The Southeastern Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is in the middle of its second annual canned food drive. All 12 member schools are collecting food and cash at home athletics events for this purpose.

Last year, the “Together We Can” food drive raised more than 40,000 pounds of food for local food banks and shelters. The SEC will announce this year’s total sometime after the drive ends on September 28.

Conference USA engages kids

Conference USA and its women’s basketball teams launched “Classroom on the Court,” a program developed with an NCAA grant that introduces fourth- and fifth-graders to their local women’s basketball teams.

The project, intended to help grow the sport, will motivate school kids to learn in a fun way with worksheets, postcards and mailings targeting teachers in Conference USA cities.

Once a teacher registers his or her class, students need only attend a game or complete a game-day worksheet to participate. Registered students receive credentials and T-shirts that give them free admission to games. Students are rewarded for attending games, with schools and classes with the highest attendance winning prizes at the end of the season.

VMI wins conference sportsmanship award

The Big South named VMI the winner of the conference’s annual Institutional Sportsmanship Award for 2007-08. It is the third consecutive year VMI has earned the honor.

The winner is determined through a point system, and Big South student-athletes vote on team awards after each conference championship. Student-athletes voted VMI’s women’s soccer, men’s soccer, football and baseball teams as those exhibiting the most sportsmanship.

Liberty finished second, followed by Radford.

Miscellaneous: Auburn Dean of Students Johnny Green hit “send” on a mass e-mail urging students to support the football team instead of criticizing it at future games. The e-mail, which asked students not to boo the team, followed a 3-2 victory at Mississippi State, after which fans expressed dissatisfaction with the offense … High Point was featured on “Good Morning America” last week, highlighted for its growth and progress in academics and student life … NCAA Football unveiled a college football schedule downloading program on its Web site, www.NCAAFootball.com. The 2008 schedules can be downloaded into the calendar of all available operating systems with a few mouse clicks. If game times are announced or c hanged, the program automatically updates.