There have been some changes within the athletic department regarding the roles and duties of several athletic staff members.

Adriane Baird’s roles and titles have shifted slightly with these changes. Baird is the softball head coach and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Advisor. SAAC is “the voice of the student-athletes,” said Baird. In addition, she helps out with the athletic department’s social media.

Last year Baird was also in charge of the Pride Program, but “now the Pride Program has shifted and dispersed into other roles” said Baird.

One of Baird’s main goals for this year, “is to have SAAC mostly student-run, and have me as the advisor just there to help with logistical issues…I want SAAC to come from our student-athletes with what changes they want to see” said Baird.

Another coach that has experienced title changes is Deb Raber, currently, she is the Women’s Soccer Head Coach and Sports Performace Coach. Raber’s new role is not just strength and conditioning but also related to student-athletes mental health as well.

“The ultimate goal is to get support for our student-athletes, we take care of them in the weight room and on the field but there is a big component missing from that,” said Raber. “What’s going on on the mental health side? Our goal is to have monthly programming in one shape or another…and working closely with our student-athletes, and listening to what their needs are” she continued.

On the strength and conditioning side of things, “(Raber) will be in the weight room for certain hours, so rather than scheduling teams, I will be a recourse in there on a set scheduling” said Raber. This will hopefully make it easier to fit all student-athletes into the weight room, especially come next year with the addition of Men and Women’s Ice hockey.

The reason for these changes is to ensure that the athletic department is in the best position to recruit and retain student-athletes. “The college has put in a concerted effort for recruiting and retention and the college realizes that in my position I had a lot on my plate along with other people within the department, but if we backed off and gave each person one additional duty along with there head coaching position it opened up theoretically a little bit more time for us to focus on the recruiting aspect,” said Raber.