Southeastern running back Jay Lucas and Lady Lion power forward Kristy Carlin review classroom timetables with Chris Bentley, center, associate to the athletic director/life skills and academic liaison and faculty member in general studies.
Accomplishment has two connotations in the realm of Southeastern Athletics. Athletes are expected to thrive not just in their sport, as well as in the class.
Kristy Carlin, a junior power forward specializing in business management, recognizes the expectations placed on student-athletes very well.
Carly believes that it’s difficult to be a student-athlete because you have to balance practice routines and tournament travel with academics. Students can’t afford to lag behind in coursework because most of them have scholarship obligations.
Chris Bentley is among the finest tools Southeastern has in place to assist students to achieve academic achievement. She works as a connection between teachers, coaches, and student-athletes as an associate to the athletic director/life skills and academic liaison and a faculty member in the Division of General Studies. Ensuring the accomplishment of student-athletes is one of her greatest essential tasks, as well as her most favorite preference.
She has been engaging with players since 1993 when she was requested to teach a course for all freshmen student-athletes. Her objective is to educate them on how to combine training time, travel time, and game time with academic achievement as they transition from school to college.
Carlin remarked, “Ms. Bentley has really taught me a lot about academia.” “When I initially started taking her class, she was quite rigorous. She showed us how to write things down, and it resonated with me so much that I still do so.”
Carlin said, “She has always been on our collar, in a nice manner, about what to do, how to complete our classwork on time, and how to be competent.”
Carlin was influenced by Bentley’s professionalism to launch herself as a basketball player to her coaches at the start of each term
Carlin sits in the front row so her teachers are aware that she is present in class. On the first day, she informs them that she might have to skip class, but that she would also do everything it takes to keep up. She makes sure the teachers know the reason if she’s skipping.
Bentley not only teaches but also counsels potential and existing players. She speaks with new freshmen and their parents to offer agendas for students and to inform parents about the resources available to assist athletes in obtaining a college degree.
Bentley also advises players to avoid scheduling classes after 1 p.m. due to training and other obligations. She pushes the players to stay on course for graduation by enrolling in courses that are relevant to their degree program.
Bentley remarked, “I constantly tell my students that their instructors will assist them with their athletic skills, and I will help them with their academic progress.”
Being a student-athlete infers that you can’t be an athlete to the best if you don’t get it together in the classroom.