Academic Support FAQ
Our team consists of academic counselors, learning specialists, student-athlete development professionals, and part-time tutors. We work in collaboration with and aim to serve as resources to our on-campus advising partners, as well as faculty and staff.
The mission of the Evans Student-Athlete Success Program is to implement and provide services that support students academically, enhance student-athlete skills for the future, focus on student-athlete well-being, and celebrate student-athlete success.
The SAS team works hard to provide rich educational development and experience based on the individual’s needs. The following academic support services available to all student athletes include but are not limited to: individual or group tutor sessions, access to learning specialists and strategic tutoring sessions if assigned, note taking skills, textbook and test-taking strategies, time management and organizational skills, meetings with academic counselors.
If you have a question about a student-athlete you work with, here is our SAS Team list and the teams with which they work. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Please note that our Compliance Staff is also a tremendous resource for answering questions if you aren’t sure of a certain situation or question. You are always encouraged to Ask before you Act. Please do reach out to our Compliance Staff.
Our Strategic Learning Program is located on-campus in the Hale Library-Academic Learning Center and consists of Learning Specialists, a Learning Specialist Intern, and Tutor Coordinator. This team works specifically with student athletes who have documented learning disabilities or are designated as academically at-risk based on academic background, assessment, or other various factors. This team also serves as the liaison to the Student Access Center and helps connect students to their services as needed.
Students assigned to the Strategic Learning Program receive individualized academic plans, weekly to-do sheets, and meet 2-4 times weekly with Learning Specialists, strategic tutors, or content tutors depending on the learning levels in which they are placed. The goal is to help students develop and improve their academic skill sets and become well-rounded students based on their individual needs and learning styles.
The on-campus Advisor is the expert in the program in terms of knowing graduation requirements, order of classes, course substitutions, etc. The SAS Academic Counselor works to ensure compliance with NCAA requirements, help connect student to academic support, works to minimize conflicts with the academic/sport schedule, etc. The student-athlete should be the initial point of contact in initiating communication. The SAS Academic Counselor will provide support where needed. The goal is for the SAS Academic Counselor to work in collaboration with the on-campus Advisor.
Team practice times will be distributed via the University Advising Listserv near the same time schedules for the upcoming semester are officially published. Team practice times are also always available upon request from the SAS Team.
The Athletics Enrollment Hold only prohibits schedule changes during the summer term in which a student athlete is enrolled. There can be certain financial aid and eligibility implications if a student drops or adds a class without first working through their SAS academic counselor and on-campus advisor.
Yes. Student athletes do have priority enrollment and enroll with the first enrollment group. In most cases, this helps the student access classes that work around their team’s practice and competition schedules.
Student-athletes do follow the same processes for advising and enrollment as other university students. They must meet with their on-campus advisors to have their advisor hold lifted; they must obtain permissions for classes by completing same forms, etc.
An ATHL course is a 1-hour class that can be taken for credit/no credit. It is an activity course. It can be used as a free/unrestricted elective. Head coaches are listed as the primary instructor of record; however, they do not enter the permission for the course into KSIS. For course permission please contact the SAS academic counselor or Kristin Waller, SAS Director.
Student-athletes are expected to attend all classes, unless it is a University Excused Absence due to competition, or travel related to competition. (University Handbook, F62)
Student-Athletes are only permitted to miss class for a University Excused Absence. There may be unique instances where a student-athlete has a medical appointment that may conflict with class due to limited availability. Our medical staff tries to keep these conflicts to a minimum. The SAS academic counselor will send a notice regarding the absence if due to an athletic related medical emergency.
At the beginning of the semester, the SAS academic counselor will send an early initial travel letter through Navigate. This letter will state all possible travel dates for the student-athlete(s) in your course. The letter is sport specific; therefore, you may get multiple letters if you have more than one student-athlete in your course. Once travel rosters are determined, the SAS academic counselor will send another letter the week of the competition.
It is still the student-athlete’s responsibility to communicate and make arrangements with instructors to complete any missed course obligations (ex: missed presentation date, missed exam, etc.). The SAS academic counselor is available to assist with any questions you might have.
Per the University’s Excused Absence Policy, instructors shall provide the opportunity to either make up or excuse, at the instructor’s discretion, any missed assignments, activities, and/or attendance-specific points that contribute to the course grade. (University Handbook, F62)
If a student-athlete is missing coursework for an excused University Excused Absence, the University’s Excused Absence Policy should be followed like it would be for any student.
If a student-athlete has asked for an alternate assignment because of a sport conflict, but it is NOT a University Excused Absence, the instructor should NOT provide an alternate assignment.
If alternate assignments are offered consistently to other students with conflicts, then it is permissible for the student-athlete to also receive an alternate assignment. Ultimately, how course content and assignments are offered is at the instructor’s discretion, but it must be consistent for both athletes and non-athletes.
If you are unsure about what can or cannot be provided, please don’t hesitate to contact the appropriate SAS academic counselor or Kristin Waller, SAS Director.
Student-athletes should not be provided alternate or special class format arrangements that are not provided as an option to the rest of the students enrolled.
For example, if a student-athlete asks an instructor if they can do other assignments or watch a recording instead of attending class so that they can make it to practice on time, this should not be allowed unless it is an option for the other students in the class.
If you have any questions about a certain circumstance, please reach out directly to the appropriate SAS academic counselor or Kristin Waller, SAS Director.
Student-Athletes are expected to initiate contact with instructors if they have an exam scheduled during a University Excused Absence. The best option is for the instructor working directly with the student-athlete to schedule the exam before or after the travel conflict.
If a proctor is preferred, the SAS academic counselor becomes the point of contact to help coordinate. Detailed instructions on what is permissible for the exam should be noted on the Proctor Exam Form provided by the SAS academic counselor. The SAS academic counselor will pick up the exam at a mutually convenient time for both counselor and instructor, and then deliver it to the appropriate sport staff member so that the exam can be taken during team travel. Exam delivery can also be done via email. After the team returns from travel, the sport staff member will return the exam to the SAS academic counselor with the appropriate proctor and student signatures as required on the Proctor Exam Form. The SAS academic counselor will sign and return the form, along with the completed exam to the instructor as quickly as possible.
Report the situation as you would for any other student. A student-athlete should not be treated differently when the KSU Honor and Integrity Policy is in question. Student-athletes are provided training and education on K-State and NCAA academic integrity policies every year. If you have any questions regarding an individual circumstance, feel free to contact Dr. Camilla Roberts, Director of K-State Honors and Integrity System, and/or Kristin Waller, SAS Director.
No. Student-athletes receive the same notification and experience the same process as all other students at K-State. Additionally, the SAS academic counselor may be helpful in serving as a resource to the student, as well as the faculty and staff submitting the violation.
If athletics or an SAS team member becomes aware of an alleged academic integrity violation, that information will be submitted through the same reporting processes that all other university staff follow. Generally, that reporting may also include conversations with the faculty/staff/instructor of the class and the Director of K-State’s Honor and Integrity Council.
You can always contact the individual SAS Academic Counselor if you have any questions or concerns. SAS Academic Counselors monitor the academic progress of student-athletes throughout the semester. This information assists counselors in managing student-athlete academic support.
Yes. SAS Academic Counselors thoroughly review grades, comments and especially take note of class performance, behavior, and attendance on all progress reports submitted through Navigate. This information assists SAS Academic Counselors in managing student-athlete academic support. These reports are FERPA protected, and SAS staff is granted consent to student grades per the student’s signed release as part of required NCAA paperwork.
Some sports may coordinate on-site class attendance checking through Student-Athlete Success Program. Individuals hired by the Student-Athlete Success Program are trained to not disrupt the natural flow or progression of class while confirming the athlete’s attendance. If instructors would like to share a specific academic update or information about a student-athlete, we ask them to contact the SAS Academic Counselor, not to share information with the class checker.
No. To avoid any possible conflict of interest, K-State Athletics has a no contact policy for coaches and non-coaching support staff members (e.g., Director of Operations or Player Development).
The policy strictly prohibits these staff members from directly initiating any communication with K-State faculty members, administrators or associated instructional staff regarding a student-athlete’s academic standing or performance.
Communication regarding student-athlete academic matters should start with the student-athlete, then to the SAS Academic Counselor if additional concerns arise.
Yes! Coaches and coaching support staff members ARE allowed to contact faculty members with requests that are general in nature or related to setting up a meeting with a prospective student-athlete.
LOCATIONS/HOURS OF OPERATION
Hale Library - Academic Learning Center (4th Floor)
1117 Mid-Campus Drive North
Manhattan, Kansas 66506
Day Time Study Hours:
Monday through Thursday, 8am - 4pm
Friday, 8am - Noon
Vanier Football Complex - Evans Student-Athlete Success Center
2201 Kimball Ave
Manhattan, Kansas 66502
Hours of Business Operation:
Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm
Study Hours:
Sunday, 7pm - 9pm
Monday through Thursday, 8am - 9pm
Friday, 8am - Noon
CONTACT US
Evans Student-Athlete Success Program
Office Phone: 785-532-5190
Office Fax: 785-532-5191
Email: sas@kstatesports.com
