The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

March 30, 1997

While many college students are still snoozing, two Emory University student-athletes are serving a morning meal of grits, eggs, muffins and coffee to 200 homeless people.

Junior Jamie Hagerbaumer, a member of the university's cross country and track teams, and sophomore Jennifer Naeger, a member Emory's volleyball and basketball teams, are regular volunteers for the Open Door Community, an organization that operates a soup kitchen out of the basement of a church in downtown Atlanta.

Their morning begins at 5 a.m., when they pry themselves out from under the covers and drive over to Open Door, about 10 minutes away from the Emory campus. There, they assist other volunteers in packing up food and utensils for the drive to the downtown church.

Ticket duty might be their first task. That involves standing outside, no matter what the weather, and distributing tickets to the homeless people who are in line.

Breakfast is served from 6:30 to 8. In addition to serving the meal, Hagerbaumer and Naeger might join other volunteers in cleaning tables or serving coffee.

After the meal, all the volunteers go through the line for their own breakfast. "It's a reminder that we're no better than the people we served," Naeger says.

The two student-athletes began their volunteer service as part of a research project for an Emory religion class, where they served in the soup kitchen and visited the Open Door residence, which houses about 30 people.

After the class had concluded, Hagerbaumer and Naeger decided to return to the soup kitchen on their own.

"It was something we wanted to do," Hagerbaumer said. "We're just happy to do any little thing we can do to help.

"But what Jen and I do is so little compared to the full-time volunteers who live and work in the (Open Door) house."

While it has been a challenge to make time in their busy schedules to help out at the soup kitchen, both student-athletes say it's worth it because it has given them a greater understanding of homeless people.

"They're ordinary people who have had something happen to them that they had no control over," Naeger said. "I'm more sympathetic and not as quick to judge."

Added Hagerbaumer, "The only way the homeless problem is going to get better is if we treat them the same way we treat ourselves and our friends. In a sense, they are our brothers and sisters."

Let the games begin

The first-ever Renaissance Games, a novel event requiring participants to take part in athletic, academic and cultural pursuits, will take place at Bates College April 17-19.

Student-athletes from six Division III schools, including Bates, Haverford College, and Washington and Lee University, will compete, along with students from schools in other countries, including the Bahamas, Canada, the Irish Republic, Israel, Northern Ireland, Norway, South Africa and Turkey.

An idea conceived by the Institute for International Sport -- which is based at the University of Rhode Island -- the Renaissance Games are intended to stress the all-around talents of the participants.

After the student-athletes are placed on one of two teams -- Sparta or Athens -- each participant must select two athletics activities and two academic/cultural ones. The athletics activities include basketball, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The academic/cultural activities include creative writing, music, theater, debate, art, Mathletics (a competition using math skills) and Scientific Discovery (using science laboratory skills).

The number of points awarded is based on the outcome of the athletics competition or the proficiency with which an academic or cultural activity is executed.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Division I notes

Facilities: Baylor University has announced plans for two facilities projects. The Jim and Julie Turner Riverfront Athletic Park will include a new $5 million baseball/softball complex, a new soccer field and new tennis facilities. The existing football (Floyd Casey) and track (Hart-Patterson) stadiums will be known as the Grant Teaff Athletic Complex. Changes there include a new grass playing surface for football, 20 to 24 new luxury suites for football and new locker rooms at the track facility ... University of Kansas officials plan to use proceeds from $27.4 million in bonds to fund extensive renovations to Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse ... La Salle University has plans for a fountain honoring the memory of alumnus Joe Verdeur, a record-setting gold-medalist swimmer at the 1948 Olympic Games. The fountain will be dedicated in October ... Texas A&M University, College Station, has announced plans to add 10,000 seats to Kyle Field, bringing capacity to 80,000. The additions are to be complete for the 1999 season.

Sports sponsorship: The University of Akron plans to discontinue its men's intercollegiate tennis program. The university has sponsored men's tennis continuously since 1950. Athletics director Michael A. Bobinski said the institution will honor its scholarship commitments for the four underclassmen remaining on the team. If the student-athletes want to transfer to another institution, an immediate release will be provided ... The University of Evansville announced that it is discontinuing its nonscholarship Division I-AA football program. Officials said all contracts with the coaching staff will be honored and that it will assist any of the 65 student-athletes who wish to transfer. The program has been in continuous existence since 1923 ... Stetson University is adding women's softball as a varsity sport, effective June 1.

Milestones: Dan Hipsher, University of Akron, 150 victories in men's basketball ... Carol Hutchins, University of Michigan, 800 games in women's softball. Hutchins is in her 13th year at the University of Michigan, where she has a record of 541-258-1 ... Lynne Agee, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, 400 victories in women's basketball.

Miscellaneous: Wayne State University (Michigan) has formed a committee to examine the possibility of moving to Division I. The institution, which has an enrollment of 31,000, currently sponsors 15 sports in Division II.

-- Compiled by David Pickle