Oakland University athletes wake up from their much-needed sleep, and get ready for their days. Long hours of grueling work that will test them continuously, and will determine their future at Oakland. And then, they also have their actual sport to worry about.

Contrary to the standard opinion of the student athlete, Oakland University athletes maintain, on average, higher GPAs, a higher graduation rate, and a more consistently-set standard of excellence rate than the general population of OU students.

Celebrating success

Student athletes with a GPA above 3.0 were invited to attend the “Celebration of Teaching, Learning, and Success” breakfast, to be lauded for their academic accomplishments. One of the people who spoke at the event was Dr. Robbie Stewart, Oakland University Faculty Athletic Representative.

“One of things that is absolutely unique about Oakland University,” Stewart explained, “is we have an athletic department that is committed to graduating student-athletes. That’s not just a phrase, that’s not just a motto. That’s a reality here at Oakland.”

Stewart continued on to say that he enjoys bragging about OU athletes to his colleagues across the nation, because they never believe his statistics because they are so impressive.

Competition with the coaches

Stewart briefly commented on the important role that the coaches play in their players’ academic endeavors. “Another one of the things that makes it easy to achieve academic success at Oakland is that we have a coaching staff that likes to compete with one another,” Stewart said. “Who has the highest GPA? Who has the highest graduation rate?”

Stewart also mentioned that the graduation rate among student athletes is 13 percent higher than the rest of the school. “That’s a testament to the accomplishment of the athletic department.”

Pete Hovland, head coach of the Oakland University men’s and women’s swimming and diving team, recently won his 14th straight Summit League Championship. The performance of his team was not the only thing accomplished. The OU women’s swimming and diving team is now ranked tenth in the nation academically.

“Our teams lead the Summit League, not only in highest cumulative GPA,” Hovland said. “But also (in) producing the highest number of athletes with a GPA above 3.0, and this is something we do annually.”

Honored guests

Among the attendees, aside from the student athletes themselves, were miscellaneous OU faculty members, the teams’ coaches, and a few select teachers. The players themselves mostly selected the teachers in attendance, as people who they felt were instrumental in their academic success. Nicholas Kristok, a red-shirt junior and team captain for the OU Men’s Soccer Team, spoke about these kinds of teachers.

“I’ve always heard these special stories about teachers who go the extra mile for their student athletes’ academic journeys,” Kristok said. “And I’m fortunate enough to be able to say ‘thank you’ to the faculty on behalf of all of the student athletes here.”

Kristok also spoke about former Michigan State University student athlete and current Washington Redskins quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and what Cousins felt being a student athlete was all about.

“The one word he used to describe it was ‘privilege’ and I couldn’t agree with him more,” Kristok said. “We owe Oakland University a lot for these privileges and one way we can show our gratitude is through our academics. I want you all to know that (the student athletes) believe that that desk we occupy is a tremendous privilege.”

Oakland University Athletic Director Tracy Huth commented on the relationship between the University, the faculty and the athletics department. “If you were to look at the department of athletics’ mission, the first line talks about being aligned with the educational mission of Oakland University.”

Huth also praised the Senate Athletic Committee for the planning and orchestrating of the event. Huth ended his speech by commending the faculty themselves for being such an instrumental part in the student athletes’ academic experience. “… that’s what Oakland is. Oakland makes a difference in the lives of our students, and you have done that (for our student athletes), and we want to thank you for that.”