Bucknell Student-Athlete Enrichment -- Spring 2022 Recap
6/16/2022 9:32:00 AM | Student-Athlete Enrichment
LEWISBURG, Pa. – It was another action-packed semester for the Bucknell Student-Athlete Enrichment program, as Bison student-athletes continued their hard work in the areas of community service, leadership development, DEI initiatives, and health and wellness. From Pride Games, to an etiquette night at a local restaurant, to reading programs at local elementary schools, hundreds of Bucknell student-athletes took advantage of the many offerings available through the Enrichment program in order to better themselves and others around them.
“Bucknell student-athletes have so much on their plates as they work tirelessly to excel in the classroom and as Division I athletes, so the fact that so many of them also engage in these Enrichment opportunities tells us that they are truly seeking a holistic scholar-athlete experience,” said Jen Kentera, senior associate director of athletics for leadership development. “I am proud of the work that they put in this past year and especially thankful to the outstanding seniors in our leadership group. They are all leaving Bucknell well-prepared for success in their careers.”
Let's take a look at some of the major engagement initiatives from the spring semester in each of the enrichment program’s three areas of focus:
DEVELOP
Health and wellness initiatives continue to be a major focus of the Bucknell Student-Athlete Enrichment program, as maintaining physical and mental health is essential to success in academics and athletics. Bison student-athletes continue to utilize their free premium memberships in the Headspace program. An overwhelming number of student-athletes said this resource aided them in falling asleep better and getting better quality sleep. They also say that Headspace helps them feel less stressed overall and allows them to be more present every day. Student-athletes use Headspace to practice mindfulness, manage stress and anxiety, and aid them with sleep habits.
In the area of personal excellence, Bucknell Athletics continued its academic coaching offerings, and student-athletes were able to request individual meetings to help them navigate their course load and athletic schedule. The department also works closely with Bucknell's Teaching and Learning Center to share their individual and peer tutoring resources with student-athletes. In cases where additional support was needed, Enrichment staff was able to work directly with professors and connect student-athletes to tutors in order to meet specific needs.
Bucknell Athletics mental performance consultants Liz Brookhouse and Nick Fuller were once again available upon request for virtual and in-person sessions for both teams and individuals.
Some of the more popular elements of the Enrichment program are the professional development initiatives. Last semester, more than 30 junior and senior student-athletes had the opportunity to attend a unique networking opportunity while learning more about proper dining etiquette at a local restaurant.
As part of Bucknell's ongoing Name, Image, and Likeness education series, student-athletes attended a digital branding session led by Mike Coleman. The session allowed student-athletes to create their own personal brand and learn how to grow their network.
LEAD
It was another busy semester for the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute, which provides leadership education on three levels: Leadership Labs, Igniting Leaders, and Team Leader Round Table.
Spring-semester sessions for the Team Leader Round Table group – comprised of team captains or designated leaders -- focused on how to lead with an infinite mindset, strengths-based leadership, and transferable skills. Each member was able to take the StrengthsFinder Assessment to learn more about their personal strengths. Our Igniting Leaders, comprised of selected sophomores and juniors, spent the winter break reading Brene Brown’s book “Dare to Lead” and discussing key takeaways. The second session was led by associate provost for transformative teaching and learning Joe Tranquillo, and it focused on flexible leadership and values. A final session focused on overall confidence.
Leadership Labs are open workshops for any student-athlete interested in growing their leadership skills. The spring Leadership Lab was led by Brad Bradbeer (P ‘20/’25). The former CEO of Lilly Pulitzer and co-founder of the Bradbeer Company focused on key leadership principles every leader needs, as well as his personal leadership journey and how that led to the start of the company. The session was offered in partnership with the Freeman College of Management.
This spring, student-athletes from the wrestling and women's soccer teams visited the Gettysburg battlefield as part of the Lawton Leadership Initiative.
In collaboration with Colgate University, a virtual session focused on the One Love Foundation and healthy relationship education. Student-athletes learned how to empower themselves as leaders and how to support teammates and themselves. Jamie Tsao (women’s lacrosse), Conor McCusker (men’s lacrosse), and Laurel Utterback (women’s tennis) led the session alongside Colgate student-athlete leaders.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee did great work in promoting Mental Health Awareness Week in April. Every SAAC committee was assigned a day for their initiative. On Monday, the Community Service Committee chose to participate in One Love’s “Move for Love Campaign”, where all teams tracked how many miles they moved during the month of April. They ‘moved’ to help raise awareness of the importance of relationship health education. In total, all teams logged a total of 32,707 miles. On Tuesday, the Social Responsibility Committee's “Pop-In Snacks” allowed student-athletes to make their own protein snack balls and learn about different ways to help with food insecurity in the local community. On Wednesday, the Student-Athletes Initiatives Committee hosted a “pay it forward” event where SAAC reps distributed candy and positivity across campus. On Thursday, the Health & Wellness Committee organized the “Mental Health Rocks” event where student-athletes had the opportunity to stop by Bison Fuel to destress and paint rocks and spread positivity across campus. The SAAC executive board also organized a post-practice therapy dog session. And finally on Friday, Mental Health Awareness week concluded with the Campus Events Committee organizing a social media campaign aimed at ending the stigma surrounding mental health.
During the final week of classes, SAAC organized a Yoga session led by strength coach RC. This opportunity allowed student-athletes to unwind and get ready for finals.
In continuing their efforts from last year, members of the Bison Cares group met bi-weekly to highlight both virtual and in-person community service opportunities. They organized sessions to put together no-sew fleece blankets to benefit Project Linus and wrote cards for local community members as part of the Community Harvest Program.
Bucknell Athletics launched a new Athlete Ally chapter during the 2021-22 school year, and this spring, the women’s lacrosse and softball teams hosted “Pride Games'' that were presented by Athlete Ally. Team members wore rainbow items in support of LGBTQIA+ community members. Campus and local resource information cards and support items were also available to fans in conjunction with informative announcements throughout the games.
ENGAGE
Bucknell student-athletes engaged in hundreds of hours of community service activities last semester, and several teams ranked among the national leaders on the Helper Helper platform.
In partnership with Bucknell’s Martin Luther King Jr. week theme Mighty Causes Calling, Athletics sponsored the inaugural MLK Day of Bison Service. Students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to engage in a variety of community service activities throughout campus, all for the benefit of several Susquehanna Valley organizations. Bucknell Athletics hosted three campus engagement sessions, which many Bison student-athletes were able to attend.
The Bison Athletes of Color affinity group teamed up with SAAC for a youth reading initiative. For the second year in a row, more than 30 reading sessions were scheduled for the Kelly Elementary kindergarten through third grade classrooms, as well as the e-school programs, so every student had an opportunity to hear from and engage with a Bucknell student-athlete via Zoom. The student-athletes were able to read from books provided by the Kelly Elementary library, so students were then able to check out the books themselves after hearing them read and explore them on their own. The books highlighted people of color and historic events. We had student-athletes read to the ESL classrooms as well, and the students were able to engage in English, Spanish, and Russian.
Bison Athletics once again partnered with local elementary schools serving low-income students for the Read to Lead program. Taylor LaMantia from women's lacrosse along with wrestlers Chris Lanciano, Logan Sanom, Luke Niemeyer, and Nolan Springer read to classrooms across the area both in person and virtually. Thanks to funding from the Bucknell Community Engagement Fund, the books were then donated to every student in the classroom for them to enjoy on their own.
Back on campus, student-athletes engaged in a variety of Bucknell committees, including the Dining Committee and the L&IT Committee.
From a social responsibility lens, the BAC group continued to strive to create an environment that fosters development, engagement, and collaboration between peers from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds. BAC also strives to bridge partnerships with other affinity groups, staff and faculty, and resources across campus. Since its creation, BAC has been actively involved in a number of programs, such as partnering with SAAC for the Bucknell Athletics Virtual Reading initiative.
