Student-Athlete Enrichment Fall Recap: DEVELOP

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Even though varsity athletic competitions were put on hold this semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bucknell Student-Athlete Enrichment program carried on at full speed. In fact, the resources and community-building opportunities facilitated by Student-Athlete Enrichment were perhaps never more critical than during this extremely challenging period under a backdrop of a global health emergency, social justice issues across the nation, and one of the most important election cycles in American history.

During the fall 2020 semester, Student-Athlete Enrichment set out to ensure the needs of all Bison student-athletes were met, especially during these COVID times. Beyond the normal programming, unique virtual opportunities were created to ensure connection and support among student-athletes, coaches and staff.

Under the leadership of senior associate athletic director for leadership development Jen Kentera and student-athlete development assistant Eline Vermeulen, Student-Athlete Enrichment initiatives are categorized into three areas: Develop, Lead and Engage.

Programs in the Develop classification are centered on health and wellness, professional development and personal excellence. The Lead programs include the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and leadership within the teams themselves (i.e. team captains). And the Engage category is focused on community service, campus engagement and social responsibility.

Over the next three days we will be highlighting each of these three areas with specific initiatives, starting with programs under the Develop category.

DEVELOP

Health & Wellness
- Headspace - building on our group of pilot teams from last year, this fall baseball, women's basketball, field hockey, women's golf, women's lacrosse, rowing, women's swimming & diving, softball and wrestling were provided with a paid one-year membership to Headspace, a digital platform that offers meditation exercises to help users improve sleep habits, lower stress and anxiety, and other areas related to personal health. In addition, each SAAC representative received a membership so that they could utilize the resources both personally and with their teams. Each group received an overview of the different ways to utilize Headspace as well as have a student-athlete or coach liaison to help support the group throughout the year using the app. These groups also receive monthly emailed Headspace resources and themed highlights. Through this opportunity, students and staff are able to gain tools to help support better mindfulness, sleep and focus as well as a way to help manage stress.
Personal Excellence
- Students once again were able to request athletics tutors if services were not offered through the Bucknell Teaching & Learning Center. Additionally, we made sure to share TLC resources with coaches and students. They shifted many of their workshops to a virtual platform accessible by the campus community.
- Enrichment staff was able to offer academic coaching sessions for student-athletes looking for additional support.
- Teams were also able to request meetings to go over academic resources and time management skills.

Bucknell University Athletics

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