Help Us Increase Accessibility

We want to provide this information to as many prospective athletes, athletic directors, coaches, parents, and counselors as possible. A major goal of this project was to take the knowledge out of the hands of the pay-to-play model and put it into people who care - like yours! This information is easy to share, here's how.

Access Our Materials for College Students on Google Drive Here

NCAA Regulations

Per NCAA bylaws, this event is permissible, but it has some limitations to protect the eligibility of college athletes and prospective athletes. These rules only apply to college athletes with remaining eligibility- athletes who have graduated or used up all of their eligibility (after the last date of their last season) do not need to follow these rules.

For further guidance and to implement a program at your college, please talk with your institution's athletic compliance officer.

Student-athlete refers to the college athlete, and prospective-athlete refers to the high school athlete.

Student-athletes can not observe prospective athletes playing, nor can they participate with them
College coaches can not be present
The presentation must occur during the college's regular academic year
The student-athlete can not miss class
The student-athlete must be athletically and academically eligible
The student-athlete involvement must be voluntary
Student-athletes must not wear their college or college athletic apparel
The prospective athlete's participation is voluntary, and the event is open to all students, regardless of their status as an athlete
It is NOT a recruiting event. Student-athletes may either not talk about their current team, athletics department, or recruitment process or tell the students which college they attend. For the purpose of this event, it is recommended that student-athletes not tell the prospective athletes which school they attend

Although these rules may be tedious, they are essential to protecting your eligibility and the future eligibility of prospective athletes. Contact your athletic department's compliance officer if you are unsure about anything.

How Colleges Have Implemented This Program

College athletes have sent the materials to countless high schools across the country
College athletes have looked for schools near their colleges and have volunteered to do presentations and Q&A sessions about recruitment and playing a college sport
Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) have created DEI E-Board positions and committees that have been responsible for running this volunteer program and sending out materials
College athletes have put on virtual Q&A sessions, inviting many schools from different areas
College athletes have sent the presentation materials virtually ahead of time, then put on Q&A sessions to focus their time on questions prospective athletes have
This program is designed for you to make an impact however you can!
If you are interested in bringing this program to your college's athletics department, contact us, and we will be happy to meet and answer your questions

Finding Schools

Search for high schools near your college. This program is especially impactful at rural, low-income, and majority-minority high schools.

High schools that are reachable by foot and public transportation might be the easiest for student-athletes to volunteer their time at in-person sessions

High schools that college athletes have connections with can make it easier to plan an event

Send materials to student-athletes at your school, and ask them to share them with their hometown high schools

Put on virtual events, or send materials to schools that are further away or when in-person isn't feasible

We have a recorded version of the presentation in the folder, so sending the materials is still impactful!

Look at our Google Drive here

Email Draft - Event Proposal

Hello insert titles and names here,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is your name here, and I am a college athlete in the area. As a part of our efforts to make college recruitment more accessible and diverse, we are participating in a program that sends college athletes to high schools like yours to do a free presentation and Q&A panel. This event is based on research by the Sport for Social Change Lab at Smith College, which has been presented at the National Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Symposium and won DEI awards.

I am wondering if your school would be open to having a few student-athletes do a short presentation followed by a Q&A on the college application and recruitment process. Here is what our panel will entail:

How to use the skills you gain from athletics on resumes and college applications, even if you aren't going to play in college.
What the experience of playing in college is like, and the different options student athletes have to continue their sport beyond high school.
What the recruitment process looks like.

We will also answer any questions from any student about college, the college application process, being a student-athlete, and the recruitment process.

This event has been compliance approved to ensure that we are protecting our eligibility and the eligibility of your student-athletes. To do this, the event must be optional and open to all students seeking to take their sport to the next level or anyone who wants to learn about the college admissions process in general.

Ideally, we would like to visit your school sometime in time frame that works for you, and we are open to whatever times you can get us in, so long as we aren't missing class! It would be an amazing opportunity for student-athletes at their high school to get their questions answered by some fabulous athletes in the area.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, I have included below a link to the presentation and handouts we provide.

Best,

Your name

Email Draft - Sending Materials

Hello insert titles and names of high school admins (guidance counselor, AD, principal, etc) here,

I hope this email finds you well. My name is your name here and I am a sport you play from your college. As a part of our efforts to make college recruitment more accessible and diverse, we are participating in a program that sends high schools like yours information on the college recruiting process. This material is based on research by the Sport for Social Change Lab at Smith College, which has been presented at the National Social Justice through Sport and Exercise Symposium and won DEI awards.

In this email, I have included a link to a folder that includes a slide deck, recorded presentation, and flyers on the college application and recruitment process. Here is what the presentation entails:

How your students can use the skills they gain from athletics on resumes and college applications, regardless of their intention to play in college.
What the experience of playing in college is like, and the different options students have to take their sport to the next level.
A step-by-step guide to the recruitment process.

Feel free to share this material with your guidance counselors, athletic directors, coaches, parents, student-athletes, and the student body in general.

Take a look and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.