Many student-athletes have expressed feeling disconnected from the general student body, difficulty registering for classes, and limited access to mental health resources. There are cases of athletes having to forgo career paths because they are unable to get the required classes that fit their practices for certain fields such as pre-med. We have long been advocating for student-athletes to have priority registration, like other schools, during meetings with the registrar, provost, and BOV members. We’re happy that priority registration has been granted while in season but there are still certain teams with rigorous training schedules off-season that make class scheduling difficult. William and Mary promises student-athletes the ability to pursue athletics while also getting a good education and the ability to pursue academic goals, so we hope to be able to support this.
Currently, there is only one sports psychologist for all of athletics who takes care of every single sports team. Student-athletes have also expressed difficulty getting into counseling services because of practice times so finding alternatives is necessary. We aim to help athletes feel more connected to other organizations and student populations across campus.
Previous and Current Work:
Advocating for in-season priority registration for athletes
Policy Moving Forward:
Expanding priority registration for athletes into relevant training periods. Because of games and practices, athletes have a much more limited schedule than the average student. They should have priority registration throughout the year in order to accommodate their schedules so that they can meet their academic goals.
Increased faculty for sports counseling. Having one sports psychologist is unsustainable and is not enough to serve the entire community. Student-athletes deserve adequate mental health care.
Explore options for in-person mental health care outside of practice hours and provide transparency on the result of these conversations through direct communication with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee(SAAC).
Advertise TimelyCare for mental health services outside of practices and games
Facilitate hosting events between athletes and the general student body. Many student-athletes have expressed that they feel somewhat isolated and they wished they could have more ties and connections to the broader campus community.
i.e. collaborative tailgates