SPM 110 & SPM 111 – Sport Management Practicum

SPM 112 & SPM 113 – Sport Management Practicum

Spring 2011Syllabus

Mission of the Sport Management Major: The mission of the York College Sport Management major is to provide students with a positive environment, rich in academic and practical experiences, oriented toward developing comprehensive leadership and technical skills that are applicable to the diverse career opportunities in the sport management industry.

Practicum Faculty:

Professor Rich Achtzehn – McKay 211 – 717-815-1747 –

Dr. Ari de Wilde – McKay 212 – 717-815-6504 –

Dr. Nina Grove– McKay 210 – 717-815-1230–

Professor Greg Herring – McKay E 114 – 717-815-6533 –

Dr. Sue Klinedinst– McKay 213 – 717-849-1613 –

Dr. Tim Newman – McKay 209 – 717-815-1794 –

Director: Professor Molly Hayes Sauder – McKay 215 – 717-815-6648 –

Professional Staff of the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center (GSFC):

On-Duty Building Supervisor – 717-434-6055

Ms. Kim Rairie, Director of Facility Operations –717-815-6544 –

Mr. Matt Day, Director of Campus Recreation – 717-815-6604 –

Mrs. AJ Cimaszewski, Assistant Director of Facility Operations – 717-815-6625 –

Ms. Libby Glock, Building Manager – 717-815-6606 –

Ms. Kirstin Brown, Building Manager – 717-815-6603 –

Mr. Jamie Reid, Building Manager – see On-Duty Building Supervisor Number –

Mrs. Kelley Aburn, Recreation/Event Manager – 717-434-6057 –

Mrs. Jess Smith, Aquatics/Building Manager (WhentoWork) – 717-434-6056 –

Mr. Brent Duffy, Athletic Communication Intern– 443-207-3500 –

Course Description: SPM 110, SPM111 - Sport Management Practicum

This is an experiential course in which the entry-level sport management major takes part in practical athletic event management tasks and engages in focused reflection through academic work to construct the knowledge, skills and values needed by professionals in the sport management industry. The assigned athletic event management tasks are predominately completed on-campus.

Course Objectives: SPM 110, SPM 111 - Sport Management Practicum

  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply communication skills within the context of athletic event management.
  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply critical thinkingand problem solving skills within the context of athletic event management.
  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply time management skills within the context of athletic event management.
  • Demonstrate the ability to follow instructions and direction within the context of athletic event management, producing high quality work in an efficient manner.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work effectively within a team setting within the context of athletic event management.
  • Demonstrate a basic understanding of the concept of professionalism by dressing appropriately and showing responsibility and initiative.
  • Demonstrate the ability to synthesize key skills like communication, responsibility, problem-solving, and initiative to provide positive customer service.
  • Articulate key transferable skills and values needed to successfully manage an athletic event.
  • Identify technical aspects involved in the set-up, operation, and tear-down of at least one sport.
  • Understand and articulate how the event management practicum experience connects with other aspects of the sport management field.
  • Understand and articulate one’s own learning; identify strengths and weaknesses and articulate necessary steps to address deficits in learning or performance.

Course Description:SPM 112, SPM 113- Sport Management Practicum

This is an experiential course that allows the mid-level sport management major to build on the competencies developed in SPM 110/111 through experience in hands-on supervisory and leadership positions and focused reflection through academic work. Students may have the opportunity to choose practical work that fits their areas of professional interest; all opportunities available in the course are designed for students to develop more advanced knowledge, skills, and values held by professionals in the sport management industry. The practical work for this course is predominately completed on campus.

Course Objectives: SPM 112, SPM 113 - Sport Management Practicum

  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply communication skills within the context of both simple and more complex sport management tasks.
  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively apply critical thinking/problem-solving skills within a variety of contexts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to effectively multi-task and prioritize when given a variety of sport management tasks, producing high quality work in an efficient manner.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work effectively as a team member within a sport management environment; provide leadership in various contexts and situations.
  • Demonstrate the ability to self-motivate and take initiative within the context of both simple and more complex sport management tasks.
  • Demonstrate the ability to synthesize key skills like communication, responsibility, problem-solving, and initiative to provide positive customer service.
  • Demonstrate an advanced understanding of the concept of professionalism through dress and actions; can articulate what the concept of professionalism means on a personal level and how this was applied during the practicum experience.
  • Understand and articulate how the practicum experience connects with other aspects of the sport management field.
  • Understand and articulate one’s own learning; identify strengths and weaknesses and articulate necessary steps to address deficits in learning or performance with special attention to this topic as it relates to future career aspirations.
  • Explain how leadership and supervisory skills used during practicum fit within one’s emerging personal philosophy of leadership and/or management.
  • Identify and articulate key technical competencies needed to succeed within the area of sport management in which the practicum hours were completed (i.e. athletic communication, facility management, etc.).

Behavioral Expectations: The practicum experiences in the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center and the outdoor athletic complexes will provide you with excellent professional experience. However, there are certain requirements that you must adhere to in order to satisfactorily complete the required hours. The following are the standards that the Sport Management Faculty expect each practicum student to follow as they build their professional skills. You are expected to:

  1. Adhere to all of the standards and procedural information given to you by the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center’s professional staff. Meeting this expectation includes but is not limited to you:

Reading and regularly referring to the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center handbook,

Representing YCP in a professional manner at all times,

Being dependable, honest and friendly,

Checking YCP email and When to Work accounts DAILY for important employment-related correspondence,

Carrying your day planner (calendar) with you every day that you report to work,

Maintaining a neat and clean appearance.

Beginning work immediately when you arrive,

Communicating effectively and often through Communication Logs,

Taking the best possible care of GSFC equipment, and

Not holding personal belongings for anyone,(No purses, ID’s, cell phones…).

  1. Learn/know your responsibilities and carry them out to the best of your ability. Meeting this expectation includes but is not limited to you:

Attending all training sessions,

Asking questions,

Accepting suggestions and welcoming constructive feedback,

Using good judgment, and

Anticipating potential problems and acting to prevent them.

  1. Act in supportive ways to fellow staff members, supervisors, and all full-time staff. Meeting this expectation includes but is not limited to you:

Treating everyone with respect and contributing to the creation of a workplace in which all feel comfortable,

Demonstrating initiative by asking if a supervisor needs help with anything,

Offering to stay beyond your shift to help with a time sensitive project,

Assuming responsibility for work without being asked to do so,

Welcoming and offering constructive suggestions for improvement,

Helping to diffuse tense situations with co-workers,

Dealing with area specific problems without complaint,

Maintaining a positive attitude toward your job, co-workers, and supervisors, and

Serving as a model of good performance for other employees and practicum students.

  1. Provide the best possible service to all Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center participants. Meeting this expectation includes but is not limited to you:

Being respectful, even to the participant who does not treat you with respect,

Going out of your way to provide participants with accurate information,

Finding out and following through if you do not know an answer,

Going out of your way to make isolated students feel welcome,

Going out of your way to transfer misrouted phone calls to other areas of the campus without disconnecting the call, and finally,

If you feel tired at work, you should NOT remain seated during the entire shift. Standing and/or walking the workstation area will help to ensure alertness.

The above policy is your warning. You will not receive any other warnings, therefore any violation of the behavioral expectations policy will be written up by yourprofessional supervisor at the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center. You will be notifiedof the violation and a violation sheet will be sent to your practicum professor.

Appearance Requirements: Sport Management practicum students are to be dressed professionally and to present a neat and well-groomed appearance.

Cell phones and other communication devices are restricted to work-related communication only and should not be visible unless using such a device is a required part of the practicum assignment.

Practicum students will arrive for every shift wearing the required uniform which consists of the Sport Management Practicum polo shirt, white undershirt (if an undershirt is worn), YCP ID Badge, khaki pants (no cargo pockets or capris allowed), belt, socks, and closed-toe shoes. When decided upon by one’s professional supervisor, students will be permitted to wear khaki shorts (no cargo pockets) of Bermuda length (4” inseam).

The entire practicum uniform must be clean and wrinkle free. Students will be sent home and receive a violation if the uniform policy is not followed.

Uniform shirts must be tucked in and may not be modified in any way such as rolling sleeves, cutting sleeves, tying the bottoms, etc. Practicum students are required to tuck in staff shirts while on duty, or at any time while wearing a staff uniform in the GSFC complex.

Undershirts must be tucked in and not visible at the bottom of the staff shirt. If undershirts are visible from the top of the staff shirt, then the undershirt must be white.

Each practicum student is required to bring his/her student YCP ID card, and wear his/her YCP ID card at chest level for the entire shift. (Each practicum student will be issued a metal clip to attach the ID to his/her polo shirt.)

Outdoor event management staff will be issued a Grumbacherrain jacket in the event of inclement weather. This hooded outerwear is designed to repel rain. It is recommended that the student wear a warm jacket underneath in the event of cold weather conditions.If a student loses a Grumbacher rain jacket, or permanently damages the fabric, then this student may be held responsible for the replacement cost of the jacket.

If a practicum student is cold, while working at an indoor assignment, they may contact the on-duty Building Supervisor to sign-out a Grumbacher warm-up jacket. This jacket must be returned to the Building Supervisor prior to the end of the work shift.Ensure that theYCP ID Badge is worn in visible location (chest level) when wearing a Grumbacher warm-up jacket. If a student loses a Grumbacher warm-up jacket, or permanently damages the fabric, then this student may be held responsible for the replacement cost of the jacket.

Hats/visors and bandanas are not permitted at anytime while on duty, even while walking from the Time & Attendance area, (Equipment Services Desk) to the specific workstation and back after the shift.

Sunglasses should not be worn on top of the head while on duty, or at any time while wearing a practicum uniform in the indoor areas of the GSFC complex. Sunglasses are only permitted to be worn outside by outdoor practicum students.

Footwear must be closed-toe, flat, athletic footwear or a flat, casual dress shoe. Sandals of any type are not permitted.

Uniforms are only to be worn during scheduled shifts. Uniforms are not to be worn while exercising/recreating. (Students are not permitted to wear uniforms to class, on days that they are NOT scheduled to work.)

If a practicum student loses his/her uniform, or a supervisor determines a student’s uniform is no longer in the appropriate condition to wear to work, then the student will be held responsible for the replacement cost of the practicumuniform.

If scheduled to work and not dressed in uniform upon the start of the shift, then the practicum student will be asked to retrieve his/her uniform from his/her residence before beginning the shift. Tardiness will be reported as in all tardiness cases.

All practicum students should maintain good personal hygiene and an overall professional appearance. This includes the following:

  • You must be clean. Shower every day that you work a shift.
  • Hair must be kept neat, tidy, and out of your face. You must wear your hair in a professional manner (ie. no mohawks) and the GSFC professional staff has the right to address any types of hair styles that do not meet facility appearance requirements.
  • You may not wear any eye, nose, cheek, or lip piercing while working at your assignment. If you have any of those areas pierced you must remove them before reporting to your assignment. Supervisors will determine if other body piercings are appropriate for a professional environment.
  • Males: you must shave every day that you work a shift or maintain a neatly trimmed beard or mustache.

First impressions are always based on how one looks. Thus, professional appearance is vitally important. The above policy is your warning. You will not receive any other warnings, therefore any violation of the appearance requirements policy will be written up by your professional supervisor at the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center. You will be notified of the violation and a violation sheet will be sent to your practicum professor.

Attendance Requirements: Attendance is a top priority in a professional sport environment. The business of the Grumbacher complex could not occur if the people who work within it did not attend. You are an integral part of the running of the complex therefore the following requirements must be adhered to.

You must complete all 30 hours of practicum within the current semester. Trainings count toward your 30 hour requirement. The initial class also counts as one completed hour toward the 30 hour requirement. You will also be required to attend mandatory class sessions throughout the semester; these do NOT count towards your 30 hour requirement but you MUST attend them.

You must always attend ALL hours that you sign up for. You may not be late and are expected to be in the equipment room and officially sign-in 5 minutes before you are to be at your practicum site. This is necessary because it may take time for you to get to your site and you cannot be late. Therefore, you are required to keep a day planner and you are not to schedule anything else within the times you must work.

You will be required to work on days or nights that a college break starts if there is an event or job that you are required to work. Therefore, you need to plan ahead of time with your parents and friends that you will not be leaving until the event or job that you are assigned to do is over. You will not be mandated to stay over the break, only the day or night when break starts. If you do not stay it will count as a violation. If you have opted to work over a semester break, then you will be required to work the agreed upon shift. If you do not work your shift it will count as a violation.

We do understand that there are times that people become ill or unforeseen circumstances occur. If this happens, it is your responsibility to find another practicum student with whom you can arrange coverage for your absence. All contact numbers will be listed in WhentoWork.

There are times when athletic events must be rescheduled due to inclement weather or other scheduling issues. Many times this is done at the last minute; this is the nature of the world of sport. We ask that you demonstrate flexibility and patience, and if the rescheduled time interferes with another class or work commitment you should go to your Grumbacher professional supervisor and work out a solution.

The purpose of practicum is to learn how to be a professional by participating in an experiential learning environment. Therefore, it is necessary for you to attend all 30 hours and arrive on time for all of your shifts. In addition, you must arrive on time and attend all required classes. The above policy is your warning. You will not receive any other warnings, therefore any violation of the attendance requirements policy will be written up by your professional supervisor at the Grumbacher Sport & Fitness Center or, in the case of class meetings, one of the practicum professors. You will be notified of the violation and a violation sheet will be sent to your practicum professor.