, my plan was to start with my cohort in the fall of 2015. These
plans changed however when my supervisor asked if I would start working my graduate
assistantship a semester early in May. In order to work that summer, I also had to take a
minimum of six credit hours. The only available classes I could take were sports
management classes and I was never overly involved with collegiate athletics as an
undergraduate student. I was a little nervous to move to Dayton and start classes the day
after I graduated from Kent State, but it all seemed to work out well in the end.
This past summer I took a total of three classes that were a part of the sports
management certificate. In the Role of Athletics in Higher Education course, I was
exposed to the value of collegiate athletics and why it exists on campuses across the
country. In my Compliance and Regulation course, I learned about the overwhelming
amount of rules and regulations involved in the recruitment and retention of student
athletes. It was in the Academic Support for Student Athletes course where I discovered
my passion. I have always wanted to become an academic advisor, but this class took my
dreams a step further in leading me to a career in advising student athletes specifically.
When I first heard about this voice project assignment, I instantly wanted to take
on the voice of student athletes. We were to adopt a voice that is different than the
identities we already have. I was not a student athlete as an undergraduate student yet
want to work with student athletes in the future; therefore, it seemed like a perfect fit.
While I did learn a lot of valuable ways to serve student athletes this summer, I never had
an opportunity to learn about the student athlete perspective specifically.

VOICE PROJECT REFLECTION

I tackled this assignment by first figuring out how athletes define themselves.
Who do they think they are? Whats important to them? Do they prove the negative
stereotypes that people have about student athletes? Likewise, it was a goal of mine to
expose how others view student athletes. When I administered the survey, I expected
negative stereotypes to be very strong; for example, I assumed people would say that
athletes have substance problems, get free rides to college, and do not value their
academics. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that large majorities of people do not
negatively view student athletes. It was disappointing to me, however, that many people
do not see the value that collegiate athletics bring to campuses.
Prior to this voice project I never thought about the things student athletes might
be dealing with internally. For example, there is still such a negative stigma about the
LGBTQ community in athletics at all levels. LGBTQ student athletes recognize this
stigma and are often times scared to tell others about their identity. Thankfully, a lot of
universities are making public statements supporting LGBTQ student athletes saying, if
you can play, you can play.
Another heavy topic that has not gotten the attention that it deserves is sexual
assault involving collegiate athletics. There has not been a great deal of research
dedicated to this issue and few student athletes can actually define consent. The presenter
that spoke on the topic of sexual assault created a program to combat the issue but made
it more appealing for college-aged students. People tend to think that student athletes are
more likely to commit and/or be involved in sexual assault but it seems as if the student
athletes just arent getting educated as much as they should about the subject.

VOICE PROJECT REFLECTION

One area of collegiate athletics that caught my eye was life skills programming. I
watched quite a few different motivational speakers that athletic programs commonly
hire and I could see myself organizing different types of life skills programs for a
university. I feel that this position would provide me with the creative outlet I am looking
for in an advisory position. I am very happy to hear that NCAA is partnering with N4A,
which I am a member of, for this life skills initiative. If I continue to pursue a career in
collegiate athletics, I hope to be working with life skills programming if not advising.
Overall this voice project has shown me that student athletes are similar to every
other student population on campus. While student athletes obviously have some unique
needs, they are faced with comparable stresses, temptations, and frustrations. The greatest
difference between student athletes and non-student athletes is the amount of pressure.
Student athletes, especially athletes that compete at the Division I level, are often times
under a microscope. They are pressured to always say and do the right thing, remain
eligible, and of course compete at a high level. LGBTQ student athletes face even more
pressure. Most athletes want to prove the negative stereotypes wrong by being the best
possible student athlete they can be.
I found this assignment to be very beneficial for my future career aspirations. As I
previously mentioned, I was not a student athlete as an undergraduate student. This
assignment therefore helped me see things from a student athlete perspective instead of
the perspective I already had as a future professional. The goal of the voice project
assignment was to build understanding, empathy, and advocacy for students whom we
serve. I discovered my passion for helping student athletes this past summer, but this
project better taught me how to be empathetic and advocate for this student population.