Search Articles:

 

Breaking News......... BREAKING NEWS: Storm knocks out power, ignites wildfires in Helena......... Shakespeare in the Parks hit hard by recession, trying not to fold......... Janitor finds historic artifacts in Montana Capitol trash pile......... RACE UPDATE: Last finisher crosses line at Missoula Marathon in 8 hours, 45 minutes......... Local News......... The few, the proud: Sylvia Granader belonged to elite group of women pilots who served in the armed forces during World War II........Downtown Missoula building will be tall and eco-friendly........Officials swamped with applications for concealed weapon permits........Schweitzer accused of political cronyism by appointing Democrats to state positions........GOP, Dems spar over Noonan appointment........Crash course: No surprise - Reserve Street has most wrecks in county........

Jim O'Day says University of Montana coaches warn student-athletes about running afoul of the law. They preach responsibility. They promote student mentoring programs and encourage civic engagement.

“It is stressed daily to these men and women that they are in the public eye, that they represent the University of Montana, and if they make a poor decision, they're going to be digging themselves out of a big hole,” said O'Day, UM's athletics director.

But in the past 16 months, 10 football players have had run-ins with the law. Some infractions were relatively minor, such as offensive lineman J.D. Quinn's pair of DUI arrests, which he resolved in court by pleading guilty to a single count of DUI per se. Other affirmed misdeeds, such last November's violent home invasion, which saw a man pistol-whipped and shocked with a stun gun at the hands of four Grizzly football players, were more alarming instances of athletic turpitude.

Former cornerback Jimmy Wilson has been in custody at a Los Angeles County jailhouse on $2 million bail since June 2007, when he was charged with the shooting death of his aunt's boyfriend. Wilson has maintained his innocence.

The latest black eye to UM athletics came on Sept. 19, when county prosecutors say a dormitory surveillance camera recorded three redshirt freshmen assaulting a UM student, knocking the 18-year-old man unconscious and breaking his jaw.

Those incidents, taken along with a series of crimes involving one-time Montana State University athletes - including a murder and a sprawling drug ring - have gone a long way toward besmirching Montana's athletics programs.

Montana State sought a review by the NCAA and followed up on its recommendations. At the University of Montana, officials have plenty of cause to examine how they should address a chronic discipline problem.

O'Day says every student-athlete is made keenly aware of an individual sport's conduct code, which is more strict than the campuswide student conduct code.

“As a student coming onto campus, they know what is expected of them, and they understand that there are consequences if they don't abide by the rules,” O'Day said.

On an academic level, UM's student-athletes regularly best the general student body's overall GPA, and have access to a variety of academic guidance that is specific to athletes.

Darr Tucknott coordinates UM's athletic academic services along with another full-time employee, helping athletes stay eligible and meet graduation requirements. They serve as academic advisers separate from the advisers assigned to every student.

Charles Palmer, a performance psychologist for the Department of Health and Human Performance, teaches classes about decision making and career choices, and the athletics department channeled additional funding for Palmer so he could be available to athletes more often.

In the past year, UM has also hired Murray Pierce, a black former Grizzly football player, as a part-time mentor for all minority students.

“We constantly monitor the academic successes of our athletes,” O'Day said. “Our academic advisers are in constant contact with the athletes, and if they see any red flags, they are right on top of them.”

And while it is impossible to monitor every student-athlete every moment of the day, and no amount of guidance can fully safeguard against misbehavior, last month's alleged assault has begged the question - can the university do more?

UM Vice President Jim Foley says the athletics department will continue to assess ways to improve student mentoring and academic support, in addition to the overall culture of athletics. However, no immediate changes were identified in response to the recent alleged assault.

In 2006, MSU requested that the NCAA review its athletic programs following unacceptable academic progress rates in the football program and a rash of crimes involving current and former student-athletes. The university then assembled a committee called One Team to make recommendations for MSU's response to the review, and released a report in April 2008.

“This report is not a pat on the back for the university. It is a realistic examination of progress made and offers recommendations for further improvement,” said Mike Redburn, an MSU education professor who chaired the One Team committee.

Cami Bechtold, MSU's associate athletic director, said the One Team Committee organized its work around four key themes: recruitment; academic support and mentoring; program culture; orientation and integration of student-athletes into the campus and community.

“We focus a lot on helping our students develop their character and their moral compass, and with the added staff in the academic center we are finally able to do that, not just in an academic sense but in helping develop the whole person,” Bechtold said.

In the six months since the report was released, MSU has expanded an academic center for student-athletes, increasing both its size and resources. The center, which is housed in the field-house complex, employs two full-time academic coordinators and a life skills coordinator. That new position was filled by Jon Taylor, a Bobcat alum who was injured in the NFL before returning to Bozeman with an eye toward academic administration.

“Jon's office door opens up into the academic center, so if you're a student sitting at a computer you can look over and see him,” said Tracy Ellig, a spokesman for MSU. “It's that kind of interaction that really helps connect our incoming students to the campus community.”

MSU has also adopted a program called “Winning with Character,” which was originally developed for the University of Georgia football team, but has since spread to schools around the nation.

“It's designed to provide character ethics and leadership training for student-athletes,” Bechtold said. “It challenges athletes to reach their full potential on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.”

Ellig said the university had identified a number of changes in the athletics department prior to the One Team report, and will continue to actively evaluate the success of student-athletes, both academically and socially.

“We feel we are headed in the right direction, but that we've still got a lot more work to do. ... This is a process of changing a culture, and changing a culture cannot be done overnight. It is a long-term process,” he said. “This is only the beginning.”

---

---

Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)

---