All Katies, All Wildcats

How to fix the disconnect between athletes and the rest of the student body

Over the course of my time at St. Kate’s, I’ve noticed that there seems to be a divide between student-athletes and the rest of the student body. 

However, after some reflection and constructive discussions with students, athletes, and administrators, it has become clear that acknowledging this separation is important, but it is even more beneficial to focus our energy on what we can do as a student body to come together as one community.

First, let’s take a look at why there is a disconnect here, and then we will see how can we all use our power to consciously erase this line, or at least move towards a community of support and genuine interest between the two parties?

The Butler Center on campus is where the indoor athletic facilities are located and is a hub for student-athletes.

Athletics are not just an extracurricular

I spoke with swimmer Molly McMahon ‘23 (Doctorate of Physical Therapy) to get an initial athlete perspective on this issue. She detailed her love of the athletics community at St. Kate’s, mentioning the bustling atmosphere of Butler.

“To the majority of people looking in, it may appear like chaos and students simply working out to check a box at the end of the day,” says McMahon. “Those [who are] part of an athletic team know it is much more….There is great value in what we do as athletes that cannot be seen. The pride and joy some get when they do well on an exam, finish a semester-long research project, or volunteer in the community is what we experience with our sports. Athletics isn't just what we do but rather part of our identity that comes from being part of a team.”

Because their sport and their team are more than just simply a sport and a team, as McMahon mentions, a lot of the reason for the divide boils down to just a difference in priorities.

Different Schedules, Different Priorities

Abby Conrad ‘24 (Exercise Science, pre-PT) is not a college athlete, but she has been involved in athletics in the past. “I think that...the athletes are just definitely on a way different schedule than us!” she says. “With practices and games, they only have time to study and do homework with each other outside of class, which would cause a disconnect [with the rest of the student body].”

McMahon agrees that the differences among all students’ schedules account for most of the divide, but she focuses more on a holistic approach to the issue.

“Time is not a sacrifice, but it is rather an investment in ourselves,” she says. “While a lack of time is certainly a reason for the divide, the truth is different groups of people have different investments in their lives all the time-- No one looks at the divide between students in different majors and the lack of true free time on campus where different groups of people actually have time to spend together.”

Identities Collide: Wildcat or Katie?

I had the great privilege of speaking with athletic director Eric Stacey, who brought up the matter of names when it comes to forming identities at the university.

“We are unique in that we have two nicknames at the University, Katies and Wildcats,” he says. “Because the Wildcat nickname is more specific to athletics, it can often be confusing and make it feel like only athletes are Wildcats. This isn’t true and we need to do more to emphasize this. Just as we are all Katies, we are also all Wildcats.”

Becoming One Community

So, how can we all use our power to consciously erase this line, or at least move towards a community of support and genuine interest between the two parties? The folks I talked to had a lot of great ideas.

Find real understanding

The first step to coming together as a whole community is a willingness to learn and find real understanding of others’ perspectives. Too often, we fall into the “us” versus “them” dichotomy, when truly, this is everyone’s fight.

McMahon brings up an excellent point about university athletics as a whole that many other students may not have even thought about: “We live in a world where the culture around women in athletics has not been overly positive. We are still dealing with significant inequities within our own governing body, the NCAA,” she says. “Male athletes have historically received more attention in the media, more pay, and more resources overall. Given this, we are already in a position where women in sports are not shown the respect they deserve. This creates a competitive atmosphere where instead of women working together, they are competing against one another.”

Given the situation surrounding women in sports, it is even more important to connect with each other as a whole community rather than creating a narrative of separation.

Support university athletics

While understanding is the first step, a further action students and student-athletes can make is to connect with each other. Obviously, there are time and scheduling constraints, but creating a connection is the best way to generate a supportive community.

Additionally, I’ve personally noticed that many students who are not involved in athletics do not go to games or meets, even though home games and events are free for all students (just provide proof of student ID). During COVID, this engagement was especially tough, but now that spectators are allowed, the Wildcat athletics teams welcome student engagement and support.

Athletic Director Stacey seconds this notion: “I hope that all of our students, staff and faculty know that they are invited to any home games, and that they can get in for free with their St. Kate’s ID. We love when community members show up to cheer on their fellow Katies!”

For all sports schedules, check out the St. Kate’s Athletics website. The next Wildcat home game is Women’s Hockey on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm. Hockey games are located on the St. Paul Academy campus in the Drake Arena.

More on-campus involvement

Soccer player Rachael Holm ‘22 (Communication Studies) agrees that it would be great to have more students come to games, but she also points out what athletes can do to work towards a greater community as well.

“On our end as athletes we can also come to more general events on campus but not just with our teammates,” says Holm. “If we came to, for example, a SEEK event seeking other relationships and connections rather than staying safe with the ones we have already made, more unity could come between the study body and athletes.”

Having athletes become more invested in other activities, clubs, and organizations around campus has also been the topic of conversations in the Wildcat Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (WSAAC), which is made up of two student-athlete leaders from each team. WSAAC functions as a council that works on ways athletes can create community beyond their own sports teams and beyond the athletic department as a whole.

“We were starting to launch more programming for Wildcat Wednesday and outreach related to our mascot, Katie Cat, when covid shifted everything.  Hopefully we can pick this up again next year,” says Stacey.

I spoke with basketball student-athlete Sam Orth ‘22 (Physical Therapy) to learn more about what WSAAC is working on for student body engagement efforts.

“We are working currently to have a presence in the student senate, and are hoping to soon have someone who is a student-athlete have a voting position within the senate, just because we feel that that would close some of the divides,” says Orth. “I think that if we can get athletes more involved in activities on campus that are NOT put on by the athletic department, it would be a good way to mix athletes with the rest of the students and start to blur the line that seems to separate them.”

Scheduling difficulties

There may also be some difficulties when it comes to balancing orientation activities and the start of some athletic seasons.

“I was an orientation leader this year, and I really noticed that the student-athletes were gone for a lot of the sessions during orientation due to practices, which can contribute to that divide in a critical time where all new students are getting to know each other,” says Sydney Glampe ‘22 (Public Health).

Holm confirms that first-year student-athletes are very busy when they first arrive at St. Kate’s, and she remembers that her first year, she basically was “eating, sleeping, and breathing soccer.”

However, this focus on athletics may take away from orientation activities that are integral to the student experience. Glampe makes suggestions for improvement.

“Maybe if there weren’t practices during orientation or more encouragement from coaches and captains to get out and meet new people, that divide might decrease, and we could feel more united as a student body,” she says.

Women support women

McMahon shared more with me about how to create a culture of support. Instead of focusing on our differences, we should look at what connects us.

The 2018-2019 Wildcat Dance Team featuring Merrick Beddor ‘22 (Public Health), Alexa Tennant ‘22 (Sonography), Melody Swanson ‘22 (Exercise Science), Isabeau Hill ‘23 (Nursing), and myself, Wheel Editor-in-Chief Mandy Hay ‘22 (English and Communication Studies.

“We need to work on building a culture where women support women, where all Katies are supporting one another,” says McMahon. “We are all here at St. Kate's to become prepared to enter the ‘real world,’ ready to lead and influence wherever we end up. It is time we start realizing we are all on this journey together. We may never completely understand why some choose to put their investment of time into other areas but we can certainly help one another achieve our own versions of success.”

Overall, the bottom line is that we are all one community-- Athletes should support other students and vice-versa, because as Katies and as Wildcats, we are all in this together!