The Association of Student-Atheletes is a group made up of students from every athletic team on campus. They are the Goshen College chapter of the greater National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics body.
As Chad Coleman, associate athletic director, described it, it is “essentially the student-athlete voice within the NAIA and GC.”Members are chosen from the teams by a mixture of coaches, players and previous representatives. Training typically begins in the spring so that they can get used to the position. ASA members take on a variety of responsibilities, including national initiatives set forth by NAIA and more local projects around GC and the broader Goshen community.
In the past, the ASA has hosted a Trunk or Treat event for local kids to come and have a fun and engaging experience on campus. However, this year they were unable to host the event due a multitude of changes in the team; including a new faculty advisor as Coleman steps into the role and losing several graduating seniors, which left them behind on time for planning.
To make up for this, they hope to host a community event in the spring. Mackenzie Mast, ASA president, said, “It’s important to us as an ASA that we continue to connect with the greater Goshen community.” Mast works in leadership with Jesse Bontrager, Alaina Wolfe and Eddy Garcia.
As for their more national projects, the ASA does a lot of work with the NAIA’s Champions of Character initiative. As they describe the program on their website, “Our mission is to provide training to instill the values that build character, so students, coaches and parents know, do, and value the right thing on and off the field.”
As Coleman described, “The ASA really focuses on promoting the NAIA’s Champions of Character values, giving feedback on NAIA policies that impact student-athletes, and also leading initiatives within our own department that build community and sportsmanship.”
Coleman also emphasized the importance of athletes feeling as though they can reach out to their representatives with questions and concerns, and that the ASA wants to make itself as available and helpful as possible for student-athletes on campus.
When considering the overall goal of the ASA, Mast said, “Our goal is to represent and serve our student-athletes by advocating for better support of student-athletes and to create an environment where student-athletes can be successful. Ultimately, we want to help make the athletic experience at Goshen College a positive one.”
