Nov. 3, 2011
Some may argue that the term "student-athlete" is becoming obsolete.
And recently, with more and more allegations of monetary compensation being considered for college athletes, it is becoming easier and easier to agree with the dwindling term.
But like with everything, there are always exceptions.
Of the 15 members of the UIC softball team, five players currently are enrolled in the university's Honors College - a program that enhances opportunities through offering challenging courses while developing leaders within a community that strives for academic excellence.
The Honors College is exclusive with only approximately 1,000 members out of the 16,911 undergraduate students.
Freshman Erica Hampton, sophomore Jacki Fletcher and juniors Kara Komp, Coryn Schmit and Melissa Preish represent the softball team in the Honors College.
"I am really happy with how well our team has done academically over the past couple of years," head coach Michelle Venturella said. "Kara, Coryn, Melissa, Jacki and Erica, however, have really distinguished themselves. It is a challenge to be a student-athlete at the Division I level with everything that is required, and these five have taken on the challenge of being in the Honors College and are doing extremely well. I am very proud of them for continuing to push themselves both on and off the field."
Each of the five teammates shares a similar story when describing their paths in becoming part of the program, although individual experiences are much different.
Each person must first apply to UIC, and in addition, provide a supplemental application for the Honors College. The prospective student must be in good academic standing, provide three letters of recommendation and have an in-person interview.
Once admitted, the member is required to fulfill an honors activity each semester such as an internship or seminar class.
During the member's freshmen year, the requirement is a three-credit course. The core classes provide a solid foundation for students as they transition from high school to college.
Hampton, one of the newest members of the Honors College, is currently enrolled in her first class - "Understanding the Individual and Society". This is a course that explores the influence John Dewey, an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer, has had on the education system.
Preish took Education and Society as her first-year class, which explored paradigms, diversity and how stereotypes are formed.
"My first class I took in the Honors College was really interesting, probably my favorite class since I got to UIC," Preish said. "It was my first small-class setting, as all the rest had been large lectures. I like the Honors College because it is always smaller, and there is an instructor to help me individually."
Fletcher took a class on diversity during her first year at UIC. Coming from a rural town in Indiana, the class not only provided her with knowledge, but better insight into the world, as well.
"We looked at diversity through the times, going all the way back to Christopher Columbus," Fletcher said. "I come from such a small town where the population is not varied. When I first got here it was so different. But I am happy I came to such a diverse place because it has made me a more well-rounded individual."
As the student progresses through the program, their opportunities increase. Members have the option to take on an internship, take a class in supplement to one they are already enrolled in, act as a teacher's aide, tutor, or take a one-credit seminar course, along with many other options. The Honors College works to accommodate and enhance the experiences of its students.
The Honors College and the UIC Office of Sustainability helped Komp, an urban planning major, who is restructuring the bike infrastructure on campus. This project counts as her Honors College activity for the semester.
"My two supervisors and I are doing studies to improve the bike infrastructure," Komp said. "We are doing studies to make it more efficient. Through the process, we have been in communication with the Chicago Department of Transportation and the City of Chicago. The internships provide great connections for the future, too."
Komp's internship ends at the semester, but she is looking into another opportunity, where she anticipates expanding on her bike initiative.
Schmit and Preish are both kinesiology majors and have taken one-credit seminar courses as part of their Honors College elective. They both took "Music and Medicine", which explored music as a way of healing and "Life and Symmetry", which provided a more individualistic approach as the student researched symmetry in relation to an aspect of life and wrote a paper.
"Both of the seminar classes I have taken have been interesting," Schmit said. "During the "Life and Symmetry", I researched symmetry and movement because it was kinesiology related, so I examined athletic movements, such as throwing."
Schmit and Preish are both doing a supplemental project for their Advanced Exercise Physio class.
Schmit is tying in her internship - where she is researching breast cancer - into the class by writing a paper that examines breast cancer in conjunction with exercise.
Preish, a California native, was inspired after spending her first summer playing softball in the Midwest. The extreme heat spurred a thought of how climate impacts the performance of an athlete.
"I am looking at exercise in extreme temperatures," Preish said. "I am specifically researching it in performance-based situations to determine which extreme is most limiting."
Between working to the help the world "go green", researching breast cancer and opening doors to discovery and curiosity through kinesiology, at least there is one place where the term "student-athlete" holds strong … the UIC softball team.
