adaptable, empathetic, maximizer, commander, learner
At Agnes Scott College, there is prevalent friction between student-athletes and non-student athletes. Reflecting upon my first-year attending Agnes Scott College as a student-athlete, I always sat next to my fellow student-athletes at lunch, in class, and at any campus events because it was a well-established routine displayed by the upper-class student-athletes. I was rarely pushed outside of the athlete social circle and was seldom told to intermingle with my peers who did not play a sport. The idea of this athlete social circle has been accompanied by the idea that student-athletes should always be with other student-athletes in most situational contexts within an institution and has persisted throughout my three and a half years at Agnes Scott College. Across those years I have been able to hear the negative and positive attitudes that both sides seem to hold towards each other. I have found that this discord between these two groups of students has caused a great deal of agitation within both groups. Personally, I have seen how the division has made student-athletes feel as though they are not supported by their non-athletic peers at games and not equal to them in the classroom. Being on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, I have heard the discussions centered around “bridging the gap” between student-athletes and non-student athletes. I have also heard these conversations go in circles and not progress into a more solid way of linking this gap. I decided to research this topic at Agnes Scott to create a place where all students can grow and develop into their best self.