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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 1982)
sports Battalion/Page I November 17 r-si Hunt a ‘father’ to A&M’s student athletes hay by Kathleen Hart Battalion Reporter In the weight room in De- Ware Fieldhouse, an athlete sticks his head in and yells, “Any of you guys seen Don?” “Don who?” “You know, the old man.” “He ain’t here yet. He’s prob ably out running.” “Don” is Don Hunt, the academic counselor for student athletes. Hunt has been here only since May, but already he’s created an almost enviable rap port with the athletes. When Hunt arrives at the weight room, he’s dripping with sweat, not looking much like the man who supervises the acade mic life of athletes. “I see myself as being some one between a brother and a father to them,” he said. One of the programs he helps with is the Athletic Depart ment’s new class attendance Now Better Than Ever. You Will Be Pleased With These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods. Each Daily Special Only $2.39 Plus Tax. { “Open Daily” Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.NI. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M MONDAY EVENING - TUESDAY EVENING WEDNESDAY SPECIAL SPECIAL EVENING SPECIAL Salisbury Steak with Mexican Fiesta Dinner Chicken Fried Steak w cream Gravy Mushroom Gravy Two Cheese and Whipped Potatoes and Onion Enchiladas Choice of one other Whipped Potatoes w chili Vegetable Your Choice of Mexican Rice Roll or Corn Bread and Butter One Vegetable Patio Style Pinto Beans Coffee or Tea Roll or Corn Bread and Butter Tostadas Coffee or Tea Coffee or Tea One Corn Bread and Butter THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL policy for all student athletes. Every week, athletes must have their teachers’ signature to prove they’ve been in class. Hunt said the policy helps in crease class attendance, but that problem should decrease even more as time goes by. “We’re not completely satis fied, but we are making prog ress,” he said. Hunt is also in charge of the tutoring program for athletes, , as well as for monitoring their ! progress in class, helping with problems in their scheduling and making sure they all have acceptable degree plans. “Really, I’m in charge of the day-to-day activities of the stu dents in the classroom,” he said. The athletes need their own academic counselor instead of using those in their departments because of their diverse back grounds, Hunt said, and be cause of the various demands on their time that other students don’t have. In addition to study ing, the athletes must also prac tice, prepare for competition and get a proper amount of rest, he said. The mental strain on the athletes is unique, Hunt said, unlike that of any other group of students in the university. Hunt said thejustification for having a separate athletic dorm and cafeteria comes from those unique demands on the athletes, because they need to be with people who understand them. “They have to have someone who has either been through the system or is associated with it,” he said. Hunt meets that re quirement, as he was a coach be fore becoming academic coun selor. Hunt said the demands on athletes’ time can bring down their grades. The stereotypical “dumb jock” is not really dumb — he’s just busy, Hunt said. However, athletes aren’t the only people who need special attention, and Hunt said he’s willing to help students who aren’t athletes. “I like to think of myself as an adviser to athletes and non athletes,” he said. So far the only non-athletes he’s seen have been friends of Texas A&M athletes. Hunt said the athletes, by the nature of the program they’re in, often are separate from their peers. The Athletic Department would like to see more interac tion between the athletes and the other students, Hunt said. “We’d like to get the athletes more involved in campus orga nizations, especially in leader ship roles,” he said. Fj ?> m Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing — Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee FOR YOUR PROTECTION OUR PERSONNEL HAVE HEALTH CARDS. FRIDAY EVENING SATURDAY SUNDAY SPECIAL SPECIAL NOON and EVENING NOON and EVENING BREADED FISH SPECIAL ROAST TURKEY DINNER FILET w TARTAR Yankee Pot Ro^st Served with SAUCE Cole Slaw Hush Puppies Choice of one vegetable Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee (Texas Salad) Mashed * Potato w gravy Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee Cranberry Sauce Cornbread Dressing Roll or Com Bread - Butter - 1 Coffee or Tea Giblet Gravy And your choice of any 1 One vegetable Girls: Show him that you care with an AGGIE BOUTONNIERE $ 3 00 Guys: Order your SENV AGGIE MUM Today $ 5 75 includes streamers, football, bell, ATM, and ribbon backing. Phone: 260-5666 Sponsored by: Society for Entreprenuership and Hew Ventures Don Hunt, the academic counselor for Texas student athletes, says he’d like to become “son between a brother and a father” to the students | counsels. Hunt, who’s been at the University since J describes himself as a supervisor of the student athle day-to-day academic activities. 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