By: Stuart Selber, Faculty Adviser for Penn State University Triathlon
As fas as I can tell, there's no systematic data on the role of faculty adviser in collegiate triathlon. What I could tell from my research is that many collegiate clubs are required to have a faculty adviser and that this role is usually spelled out—in varying detail—in a sports club handbook of some sort. I also noticed the institutional hierarchy in which collegiate clubs operate. Although a faculty adviser doesn’t have a boss in the usual sense of the term, there will be a director of club sports that oversees the entire operation (at my school, there are student clubs for 42 sports). On a daily basis, a faculty adviser for a particular club may not have much immediate contact with the director of club sports, but the director is part of the support system for the faculty adviser and can help them solve problems. In addition, the director of club sports can help students address problems with the faculty adviser.
A little background before I share a few of my own thoughts on the role of faculty adviser and some ways to think about how it works. I’ve been faculty adviser for Penn State Triathlon since 2006. All student clubs at Penn State are required to have a faculty adviser, and that person can be a standing faculty member like myself (I’m tenured in the English department), a fixed-term faculty member, or even a graduate student. Graduate students must be employees of the university—for example, a teaching assistant in an academic department—and co-advise with a faculty member.
At the start of each academic year, I must sign the Adviser Approval Form, which makes me, in my advising role, an official agent of the university. This declaration means that I’m covered by university insurance for any liability associated with my advising activities. In addition, I do annual training because as an adviser I’m also a Campus Security Authority. The training involves reviewing online modules and passing tests on policy and law. If I see something I’m supposed to say something, as the saying goes, specifically if I see things that violate Penn State policies, our student code of conduct, or local, state, or federal law. Fortunately, I’ve never had to report a problem to the university, but no doubt there are problems in student clubs. Advisers need to take their reporting responsibilities seriously.
(Sidebar: In the only relevant incident, a student sent a few troubling messages to our email list in the middle of the night. I talked privately with the student—he hadn’t broken any law or policy, as far as I could tell—and encouraged him to take advantage of our counseling and psychological services. This is the same approach I would take with any student in one of my courses, for I’m not a trained psychologist or counselor. It’s important for faculty advisers to know what they don’t know and draw in university resources if needed.)
From the university’s perspective, once I’ve signed the form and completed my safety training, I’m free to approach the role of faculty adviser with more or less time and energy.
Although the university provides advising resources and makes suggestions for approaching the position, most faculty advisers are volunteers with full-time jobs. I would encourage faculty advisers to find a sustainable approach so that they can serve their club for more than a few years. It doesn’t have to be a job for life, and probably shouldn’t be, but retaining institutional memory is a key contribution of faculty advisers as students come and go. I’ve written a bit of club history, maintain an archive of club documents and pictures, and share historical perspectives that can help club members make decisions about the future and avoid reinventing the wheel.
According to our handbook, faculty advisers can think of themselves as a mentor, team builder, motivator, mediator, reflective agent, or policy interpreter. These metaphors suggest various identities a club adviser could adopt, but my approach has been to work across them in ways that make sense to me and a particular group of students in time and space. A collegiate triathlon club is a living, breathing organization, with changing needs and challenges. At times, the club operates like a well-oiled machine and needs very little institutional support from me. In those moments, I spend more time mentoring and motivating members. At other times, it feels like the club is starting anew. If, for example, our entire executive board has turned over, I spend more time helping the new officers interpret institutional policies and procedures. Advisers should think in fluid ways about their role and change it as needed to meet the moment.
What about the relationship between a faculty adviser and club coach? What should it look like? We’ve never had a coach for Penn State Triathlon because we don’t have the budget, although we’re currently exploring an option where members themselves can pay a club alumnus to coach them remotely (if this option develops, I can say more about it in my next update). I’ve presented lectures on aspects of triathlon I know a good deal about, and I’ve helped individuals with their plans and goals and answered many questions. But a faculty advisor isn’t a coach, and the two roles should be thought about separately and not conflated into one. It’s entirely likely that a coach will know something about the university and that the faculty adviser will know something about triathlon, but each needs a deep expertise in their own domain. We should expect the faculty adviser to understand how the university works and how to help the club function productively as a student organization. This task includes helping the club enact its constitution, adhere to policies and laws, plan and set goals, develop organizational leaders, and manage the budget. And we should expect the coach to understand how to prepare students for success in triathlon (and life). The relationship between the two roles should be complementary and characterized by respect and support. The individuals in these roles should communicate routinely and work together for the benefit of all club members.
Let me finish with a comment about why I continue to serve as faculty adviser for Penn State Triathlon. I find it very rewarding to get to know students outside of the classroom context. Once you remove the responsibility of having to give grades, you can develop different sorts of relationships with them. You can support students in the club, challenge them, and even teach them, but it’s less about satisfying a curriculum and more about sharing your knowledge and passion and giving something back to the school and the sport. In turn, if you’re open minded and willing to listen to people younger than yourself, you just might learn a thing or two from the club members. You’ll certainly be energized by them. The relationship between faculty advisers and club members can be more of a two-way street than most people realize.
Postscript: I wrote this piece for the Collegiate Club Triathlon Coaches Association (CCTCA). I’m reproducing it here to help me connect with other faculty advisers. If you’re a faculty adviser, please be in touch (selber at psu dot edu). The original post can be found [here]
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