STUDENT-ATHLETE SUPPORT SERVICES (SASS)
Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) is a department associated with the Center for Student Success, which offers a variety of academic support programs to all Indiana State University students, including student-athletes. Among the services that meet specific needs as a student-athlete are the following:
Sycamore Leadership Academy presented by GEICO
Launched starting with the 2018-19 academic calendar year and with the support from GEICO, the Sycamore Leadership Academy is designed to educate and prepare Indiana State student-athletes for life after college (and college athletics) will include resume and interview preparation, etiquette dinners, professional/workplace etiquette, finding a mentor, mentor relationship advice, goal-setting, social media training and a student-athlete career fair.
Study Hall
The SASS department provides supervised study hall hours for all student-athletes. All first semester freshmen and transfer student-athletes have mandatory hours in the fall semester. Additionally, student-athletes may attend on their own as necessary throughout their collegiate experience, or the coach may require attendance. During study hall hours student-athletes are encouraged to participate in the many services of the SASS including visiting with a tutor, mentor, or the academic staff member assigned to your sport. Also, student-athletes have the ability to join a small study group in one of our private study rooms. Study hall attendance is monitored and reported to all coaches regularly and coaches have access to attendance reports at all times.
Secondary Advisement
The SASS department also acts as a secondary advisory service for student-athletes, especially at the freshman level. Schedules will be checked to ensure that student-athletes are not scheduling classes during practice time (when avoidable), and that the individual is meeting certain NCAA guidelines. Careful academic records are also kept for each student-athlete.
Mentoring
The Student-Athlete Mentoring (SAM) program is designed to help those that may need extra assistance in maintaining acceptable college-level academic performance. All freshmen and transfer student-athletes are required to take part in the program during the fall semester. Mentoring is also available to all student-athletes by request. The goals of the SAM program are to attack potential problems before they occur and to help our Sycamores become better students moving forward. In weekly sessions, the student-athlete will work with his or her assigned mentor to discuss notes, grades, and organizational strategies to better achieve academic progress. The mentor will work with their mentee on proper note-taking techniques and study skills, as well as address any possible tutoring needs. Weekly reports are submitted by the mentors and hand-delivered to the coaches each Friday.
Counseling
Student-athletes will find the SASS department to be a comfortable location where they can talk about problems at the academic, athletic, or personal level. SASS staff members are available to talk, or simply listen, if a student needs to speak, and can also refer them to other programs for specific help (i.e., financial aid, admissions, registration, advisors, health, or career center).
Tutoring
Tutoring in traditional courses is provided on both an individual and group basis in the Center for Student Success, University College and the Math and Writing Center. Study groups for courses with high student-athlete enrollment (i.e., psychology, history, life sciences, English) are conducted on a regular basis. Tutors are available either by appointment during the day, or on a walk-in basis during evening sessions. Graduate students and upper-level undergraduates whom have experienced academic success serve as tutors across campus.
Academic Monitoring
Academic progress will be monitored by SASS staff as twice each semester forms for all student-athletes will be sent to instructors in order to determine your attendance, effort, and progress. Progress forms are sent out approximately four weeks into the semester and again four weeks prior to final exams. Additionally, the university conducts campus-wide mid-term evaluations which is used as our another progress report. Grades and professor comments from progress reports are then forwarded to the coaches. The SASS staff also monitors academic eligibility and Progress-Towards-Degree (PTD) percentages in a student-athlete’s declared major.
University101
The Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS) department also offers multiple sections of an introduction to college course taught by both the Director and Assistant Director. Designed to help prepare student-athletes for the freshman experience, this course meets three hours weekly for the fall semester. The purpose of the course is to help the student-athlete make a successful transition to college by providing them with a special orientation to the ISU and Terre Haute community, the athletic department, and NCAA rules and guidelines. Course content includes study skills such as note-taking, test-preparation, test-taking, text-reading, and memorization skills; a personal skills component which focuses on topics such as goal setting, time management, health and nutrition, and stress management; and a skills evaluation component. Student-athletes’ reading and writing skills are evaluated to determine if he or she could benefit from specialized tutoring sessions in the Writing Center. Additionally, this class utilizes interactive in-class exercises, frequent guest speakers, as well as field trips to different locations across campus to immerse the student-athlete to the campus and welcome them to their new home. The University 101 course also allows SASS staff to build a rapport with incoming student-athletes and tie together all of the many programs offered through SASS and the Center for Student Success.
Student-Athlete Exploratory Career Certificate
Established in spring 2015, in conjunction with the ISU Career Center, the Student-Athlete Support Services department is offering an opportunity for student-athletes to increase their chances of attaining a career of choice upon graduation through a new career exploration certificate program. Student-athletes will earn this certificate from participating in Career Center workshops, attending etiquette dinners, interacting with working professionals at career fairs and other networking events and completing multiple job shadows and informational interviews in a desired industry. The capstone assignment to earn the certificate will be an interactive exploratory project that is discussed and approved by the Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Support Services. This project should tie everything learned from prior certificate assignments together and its focus should be on a career the graduating student is looking to attain. The purpose of this certificate and project is to allow student-athletes with a time-consuming campus lifestyle to progressively learn more about potential careers that align with their declared major and interests, as well as provide the student with something to showcase and talk about in an interview or at a career fair.
Learning Disability Services
If a student-athlete has a special need, such as a documented learning disability, SASS staff members work very closely with Disability Services to provide the individual with special assistance. Such services include skills assessment, proofreading services, and use of mini-cassette recorders, careful academic monitoring, test reading and proctoring services, as well as counseling services. In addition, a student may request a mentor tutor who will work specifically with them on all course work.
Learning Concerns Assessment Program
Our department is very excited to be able to offer this program to ISU student-athletes in conjunction with Indiana State University’s Clinical Psychology Department. Students are given an assessment by doctoral students who are supervised by licensed faculty and staff that will allow SASS staff to identify learning strengths and potential weaknesses, which will enable us to provide better support and proper programming for student-athletes on an individual basis. This information is kept confidential in discussions between the student and SASS staff. The Psychology Clinic is a non-profit training facility located in Root Hall, within the Department of Psychology.
