Pitch

1. Go through their academic and practice schedule

• Highlight things they enjoy about being on a team 
• Touch on the negatives
• Either focus on one person directly or get multiple perspectives from different sports 

Angle: this could be informative for future students on the fence about playing a sport or seeing if these schedules justify priority around campus 

2. Biddeford’s best spots (food/hangouts)

• Talk to students to find their favorite sports
  • What makes them so good  
  • Could talk to owners or locals for more insights 
  • Also coils ger feedback on what students may want to see closer to the campus 

Angle: educate current students on undiscovered spots and je;p find what the students value 

Early Draft

College Athletics: Is the Schedule Worth it?

A deeper dive into the schedules of college athletes at different levels and if this justifies priority course selection or more excused absences.   

Have you ever wondered why athletes get priority over those who don’t participate in a varsity sport? Why do they have priority in picking classes or excessive excused absences for games? Should the university take missed class time into account when making the schedules? These are all questions that this article will answer. 

I also want to show the difference in priorities among the students. Those who play a varsity sport may prioritize their free time in different ways than someone with a more lenient schedule. It also may show that those who are not involved in a varsity sport are more involved with the school in different ways. This could include clubs or a more rigorous academic schedule.

 Those who don’t play a sport may not have the time due to the degree path they are on. Although it might’ve been an option, it would have been difficult to juggle both. We also may find that theirs not as significant of a difference as we originally thought. Every college student is busy in their way. Whether it is a sport, club, or even a job, a college student’s schedule is always jam-packed. The interesting part will be how they use this time and what aspects of their life are important enough to prioritize when they do have a second to spare. This could also be eye-opening to those on the fence about being a colligate athlete. If this schedule is too overwhelming, it could lead to those shying away from continuing their sports careers in college. 

People you might need to interview 

• Varsity athletes currently in season, club sport athletes (compare those schedules), students who are not part of a team   

Details you’ll need to find out or research you’ll require to draft the story 

• The specific schedule of each individual 
• What they do with their free time 
• Opinions on athletes missing class and first pick of schedules 

 Challenges you foresee at the start of the project

• Finding students who will give accurate and in-depth information 
• If the schedules don’t vary that much it won’t prove the point of the feature 
• Having enough information to make it interesting 

Draft 2

College Athletics: Is the Schedule Worth it?

A deeper dive into the schedules of college athletes at different levels and if this justifies priority course selection or more excused absences.   

The University of New England is a Division Three college in Biddeford Maine. Roughly 6,000 undergraduates attend the university and take part in extra curriculars, including sports. UNE offers 21 varsity sports and around 20 club sports teams allowing students to continue their sports careers at different levels. 

Often student-athletes who participate in varsity sports have a more rigorous schedule. This causes them to get priority in class selection times to ensure they can attend team events like practices, lifts, and games. They also tend to receive more excused absences than students who don’t participate in a sport. This raises the question, is it fair for varsity athletes to receive priority in course schedules and excused absences due to their game schedules?

Hannah Cook (she/her), sports management major, and business administration minor, sat down and explained her thoughts on this matter. Cook is a dual sport varsity athlete who participates on the women’s basketball team as a guard and a defender on the women’s lacrosse team.  

Currently, Cook has three classes on Mondays and Thursdays which finish at 1:50, and two classes on Tuesdays and Fridays which end at 12:30 with Wednesdays off. After classes are done for the day, she then has a practice or game. She explained that “practice differs on the day.” Usually, it is held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with a lift before. This schedule will also change once she transitions into lacrosse season. The weather greatly impacts their practicing schedule as some days they can only be outside for an hour depending on how cold it is. Since they share the field with men’s lacrosse, their practice times vary but are usually earlier in the afternoon. 

As the conversation continued, it led to the harsh reality of this schedule. Cook explained that every day she averages around three and a half hours of her free time dedicated to her sport.  When asked “Is this schedule worth it, for the social aspect you get in return?” Cook responded with “ya I do. I get bored easily so it gives me something to do. If I didn’t have it, through sports I would have been able to make friends.” She also added that “it has helped her transition to college.” 

The final topic was focused on her opinions on the prioritization of varsity athletes. When asked about the course selection order she explained, “I think varsity athletes should go first but clubs could go second.” Her reasoning is “club is less of a time commitment and only once or twice a week, we have practice everyday and need the earlier time spot for our game schedule.” 

WorkShop Draft

College Athletics: Is the Schedule Worth it?

A deeper dive into student-athletes schedules at the University of New England who participate at different levels and if this justifies priority course selection or more excused absences.

February 17, 2025 

Abby Anthony 

University Student    

 Varsity student-athletes often have rigorous schedules, leading to priority in class selection and excused absences to accommodate practices, lifts, and games. This raises the question, is it fair for varsity athletes to receive these privileges? 

Hannah Cook (she/her), sports management major, and business administration minor, is a dual sport varsity athlete in basketball and lacrosse shared her thoughts on this matter.  

 Cook’s academic schedule consists of three classes on Mondays and Thursdays and two classes on Tuesdays and Fridays followed by a practice or game. She explained that “practice differs on the day.” Usually, it is held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with a lift before. This schedule differs with lacrosse as those times depend on field availability.

Cook explained that every day she dedicates about three and a half hours of her free time to her sport. Cook feels that this schedule is worth it, “I get bored easily so it gives me something to do. Through sports, I have been able to make friends.” She also added that “it has helped her transition to college.” 

Cook agreed with the prioritization of varsity athletes, she explained, “I think varsity athletes should go first, but club sports could go second.” She reasons that “club is less of a time commitment and only once or twice a week, we have practice every day and need the earlier time spot for our game schedule.” 

Kyla Dolan (she/her), a sports management major, business administration, and coaching minor, is a club dance team member who offered a non-varsity athlete perspective.

Dolan only has four classes but still faces the challenges of balancing dance and academics. Although her academic schedule is lighter than most students, she explained, “Because we are a club sport, we don’t get to practice until later at night.” 

Dolan partakes in both the competition team and the gameday team. She practices three days a week. These practices are late at night, often between the times 5-9. This differs between the gameday and the competition team with a weekly lift on Thursday nights. This doesn’t include when they are performing at games. 

Scheduling conflicts were a major part of the interview. Dolan explained that they “miss out on a lot of things” because of the later practice times. These interfere with meal times, “By the time we start it’s too early to get dinner, but by the time it’s over the dining hall is closed.”

 Since the dance team is a club sport, many professors have a difficult time justifying their absence from class due to a competition. Unlike varsity athletes, the dance team members often have to use their own excused absences. 

Dolan explained that between her class schedule and practice schedule, there isn’t a lot of free time to spare: “we don’t have a lot because this all happens after class time; we have all of our classes and then all of our nights are consumed by dance.”

Similar to Cook’s feelings, Dolan too thinks the time commitment is worth it, “for me, it’s been amazing, I love seeing the girls in the dining hall, I love seeing them around campus and it gets to be a community.” 

However, she noted that club sports are often pushed aside by scheduling. She explained, “We are told when we can or can’t perform, and a lot of the time our practice spaces get double booked or move our practices because we aren’t a priority.”

The interview ended with Dolan expressing, “I love being an athlete here; it is a really fun thing to be a part of.”

Katelyn Seile (she/her), a marine biology major, explained her schedule from a different viewpoint as a non-athelete.

She works on campus at the commons desk. She explained, “I still feel involved with the university, just in a different way.” This allows her to balance academics while feeling connected to the university. 

Seile’s demanding coursework includes multiple four-credit classes,s which makes maintaining a social life challenging. Although Seile was a high school athlete, she doesn’t regret leaving that in the past. “I like having my free time, and didn’t have issues making friends during the transition to college.” 

Overall, varsity athletes benefit from prioritization due to their commitments, which leads club athletes and non-athletes to navigate their challenges. 

Revised Draft

Balancing Academics and Athletics: Is Priority Scheduling Fair? 

A variety of students at the University of New England shared their thoughts on course selection fairness and excused absences based on athletic scheduling. 

February 27, 2025 

Abby Anthony 

University Student    

Varsity student-athletes often have rigorous schedules, leading to priority in class selection and excused absences to accommodate games. This raises the question: Is it fair for varsity athletes to receive these privileges? 

Hannah Cook (she/her), Sports Management major and Business Administration minor, is a dual-sport varsity athlete in basketball and lacrosse. Her academic schedule consists of three classes on Mondays and Thursdays and two classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, followed by a practice or game. She explained that “practice differs on the day.” Usually, it is held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with a lift before. This schedule differs from lacrosse, as those times depend on field availability.

Cook dedicates about three and a half hours of her free time to her sport but finds it worthwhile.  “I get bored easily, so it gives me something to do. Through sports, I have been able to make friends, and it has helped me transition to college.” 

Cook supports the prioritization of varsity athletes, stating, “I think varsity athletes should go first, but club sports could go second.” She reasons that “club is less of a time commitment and only once or twice a week, we have practice every day and need the earlier time spot for our game schedule.” 

Kyla Dolan (she/her), a Sports Management major with minors in Business Administration and Coaching, is a club dance team member who offered a non-varsity athlete perspective.

Dolan has four classes and is on a reduced load due to prior high school credits. Despite this, balancing dance and academics is challenging, stating, “Because we are a club sport, we don’t get to practice until later at night.” She participates in both the competition and gameday teams, practicing three days a week, often between 5:00 and 9:00 pm. Additionally, the team has a weekly lift and performances at games. 

Late practice times create conflicts, particularly with meals. Dolan explained, “By the time we start, it’s too early to get dinner, but by the time it’s over, the dining hall is closed.”

Unlike varsity athletes, club team members struggle with excused absences for competitions. Between her class and practice schedules, Dolan has little free time. “We don’t have a lot because this happens after class time we have all of our classes, and then all of our nights are consumed by dance.”

Similar to Cook’s feelings, Dolan, too, thinks the time commitment is worth it: ” For me, it’s been amazing. I love seeing the girls in the dining hall; I love seeing them around campus, and it gets to be a community.” 

However, she feels club sports are often pushed aside when it comes to scheduling. “We are told when we can or can’t perform, and a lot of the time our practice spaces get double booked or move our practices because we aren’t a priority.”

Dolan expressed, “I love being an athlete here; it is a really fun thing to be a part of.”

Patty Williams (she/her), Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, oversees the practice and game schedules of varsity, club, and intramural athletics, focusing primarily on club and intramural sports. 

Williams explained that varsity schedules are often “mapped out” by coaches before their season starts, and  “all varsity practices are scheduled before class resumes.” Varsity athletes “get priority registration to help coordinate classes around practices” because of the predetermined schedules. 

Club practices are often scheduled once classes resume. Some club sports have “historical practices” in the Campus Center Gym, with a 6:00 to 8:00 pm slot sheared among four teams. Field teams rotate each semester. “We look at who is in season first; if they have an actual league competition season, they would get priority.” Williams clarified, “Varsity sports can only practice in season and have specific NCAA restrictions on when they can practice.” 

Katelyn Seile (she/her), a Marine Biology major, shared her experience as a non-athelete who works on campus. She balances her academic life while staying connected to the university through her job at the commons desk. “I still feel involved with the university, just in a different way.” 

Her work schedule includes Monday and Tuesday nights from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, Wednesday mornings from 9:00 to 12:00 pm, and alternating weekend shifts. With demanding four-credit classes, maintaining a social life is challenging. Although Seile was a high school athlete, she has no regrets about leaving that behind. “I like having my free time, and didn’t have issues making friends during the transition to college.”

Daily schedules vary widely among students. Varsity athletes receive priority registration to manage their demanding schedules, while club athletes and non-athletes have more flexibility.

Workshop Experiance Reflection

Overall, I felt that the workshop was very helpful. Having multiple peers review your work can be intimidating at first, especially since this is my first time writing in this style. It also was extremely helpful because they picked up on the little details that I was overlooking. Some of my wording was confusing, lacked key details, or even had simple formatting issues that I wouldn’t have picked up on if I had continued reading it over alone. I also enjoyed getting different perspectives on how to improve my piece. Since this is a longer project, I want to make sure that i’m submitting the best end product possible. One suggestion was to add an administrator’s point of view on the issue. I thought that was a great idea and added Patty Williams’s perspective on scheduling, as she is the person who deals directly with club sport practices. This also adds depth to the piece in general by adding more quotes. Another suggestion was to change my headline and some of the wording in the sub-headline. I was able to go in and fix this, which helped the overall flow of the article. Everyone has different opinions and ways of writing. This helped me see the discrepancies in my piece from all angles. Having a mix of varsity athletes, club athletes, and those who decided to not play a sport give input on the article helped me see it from all angles. It also made me aware of misleading word choices. Without the workshop, it would’ve been very difficult to alter or edit my piece. I valued the input given by my peers and hope that there is a noticeable difference in my final product. 

Project as a Whole Reflection

The whole process has shown me how difficult it is to be a reporter. At first, I was lost on what to do or which angle I wanted to take. After narrowing it down, I figured it would be interesting to look at different students’ academic schedules and how that affects their schedules, specifically athletes. I found this topic to be interesting because I’m a sports management major, and I’m surrounded by athletes who have different schedules than I do. After narrowing down my idea, it was time for the drafting process. At first, I had a hard time figuring out how to start this article that wasn’t in the typical academic essay way. After getting some quotes together and practicing more in class with structuring a feature, this made it easier to put the pieces together. After revising my draft a few times, it was still difficult to get out of the academic essay format. I was using way too many describing words and trying to tell a story instead of letting the story tell itself. Looking back on our guest speaker experience with Emily Hedegard, she explained to let the quotes speak for themselves. This helped me make the switch from that academic style to more of a reporting style. After cutting back and rewording certain parts of the article, I felt it was ready for the workshop. I took a lot away from this experience. My peers were able to pick up on small details I overlooked at first. I also valued their suggestions on how to bring my piece to the next level. One suggestion was to get an administration point of view since my current quotes were from students. I was able to schedule an interview with Patty Williams, which unlocked a new point of view while adding more context to the article. Her role on campus is to schedule the club sports practices, games lifts, etc. Adding this interview helped improve my article and bring it to the next level! Unfortunately, because of the word count limit, I wasn’t able to add as much of this interview as I would’ve liked. She was able to bring in a different stance, and it was interesting to hear about her day-to-day. Going in and fixing small wording mistakes and making my argument clearer while adding this new perspective escalated the quality of my article.