Athletics are second at Eastern.

4 hours a week of study hall, progress reports, meetings.

Student athletes focus on more than just sports. They also focus on academics.

Softball

Incoming Freshman softball players must complete four hours of study hall per week. If they receive a 3.0 GPA or higher they no longer have to attend. Each point they are below 3.0 results in one hour of study hall per week, said Kim Schuette, head softball coach.

Softball players complete progress reports that are signed by the coach and the academic center. Players sit down with the coaches and discuss their classes, attendance and grades during the semester, said Schuette.

“(Academics) come first and foremost,” said Schuette. “Softball is a close second.”

Baseball

If baseball players do not want to run, they attend study hall.

Head coach Jim Schmitz requires four hours of study hall per week for most of the baseball players on his roster.

“If they miss study table, they run at 6 a.m.” said Schmitz. “If they miss class, we have certain rules, they run or the team runs.”

Schmitz checks the attendance of his players and gets midterm reports from their professors. Athletes who need academic help are sent to see Assistant Coach Sean Lyons on a regular basis.

Women’s Track

Track runners know their main job at Eastern is to get a degree.

“I remind the athletes that their first goal is to leave Eastern with a degree,” said head coach Mary Wallace. The track team has mandatory study hours for incoming athletes and athletes who have a 2.50 GPA. Athletes are required to spend four to six hours per week in study hall.

“If an athlete is struggling academically, they are less likely to travel, especially on extended trips in which they would miss several classes,” said Wallace. “We remind student athletes that if they are academically ineligible, their athletic scholarship can be reduced or taken away.”

Women’s Basketball

On the first day of class, women’s basketball players are expected to introduce themselves to their professors and sit in the first two rows of their classes, said head coach Brady Sallee.

“The young ladies I recruit are all interested in being good students. We don’t mess with players that aren’t,” said Sallee. “I make no bones about the fact that I want players that are also good students.”

Players are required to attend study hall as incoming freshman and anyone on the team who has a GPA lower than 3.0 is expected to attend study hall. On road trips the team has mandatory study hall for their players.

The assistant basketball coaches are in charge of making sure the players are in academic good standing. The coaches work with the academic support department to find tutors for students that need them, said Sallee.

Sallee believes that there is peer pressure amongst teammates to get good grades.

“Our team takes pride in being one of the best academically performing teams at Eastern,” said Sallee.

Men’s soccer

There is no excuse for missing an academic meeting with headcoach Adam Howarth.

“They must come in on their number day,” said Howarth. “For example, if there number is three, they come in on the third of every month.”

At the meeting Howarth discusses his three s’s; School, Soccer, Social.

“School first, take care of business in the classroom. Soccer, do well on the field, social, extra curricular activities,” said Howarth. “If any are skewed in the wrong order, we must sit down and sort it out.”

Students under a 2.75 GPA and incoming athletes have mandatory study hall time of two to four hours. After four weeks, if an athlete is having problems with their grades Howarth meets with them again.

“They will see me a lot if they are struggling,” said Howarth.

The team gets struggling students tutors through Academic Services, and additional study hall hours and study halls on road trips.

Women’s Rugby

Lots of questions are asked by head coach Frank Graziano.

“I monitor the performance of my student athletes regularly with lots of questions,” said Graziano. “I often discuss their career goals in relation to the current path they are on.”

Graziano does not put his athletes in study hall, but believes that his athletes put pressure on each other to get good grades.

“We get grade reports regularly, and we always do make excellent grades,” said Graziano. “We want them graduating with good grades and a good career path.”

APR

While academics is stressed with students at Eastern, the Athletic Performance Rating from the NCAA is not.

Schuette does not discuss the APR with her players. The academic program that softball has set up is in place to take care of the team meeting APR, however APR is not explained to the athletes.

Schmitz does not discuss APR with students either.

“We just tell them what they have to do to remain eligible,” said Schmitz.

Sallee does not discuss APR with his students either.

“It’s an issue for coaches,” said Sallee.

Howarth agrees that APR is an issue for coaches.

“APR is fairly new,” said Howarth. “But the players understand that they must meet requirements and keep their head above water. If they are taking care of business and doing well in the classroom everything takes care of itself.”

APR affects Divison I championship sports, of which Rugby is not one. For that reason, Graziano has not explained APR to his athletes.

“However, we have always considered ourselves part of the whole and I do hold my student athletes accountable for maintaining good grades and eligibility,” said Graziano.

Wallace is one of the only Eastern coaches to discuss APR with her students.

Wallace has Jason Hall, the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance explain APR to the team at their fall and spring meetings.

“As a staff we stress the importance of maintaining eligibility in order to be able to participate as well,” said Wallace.