Zoom Season CoSIDA Members Tell Us What It’s Been Like Working From Home During COVID-19 PLUS: EMBRACING A GROWTH MINDSET STAYING AHEAD OF THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE TOUGH WITH T PETS OF CoSIDA NAILING YOUR NEXT JOB INTERVIEW AND MUCH MORE! VOL. 5 ISSUE 2 SPRING 2020 CoSIDA.com #CoSIDA2020 Virtual Convention June 8-12 CoSIDA 360 | MAY 2020 | 1 Contents FEATURES 1423 2829 VOL. 5 ISSUE 2 SPRING 2020 View past issues Ahead of the Curve 12 Pets of CoSIDA 17 Creating efficiencies through emerging technology. Highlighting Blinder, NCAA LiveStats, SIDEARM Sports and Athlyte. Our furry friends provide unconditional love, comfort and joy. Tough With T 22 Fulfilling a Dream 34 When a relationship based on trust goes beyond basketball. Baldwin Wallace Communications Assistant Louie Abounader Brings Home Bronze from Arab Cup 2020 COVER STORY Working From Home 5 How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you? DEPARTMENTS ADVOCACY 25 Giving You the Data CoSIDA’s anticipated Compensation and Career Satisfaction Survey Results to be released in early June in conjunction with convention. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION 26 More than Able Employers should focus on abilities, not disabilities, when making hires. CAREERS/JOB SEEKERS 28 Own Your Interview 6 hiring managers reveal impactful strategies to help you ace your next job interview. MENTORSHIP 36 Mentorship Program To Debut Changes for 2020-21 Mentorship committee flips the script on one of CoSIDA’s top member benefits. MEMBERS 38 Calgary’s Iron Man Jack Neumann reflects on his streak of over 200 consecutive Calgary Dinos football games attended. EXTRAS 2 Misc 3 From the President’s Desk 4 Perspectives from Outside the Profession 16 WFH Top 10 32 Reliving Conventions Past 40 The SID Life On the Cover By the time the #CoSIDA2020 Virtual Convention begins in June, the CoSIDA Staff will have hosted 40 “CoSIDA Coffee Shops.” These informal Zoom video calls give all of us a chance to stay connected, meet new colleagues in the industry, and talk about whatever we need to during stressful times. This issue is available only in digital format. Like a lot of things that are not happening as usual, this CoSIDA 360 Magazine will not be printed for the first time since the inaugural issue in February 2016. We have full intentions to resume printing and delivering to your mailbox with the next issue. Join us June 8-12 for the #CoSIDA2020 Virtual Convention. All the details for our online programming are available The featured sessions will be June 8-12, although Divisional Day sessions, meetings and other special sessions will be held throughout June. A note from the editor. As everyone knows, our situations are changing daily. Many of the perspectives in this issue were delivered throughout April and, since then, individual situations may have changed. Advertising opportunities with CoSIDA Many opportunities are available for partnership or collaboration with CoSIDA. All advertising sales are now handled in-house. Print and digital advertising opportunities are available by contacting CoSIDA Executive Director Doug Vance at or (785) 691-7708. More information on becoming a corporate partner or convention exhibitor, or advertising on a CoSIDA platform can be found CoSIDA Staff Executive Director Doug Vance (785) 691-7708 Associate Executive Director Will Roleson (317) 490-2905 Director of Professional Development and External Affairs Barb Kowal (512) 739-1234 Director of Membership Engagement Laurie Bollig (913) 707-0365 Director of Creative Services Beau White (913) 223-0594 About CoSIDA 360 CoSIDA 360 is a quarterly publication of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Publication dates each year are in February, May, August and November. Any submissions, questions or comments can be directed to Beau White by emailing CoSIDA 360 is printed by of Lexington, Ky. Special thanks to Jai Giffin. CoSIDA 360 Credits CoSIDA Director of Creative Services Beau White serves as editor and designer of CoSIDA 360. Additional assistance provided by the CoSIDA staff. Contributing writers for this issue include Stevie Baker-Watson, Laurie Bollig, Tommy Chasanoff, Olivia Coiro, Cannon Dees, Travis Jarome, Barb Kowal, Tiana Mangakahia, Aaron Morse, Jack Neumann, Eric Rhew, Herb Vincent, and Beau White. Photos provided by Jeff Hodges unless otherwise noted. To advertise in CoSIDA 360: Doug Vance CoSIDA Executive Director (785) 691-7708President’s Message CoSIDA 360 | MAY 2020 | 3 Herb Vincent | Southeastern Conference, Associate Commissioner/Communications | CoSIDA President 2019-20 | @SECherbvin Extraordinary Times We are certainly living in extraordinary times. It wasn’t long ago that many of us were prepping for our conference basketball tournaments. We were looking forward to a week of compelling games and March Madness to follow. Within a matter of days, the entire sports world came to a halt. Most of America came to a stop. Everyone reading this column can likely remember where they were when the NBA announced it was suspending its season. In the business we’re in — the crisis communication business — we’re always preparing for worst-case scenarios. Yet, I don’t think anyone ever imagined a scenario like this. Shortly after the sports world stopped, I participated in a to discuss the situation and its impact on our membership. As I prepared for the online event, I really wanted to say something profound. The definition of profound is “a person or statement having or showing great knowledge or insight.” Unfortunately, I knew I didn’t have any keener insight into what was happening around us than anyone else on that call. We were all in it together. My greatest concern for our profession has been that our members are used to a fast-paced life, working hard, getting up early and staying up late to finish the work at hand. March represents a particularly trying time of the year for our profession. SIDs are dealing with the cross-over of seasons, the busiest time of the year, probably getting little sleep, not eating well and working way too many hours. Then it all came to a dead stop. That’s not healthy. Our work quickly pivoted to new things and new methods of communicating. But there are no sports. No events. I’m working from home, like I’m sure most of you are, and it’s been a challenging adjustment. I have three observations, two of which are things sports information directors do very well and one we don’t do well at all. No. 1 – during this time we need to continue to communicate better than ever before. Communicate, communicate, communicate. And that’s what we do every day, right? Let’s put our talents to work to help our organization. In the absence of sports, we need to find other ways to serve our athletics programs and our communications skills will be put to the test. No. 2 – The world is changing around us, by the minute, so we need to adapt and be resilient. And I believe that people in our business are the most resilient people in college sports. We have to adapt and change every day to coaches’ schedules and demands, to the media’s questions and to their deadlines. But we make it work and we’ll make this work too. And No. 3 – Greg Sankey, our commissioner at the SEC, likes to say, “It’s ok to say I don’t know.” There is a lot we don’t know right now and some things we just have to wait to find out the answer. Sports information people are expected to know answers, or get answers right away. It’s just what we do. We’re not good at saying “I don’t know.” But I can’t tell you if we are going to have football media days this summer. I can’t tell you if fall football practice is going to start on time. We live in a world of “I don’t know” and we just have to be patient. Before I close, I ask you to do three things: First, professionally, keep your student-athletes as a point of focus. Just because they are not playing right now does not mean you can’t keep telling their stories. They need you to be their advocates now more than ever. Second, personally, take care of yourself and your families. Listen to the health professionals. We don’t know what we don’t know about this virus, so heed the advice of professionals so we can all get back to work sooner rather than later. And, finally, don’t live in isolation if you are working from home. Stay connected with friends and family through technology. You are not alone. Editors note: This is Herb Vincent’s final CoSIDA 360 Magazine presidential column. We thank him for his remarkable and unprecedented leadership during the most extraordinary times. We regret that he will not get to preside over the #CoSIDA2020 Convention in Las Vegas, or that he won’t be able to pass the gavel in person to incoming president Sam Atkinson. Thank you, Herb, for everything you’ve done for CoSIDA and for the athletics communications profession.4 | Perspectives from Outside the Profession Embracing a Growth Mindset Having a “fixed” or “growth” mindset is an indication of your potential. by Stevie Baker-Watson | DePauw University Associate Vice President for Campus Wellness & Theodore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports Growth-minded individuals have probably been excited about my commentary, but for the fixed-mindset individual, my suggestions have probably been seen as “adds” to the daily work. In reality, I’m asking you to flip your work on its side and leave some stuff behind, or for others. Hire students, train them and then put them in situations to be successful. Work with your supervisor to ensure your daily work connects to specific goals; you’re right, you can’t say yes to every coach who stops by and wants a feature piece. Tell your boss you need help, and then accept it when it’s given. Keep nominating student-athletes for awards that showcase their success; then publicize it across all your platforms. Let student-athletes tell their stories about their experiences at your university. Ask if university communications can help to update routine content on your website or add content from the main university site. Let go of the idea that you, as the sports information or athletics communications professional, are the only one who can contribute in a meaningful way to your website or social media accounts. Develop a team and thrive on the challenges in front of you. Like so many of my colleagues, I mourn the loss of the spring season, but this moment gives us an opportunity to redefine who we are, what we do and how we do it. We will rock this moment because every day we prepare our student-athletes and ourselves to adapt and accept change in the work environment, and perform under stress. While we may not have been preparing for a global virus outbreak, we were practicing the skills that will allow us to excel in this time of uncertainty. Use this moment not to catch up, but to get ahead in reimagining the athletics communication professional of today. Stefanie ‘Stevie’ Baker-Watson was named DePauw’s Theodore Katula Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports in January 2012. She oversees 23 varsity sports which compete at the NCAA Division III level in addition to the intramural and club sports programs. In 2018, Baker-Watson was named NCAA Division III Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports and was named a Community Award Winner by the Indiana Youth Services Association for her work on DePauw’s campus with the “Make Good Decisions” campaign which promotes the Indiana Lifeline Law. A graduate of Ohio University with a degree in athletic training, she earned a master’s in exercise science and cardiac rehabilitation from Northeastern Illinois University. Over the past several weeks, our normal has been redefined for us as colleges and universities transitioned to e-learning and suspended events that brought guests to campus, including intercollegiate athletics. Almost everything we do on a daily basis is directly related to athletics competition, so to imagine a world without games and meets, even temporarily, made us sad, angry and a little stunned. This moment, however, is a growth moment for us all and especially for members of CoSIDA. For me, assessing my colleagues for a “fixed” or “growth” mindset may be the greatest initial assessment of their potential. Are you willing to chase a challenge? Or do you believe you’ve reached your potential? Are you innovating and being creative? Or is it the same year after year? For many of us, we have a growth mindset in our office for no other reason that the environment around us has changed. For professionals who have lived in the certainty of sport statistics, the addition of websites and social media has made it hard to keep the day-to-day safely within grasp, so I find some colleagues choose to be in a fixed mindset. It’s just easier. In the CoSIDA world, a growth mindset is essential as the industry has moved from “sports information” to “athletics communications.” Yesterday’s sports information professional didn’t give much thought to telling a story beyond a game recap. For today’s athletics communications professional, it’s an imperative. It could be the difference between a prospective student and their family choosing your institution or an alumnus donating back to the university. People want to connect to something bigger than themselves and that isn’t happening for most when reading a box score or a game recap. Practically, if you don’t accept this “new world,” it could be almost eight months before a team’s web page or social media account is updated. Evolution from sports information to athletics communications requires that today’s professionals are open to new ideas, as the work of the athletics communication professional is important to connect the athletics department with institutional enrollment, marketing and advancement efforts. In my more than 20 years of experience, I have yet to meet a sports information/athletics communication professional who wants to be told exactly what to do, so I encourage you to seek clarity with your supervisor and then use your creativity to achieve the outcome. CoSIDA 360 | MAY 2020 | 5 Working From Home Thanks to all who submitted their stories and photos. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you ? by Beau White | CoSIDA Director of Creative Services “At the forefront, the most impacted part, for me on a professional level, is not being able to cover our spring sports and seeing the true completion of the 2019- 20 season. It’s a feeling of unfinished business and a state of uncertainty for the foreseeable future.” Brian Morales CoSIDA Mentorship Committee Chair6 | out a link asking the membership to “Tell us the story of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted you on a professional level.” Following are stories submitted by CoSIDA members. Most of these accounts were shared within a month after the shutdown happened. As fast as things change, these stories may look different if we asked today. Thank you to those who responded and to all who continue to support our family in athletics communications. All who responded are included below. Fran Elia SUNY Cortland Sports Information Director It started by having my trip to Florida to cover Cortland’s softball team canceled just moments after my wife and I had checked in our bags at the airport (we were traveling a day ahead of the team). We quickly turned around, canceled our flights and asked for our bags back! Of course the bigger impact has been the same that everyone in the profession is facing — no events to cover, working from home, trying to find stories to tell, and to continue with “office work” while the uncertainty of the situation continues. Chances are you remember right where you were on March 11 when you heard the NBA pulled the players off the floor after a Utah Jazz player had tested positive for COVID-19. For me, I had just returned from Salt Lake City, of all places, where I was representing CoSIDA at the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) Great Ideas Conference, a conference for those who work in association management, to learn how to better serve our members. While in Utah, few in attendance knew what we were in for, although last minute sessions were formed as ASAE tried to give us guidance based on what we knew then, which wasn’t much. People would ask “what have you heard about this coronavirus thing?” and starting to wonder if and how the convention season might be impacted. The NBA’s decision set off an avalanche of follow-up decisions and announcements from all levels of government and sports leagues that has likely impacted our lives for many years to come. Since then we’ve all gone through a range of emotions. Shock, disappointment, uncertainty for sure. Some days are better than others. There’s no one-size-fits-all summary of what everyone is going through or how we as individuals are coping. Many parents are being forced to manage online learning for their children. Those who live alone may be feeling isolated. Some SIDs are receiving great support from supervisors and some are dealing with unnecessary demands and stress. People have been furloughed, laid off or had their job eliminated. Some institutions closed permanently. As an organization, we’ve dedicated our efforts toward community, support and education through our CoSIDA Coffee Shop, our Listening & Leading Webinar series and our strategic rollout of the 2020 Compensation and Career Satisfaction Survey results. We’re seeing more engagement than ever, showing that CoSIDA membership is important to you and we’re thankful for that. Shortly after the shutdown we sent Kent Brown Illinois Associate AD/Media Relations The lack of face time with colleagues is wearing on us all. We certainly have more access with our coaches and athletes than just about any other time, so we’ve really tried to have regular media teleconferences to help our media get fresh content. I’m even starting to miss personal interaction with our media. Allison Hogue WBCA Communications & Marketing Intern It has created a strange environment for me. Before the pandemic, we were in the process of preparing for our WBCA Convention in New Orleans. I was looking forward to this event for months. Then the convention got canceled and we started working from home a week later. This is my first year in the working world and I never thought I would experience working from home. But I am learning how to make the most of it while gaining new skills. Working From Home Kent Brown, IllinoisCoSIDA 360 | MAY 2020 | 7 Donnie Smith Southeastern Director of Athletic Communications It’s provided an interesting perspective. Crossover season was not kind to us with hosting basketball tournaments on campus, our most successful wrestling team in school history, and a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers all happening together. So, we went from being spread extremely thin and tired, to not having any games to cover and having no interactions with our athletes. It’s been a reminder of what a privilege it is to work in sports and a reflection on what is actually important. Alisha Alexander Lewis-Clark State Sports Information Director It’s a really strange feeling going from being busy out of my mind and preparing for national tournaments, to being at home prepping things for next year and finding ways to keep current content online. Working from home isn’t so bad, but I miss my coworkers and our student-athletes. It is nice (I use the term loosely) being able to work on projects that I haven’t had time for, even in the summer, but I would easily give that up to be busy out of my mind again. Katie Green NAIA Manager of Athletic Communications The biggest impact would be taking away some of what I consider the more fun parts of my job — the events. I never wanted to be confined to a desk for my whole career and our championship events get me out from behind my desk in different locations, working face-to- face with the people that I’m emailing back and forth about those events. Many of the coaches and SIDs that I see at events I only get to see once a year at certain championships and I miss that dynamic. Blake Timm Great Northwest Athletic Conference Assistant Commissioner for Communications CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2020 My work from home started on the day sports ground to a halt: March 14. I was already home preparing to do public address for one of Oregon’s high school state basketball tournaments (which was subsequently canceled). The first week was as frantic as being in the office. Information on what would happen with the season was changing, literally, by the minute. As our conference athletic directors were discussing what to do with the GNAC’s spring seasons, I was texting our commissioner seemingly every two minutes with another update from other conferences. Since then things have slowed down. I am seemingly in summer work mode outside of the remaining all-academic teams and awards left to announce For the first two weeks, the rest of my family was essentially on extended spring break. But now my wife, who is an elementary school teacher, is back at work while my kids have started into the world of distance learning. So now the challenge is balancing my work and Melissa’s work responsibilities with making sure we can guide the kids in their abbreviated school days. If there has been any silver lining to this crisis, it has been that I have spent more time with my family doing things together than we have since both of our girls were toddlers. We have played games, watched many movies, even all worked together on learning to play the guitar. With the clock ticking on how long both of our girls will be living with us at home, that time is a blessing. I’ve been trying to live my own advice of slowing down, taking the extra time to be with family. Our social media accounts have slowed considerably and that is okay. The computer shuts down at 5 p.m. on Friday and does not fire up again for work until Monday. Again, this time is a blessing. I have to take advantage. Working From Home Blake Timm, Great Northwest Athletic Conference Mathieu Tanguay, Université Laval Alisha Alexander, Lewis-Clark State Cindy Potter, Columbia College (Mo.) John Kean, Missouri S&TNext >