CHARLESTON, S.C. – For the past two summers, Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) has offered the Paws to Claws program to College of Charleston student-athletes who are enrolled and on campus for The College's Summer Session II.
 
The SAAS staff leads seminars that introduce incoming student-athletes to college-level expectations.
 
"The idea is to expose our incoming student-athletes to various strategies they will need to know, and will likely learn more about in detail, as their first year at The College progresses," said Kate Tiller, Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Academic Services. "The seminars are fast-paced and aim to arm our student-athletes with the very basics they'll need to succeed in their first year."
 
Topics have included: student-athlete etiquette, The College's Honor System, time management, study skills, and an introduction to the Center for Student Learning.
 
"Many NCAA Division I academic support units offer a summer bridge for freshmen arriving on campus for the first time," Tiller said. "What is unique about Paws to Claws is that we incorporate our upperclassmen and our Student-Athlete Development program, so it is more of an enrichment program than a bridge."
 
Upperclassmen work with their respective SAAS advisor to create a developmental goal — usually career related, exploring options for majors, creating a working resume, investigating internships — and divide it into steps, during the four-week program. They also attend seminars on creating a budget, basic resume techniques and academic writing.
 
The last two summers, sophomore men's basketball student-athlete, Grant Riller, has participated in Paws to Claws, which has been very beneficial.
 
"Paws to Claws could help any student-athlete in any particular year," he said. "The topics are things I actually need to know and can use in my life."
 
In contrast to the fairly new Paws to Claws program, SAAS continues to offer Student-Athlete 101, a non-credit 10-week seminar for freshmen, which has been taught for the last 10 years during the fall semester.
 
Former Student-Athlete Affairs Coordinator, Kristin Rusboldt, updated the SA 101 curriculum in 2015 and Tiller re-launched the program this fall.
 
"We first developed the program as The College transitioned away from a traditional freshman seminar to its current First-Year Experience program," Senior Associate Athletics Director / Senior Woman Administrator Laura Lageman said. "The goal was to ensure that our student-athletes got the transitional support they needed as they began their journey at The College."
 
Lageman facilitates several sections of SA 101 and enjoys getting to know student-athletes in the classroom-style setting.
 
"Watching them form connections with each other and learn what it truly means to be a Cougar student-athlete is probably my favorite part," she said. "I also enjoy engaging student-athletes I might not have had a chance to connect with, if not for SA 101, and then watching them grow during their time here. Connecting with each other, administrator and student-athlete, is an important strategy in accomplishing one of our departmental goals — retaining student-athletes."
 
Lageman also allots time for student-athletes in her section to learn about their fellow Cougars' varsity sports. The most popular? Lessons from sailing and equestrian freshmen, which usually draws the most interest from other student-athletes, who want to know and learn more about both sports.
 
Freshman baseball student-athlete Aaron Adams agrees, "It is a good way for freshmen student-athletes to get to know other student-athletes who are not on their teams. And, it helps us stay on top of the things we should be doing in our first year."
 
In addition to Lageman, sections are facilitated by the SAAS staff and other members of the athletics department's administration including Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Otto German and Director of Compliance J.B. Weber.
 
"The College's First-Year Experience is now required for every CofC freshman and is designed to 'integrate new students into the academic and cultural community of the College,'" Tiller said. "It is an excellent opportunity for our student-athletes to assimilate to CofC. Student-Athlete 101, however, seeks to provide what is missing from that — a student-athlete-focused approach and perspective — one which helps them understand our expectations for them and empowers them to be successful student-athletes at the College of Charleston."
 
Adams concurs, "My favorite session so far this fall was 'Healthy Success' (presented by guest speaker and Associate Athletic Trainer Amanda Taylor). She spoke to us about how not eating healthy and partying too much can affect athletic and academic potential. Hearing it from someone who understands what we do every day, in a room full of student-athletes, made it more influential on the decisions I make."
 
In addition to facilitation by athletics administrators on classroom etiquette, goal setting, creating a four-year graduation plan, and CofC athletics culture, SA 101 includes a series of guests from different areas on campus.
 
This year, Meredith Gerber, Associate Director of Career Education, collaborated with Tiller to tailor the Career Center's 'How to Choose A Major Workshop' to include NCAA eligibility requirements and other tips for student-athletes specifically. Other guest speakers have included representatives from Undergraduate Academic Services, Equal Opportunity Programs and the Center for Student Learning. 
 
Student-Athlete Academic Services is located on the first floor of TD Arena and is led by Tiller and her staff, which includes Associate Director for SAAS Keri McGee, Assistant Director and Learning Specialist Lizzy Johnson and Academic Coordinator Remy Starker.