RamWire: Incoming athletes provided with road map to to succeed

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The smallest details can mean the most in the grandest of plans.

When talking to Colorado State freshmen athletes at the end of the 2017-18 academic calendar, people throughout administration were hearing the same things. Some of students felt lonely. They didn't know the full scope of the university, the programs available or even what the city of Fort Collins had to offer.

They didn't know they could use the city's bus system for free.

Dr. Blanche Hughes, CSU's vice president for student affairs, met with staff in the athletic academic center to see if a program could be introduced to expose future incoming athletes to the immediate world around them. With an eager Ryan Taylor at the helm, the student-athlete summer integration program was launched this year.

Taylor, an athletic academic counselor, used ideas from his past stops to create a foundation, integrating some new concepts with open eyes and ears on how to improve it year by year. The first test subjects were freshmen football and men's basketball players, as they arrived on campus earlier. As more athletes come for summer work, they too will see some benefits.

"The overall goal is for the incoming freshmen student-athletes to get integrated into the CSU community and Fort Collins, as well," Taylor said. "When they're going into fall, they understand what is expected of them academically, not just athletically. What resources are around for them, not just on campus, but in Fort Collins as well."

The first two weeks were filled with daily activities, ranging from visits around campus to learning how to fly fish in the Poudre Canyon. There was a scavenger hunt in Old Town, with athletic director Joe Parker serving as one of the group leaders, and they visited the Anderson Academic Center and made sushi.

Not every player was able to make it every day, and as the summer progresses, the sessions will be limited to weekly workshops titled principles of community. The feedback Taylor has received has been positive, while also offering some changes.

"I'm not really familiar with the whole area," said freshman football player Dylan Emery, who is from Colorado. "This helps, and we're getting pretty exclusive stuff. I think seeing everywhere and getting to see everything helps, but if there was one thing I would change, either do more school stuff or do it less often."

Ty McCullouch had the same suggestion, noting team workouts were already keeping them pretty busy, but he valued much of what he was shown. Basketball freshman Isaiah Stevens did too.

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He noted on his recruiting trip, he was briefly exposed to the area around him, and during the scavenger hunt in Old Town – where teams were given clues to find places, then take a selfie upon arrival – some of it seemed familiar. His belief was getting to know the city where he lives is part of the college experience and helps it feel more like home.

"This is my first official day as a CSU student, honestly," he said on June 10. "Just coming out here with different freshmen, see Old Town and learn the area is pretty cool. It's a pretty cool set up. When you're spending so much time playing basketball and doing schoolwork, it's cool every once in a while to explore and know what's around you, not just be so caught up in being in your dorm room all the time. Really enjoy these experiences, because you don't get them back."

Taylor and the academic department want to highlight all which is available to them as student-athletes. In past discussions with athletes, he and the staff he works with have come to understand not every one of the students comprehend the full range of the programs available to them.

It's important, Taylor said, as the numbers show most of them will hit the workforce outside of their participating sport at Colorado State.

"This is their opportunity to change the narrative of your life, your family's life. You never know when going to one of these offices around campus, I can get this scholarship, or this is my life after athletics," Taylor said. "I feel with athletes in general, and the NCAA, we're only thinking about keeping them eligible. Not only am I eligible, but I'm interested in the MURALS program (multicultural undergraduate research art and leadership symposium), I'm interested in the engineering program, I'm interested in possibly being a Rhodes Scholar so I can get my masters across the pond. I want them to figure out their goals, what they want to see and do in life. I want them – not mom and dad, not coach -- I want them to figure it out, and I want them to start writing those goals down and figure out how to get them to those goals."

Plans for expanding the program are already in discussion. This summer, the inaugural step runs through July, and Taylor understands some athletes will not be impacted. The goal is to provide information for all the incoming freshmen to help shape their experience at the university from start to finish. Part of his long-range goal is some of this year's participants will come back to mentor incoming freshmen in coming years.

Key in that extension are the principles of community workshops and to reach the female student-athletes coming to campus. Some of them will arrive later than did the football and men's basketball players. The workshops focus on the topics of communications (with faculty and staff, as well as other students), integrity and inclusion, and finishes with a community project.

"My mission for next year is I want it to extend right up to the fall. We had to cut if off short this year," he said. "I want to incorporate our female student athletes. One of the biggest things we're doing with the principles of community is respect. I want the male student athletes to be able to work with our female student athletes and learn that line of respect factors as well. In talking to female student athletes about this program, we're going to communicate that with them."

This year's group left Parmalee Hall on June 10 and walked to the bus stop. From there, one place in particular caught their eye – Chipotle. This alone made the trip worth the time for McCullouch, because it's one of his favorite places back home in California. He plans to be there often, and he won't have to go alone.

As much as anything, freshman linebacker Tavian Brown liked the extra time to get to know his teammates, as well as chat with a few basketball players. Now that he's learned how to get places, they can meet anywhere.

Like Chipotle.

"Old Town is like 10 minutes away," Brown said. "You've go shopping, get food, all that. I didn't know I could ride the bus for free, and there's a Chipotle. Back home, that's all we eat. Now I feel like we're at home."

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