WHEREAS, Student athletes throughout the state of California work hard every day to train and improve their athletic abilities to represent their school in competition; and student athletes must strike a perfect balance between their academic and athletic careers in order to set themselves up for success;
WHEREAS, The majority of student athletes face conflicts between their scheduled courses and games, tournaments, or other competitions related to their sport; and the California Community College Athletic Association handbook does not contain any by-laws relating to scheduling conflicts, leaving the decision-making regarding any scheduling issues to be left to individual colleges and professors;
WHEREAS, The National College Athletic Association gives permission for student athletes to miss class for game time and any associated travel, as long as the Student Athlete completes any missing work; and
WHEREAS, Many California Community College Athletic Departments do not have any Student Athlete handbooks or similar documents; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges urge the California Community College Athletic Association to align with National College Athletic Association protocol, empowering student athletes with the opportunity to take the classes they need for transfer, while also being able to miss class-time for games, tournaments, and any associated travel; and
RESOLVED, That the Student Senate for California Community Colleges urge all California Community Colleges to create a student Athlete Handbook that clearly outlines topics including but not limited to, academic eligibility, athletic conduct, practice and competition guidelines (including policies that accommodate student athletes for any time missed for games/competitions), conflict resolution, and student athlete support services.