Why Are Bethany College Athletes Leaving?

BY: A Bethany Advocate

Over the years there has been a common theme within the athletic community here at Bethany College. Every team almost every year has a new look roster going into their respective seasons. The question at hand is why do most student athletes leave constantly? What’s not realized is that there is a lot that goes into the decision to leave the college or transfer as a whole. It’s not easy to just decide to leave, you have to look at your future and if you want to continue your education what university or college you’ll be attending next.

You have to look at the credits, and see if all the classes you’ve taken at the college transfer to the next establishment you’ll be attending. Another important aspect is if you have a big role on your team will the next college team you play for allow you to get playing time or have the impact that you had on the team here at Bethany College. With this in mind, you have to think deeply into why athletes are leaving college so easily? Not only are they leaving, some are willing to risk not playing a sport that they love at another establishment if they are unable to get recruited.

Looking at it from the athletes point of view, depending on if you’re a freshman or even a transfer you're leaving where you came from to a little town in Kansas. You most likely never heard of the town, and you’re in an area where there are limited resources at your disposal. On top of that, depending on what sport you’re playing at the college, whether that’s a team sport or individual, you’re joining a program that hasn’t really experienced success in a while. Not to mention the partial scholarships given, some athletes have to leave early because of the high tuition rate at the college. They simply can’t afford it and look at the lack of resources and really ask themselves is it worth it?

Not having a full scholarship, living in an area where there are limited resources, and joining a rebuilding program can take a toll on an athlete. It’s a lot to take in and the college as a whole.

Bethany has to take the student athletes in consideration. Holding events that cater toward the students is something that would be a positive in keeping them. Having surveys asking students what they enjoy or would like to have at the college would be a benefit to help hold these events. What’s going on outside of athletics is just as important being that this is what keeps the athletes' morals up when their seasons are over.

Having a way to help athletes who don’t have transportation go to bigger cities such as Salina would help greatly. Having a bus that comes every Friday that takes students around to different stores such as Walmart, the mall, and other places would be very beneficial. Looking at the situation as a whole the culture within the athletic community needs to change in order to keep athletes to stay.

Having athletes stay would be beneficial for the college, athletic programs, and overall Bethany College community. The teams will be able to grow and gain chemistry together in order to start winning programs. With winning programs more recruits will be more attracted to the school and want to attend. Also, holding more events around school and helping students who need it will have them stay motivated and want to continue attending college. They’ll be paying for a quality education, successful sports program, and enjoyable college experience.