University of Toronto Athletics

A. Student-Athlete and Team Support
B. Academic Expectations
C. Academic Services
D. Time Management Skills
E. Coping with Stress


A. Student-Athlete and Team Support
The University of Toronto is committed to whole person development. Students are at a crucial stage of their intellectual, physical and social development. Athletic skill development should be encouraged alongside:

• Intellectual accomplishment, professional preparation and critical reflections;
• Self-knowledge about health and well-being;
• Interpersonal and intercultural awareness and communications;
• A commitment to personal excellence, fair play, ethical behaviour and a lifetime of involvement in physical activity.

Various educational sessions and support services are available to teams and individual student-athletes in order to enhance whole person development. Examples of the educational services that may be offered include:

• positive team building
• diversity training
• stress management
• coping with performance anxiety
• orientation and transition experiences
• body image and eating disorders
• communication
• time management
• nutrition
• off-season strength and conditioning
• strength training basics.

 
Confidential support and referrals are available. For further information, please contact:
Beth Ali at beth.ali@utoronto.ca or Steve Manchur at steve.manchur@utoronto.ca.


B. Academic Expectations
The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the University of Toronto are committed to both academic and athletic excellence. We strongly encourage student-athletes to:

• Set priorities and plan ahead.
• Make every effort to attend all classes, labs and tutorials for each course.
• Fulfill all course requirements on time.
• Know and adhere to all academic requirements and deadlines including prerequisites and add/drop dates.
• Know all academic regulations that apply to intercollegiate eligibility.
• Get to know the resources and student support systems on campus, starting with professors.
• Ask for help when needed.

 Coaches and staff make every effort to ensure practice and competition schedules consider the academic needs of student-athletes. There will, however, be occasions when academic and athletic commitments conflict.
 
Academic Conflict Policy:
The following outlines the procedures student-athletes must follow when there is a conflict between academic and athletic events. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to identify these conflicts well in advance, and notify the coach and/or professor as early as possible.

If practice conflicts with a class:
The student-athlete is expected to honour the academic commitment and inform the coach well in advance of the conflict.

If practice conflicts with a test:
Tests are occasionally scheduled outside regular class times. In these cases, the student-athlete must inform the coach, as early as possible, but academic commitment takes priority.

If competition conflicts with class time:
The student is expected to honour the athletic commitment and to advise the professor of the conflict as early as possible. The student must keep up with missed work. In the event the class time has an academic evaluation component (mandatory tutorial, PRAC rotations, etc.), please request an academic conflict letter.

If competition conflicts with a test or exam:
The academic commitment has priority and the student-athlete is expected to honour that commitment. The student-athlete should request an academic conflict letter, and talk with the professor about alternate arrangements.
 
Academic Conflict Letter
It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to inform the professor of a test or exam conflict, a minimum of two weeks in advance to determine if alternative arrangements can be made.

To assist you, please contact Steve Manchur at steve.manchur@utoronto.ca three weeks in advance or more to provide a letter for you to give to the professor verifying your status as a student-athlete and dates of the competition that are in conflict with your exam or test. It is imperative that in order for any consideration to be made, that student-athletes respect these timelines as outlined. Requests for letters are available online in the athletes only section at www.varsityblues.ca.
REMEMBER: The decision to provide alternate arrangements belongs with the professor. You are responsible for following the established guidelines and to work with your professor in a cooperative and courteous manner.
 

C. Academic Services
The University of Toronto offers a range of academic services for all students. Consult your academic counselor in your department, faculty or individual college for a list of available resources. The following are services frequently used by students and student-athletes alike:

The Writing Centre
University website:
www.writing.utoronto.ca
 
St. George campus:
Innis College Writing Centre
Innis College, Room 322

New College Writing Centre
Wilson Hall, Rooms 2045 and 2047

St. Michael’s College Writing Centre Kelly Library,
Rooms 230 and 231

Trinity College Writing Centre Larkin Building, Room 302

University College Writing Centre Laidlaw Library,
Rooms 214, 216 and 218

Victoria College Writing Centre Northrop Frye Hall 103,
Room A and Room B

Woodsworth College Academic Writing Centre
Woodsworth College, Room 214
 
If you are taking a course in French or philosophy, you may be eligible to work with a specialized writing centre. Call the Department of French at 416 926.2302 for information about its services for this academic year. The Philosophy Essay Clinic is located at 170 St. George St.
 
Mississauga campus:
The Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre
Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre, Room 390K
 
Scarborough campus:
Academic Resource Centre,
Room 210C

Learning Skills
St. George campus:

Academic Success Centre
214 College St.
http://www.asc.utoronto.ca/

Mississauga campus:
Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre
Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre Room 390K
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/asc/

Scarborough campus:
Academic Advising & Career Centre
www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc

The Career Centre
St. George campus:
Koffler Student Services Centre
214 College St.
www.careers.utoronto.ca

Mississauga campus:
Career Centre
3359 Mississauga Rd.
www.erin.utoronto.ca/careers/

Scarborough campus:
Academic Advising & Career Centre
www.utsc.utoronto.ca/aacc.

Counselling Services
The counselling services available on campus is a professional counselling service for students of the University who can help with short-term crisis counselling and brief psychotherapy for individuals, couples and groups, learning skills lectures and workshops, and individual consultation on academic skills matters.

St. George campus:
Counselling and Psychologial Services
214 College Street, Main Floor
Koffler Student Service Centre
www.caps.utoronto.ca

Mississauga campus:
Health & Counselling Centre
Room 1123, South Building
http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/health/

Scarborough campus:
Health and Wellness Centre
www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~wellness/counselling_services.html


D. Time Management Skills
Learning to use your time effectively is a skill. Balancing the demands of school and athletic competition can be challenging, whether you are a first year or fifth year student-athlete. Here are some suggestions to help you organize your time.

Plan ahead. Keep a daily, weekly and monthly calendar of all of your responsibilities, including practice times, competition dates, test and exam dates and due dates for papers and presentations. Pay particular attention to periods where many things are going on at once, for example, midterm and exam time. Highlight these “crunch” times on a calendar or in a daily planner and set out time, well in advance, to prepare for them. Remember if you have a conflict with an exam or test, you need to give your professor a minimum of two weeks notice. (see page 16)

Know yourself. Be aware of how you currently spend your time. It is difficult to make changes if you aren’t sure what your habits and patterns are. We all work on slightly different schedules, but there are some times we all seem to work more efficiently. Many students study well in the morning as opposed to late in the evening. Determine when you work best and arrange your schedule accordingly. Avoid leaving tasks you dislike or material you find difficult to grasp until the end. Instead, try to tackle difficult material when you are most alert.

Use small blocks of time. Hours between classes, during travel, and before and following practices can be used effectively. Important learning can take place in an hour or less. Identify tasks that require a short period of time (i.e. reading a part of a chapter, reviewing class notes, filling out forms, seeing a coach or professor, etc.) and tackle them during these breaks in the day.

Write everything down. “The faintest pencil mark is superior to the clearest memory” (Chinese saying). If you have an idea or forgot to do something, write it down. If you finish something, cross it off the list, etc.

Prioritize. There are times we simply can not finish all of the tasks we have undertaken. Be sure to prioritize those that are most important and allot your time accordingly. Pay particular attention to the value of assignments and papers. For example, an assignment worth 5% of your final grade does not warrant as much time as a paper worth 40% of your final grade.

Establish a regular routine. Try to eliminate time spent making decisions and organizing your schedule by setting up a regular routine for studying, practicing and relaxing.

Find a place to study where you won’t be interrupted. Be aware of your distractions and have a plan to deal with them. Once you find a place that is conducive to concentration and focus, designate this place to be where only studying occurs. Make sure all the materials you need are close by.

Plan for recreation/personal time. One of the first activities to be eliminated when faced with numerous responsibilities is recreational or personal time. It is important to set aside some time for rest, relaxation and proper nutrition. Plan regular breaks and use the breaks to truly relax. Leave books, assignments and papers aside during this time. You will return more refreshed and ready to use your time effectively.

Just say “no”. Student-athletes, in general, tend to enjoy being involved in multiple tasks. Unfortunately, sometimes we over-extend ourselves with extracurricular activities including volunteer work and leadership roles. Be sure the responsibilities do not come at a time when you are already overloaded. If they do, politely decline and indicate you may be interested in participating at another time (if that is the case).


E. Coping with Stress
Student-athletes must cope with the stressors typically experienced by other students, as well as those associated with being a competitive athlete. Stressors may include but are not limited to:

• moving to a new city;
• making new friends;
• choosing courses and a major;
• adjusting to the intensity of training at a competitive university level;
• attending practices, games and tournaments;
• coping with poor or unfamiliar levels of athletic performance;
• injuries.

The following are some suggestions to help deal with the stress of being a university student and an athlete:

• Develop a network of friends and family who can provide support and assistance when needed.
• Have a flexible attitude toward unexpected events and changes in your schedule.
• Make use of relaxation strategies such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, massage therapy, and allot time to take a warm bath, see a movie or visit friends.
• Eliminate stressors from your life. Identify those activities and demands that are not essential and eliminate them.
• Speak to a counselor, therapist or self-help group. Sharing concerns and worries with others in a confidential environment can be a tremendous way to relieve stress. If necessary, seek professional help from on or off-campus services.
• Share any problems with your coaching staff. The intercollegiate coaches are committed to the development of the whole person and will assist with any issues affecting your experience at the university.

Leadership & Employment Opportunities
The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education provides hundreds of full and part-time paid, work-study and volunteer leadership positions and experiences. These leadership opportunities provide a variety of ways for students to gain valuable career related experiences, learn new skills, contribute to their education and have an enjoyable time while studying at U of T.

For more information, visit www.acjobs.utoronto.ca.