Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Student-Athletes Spend Summers In Internships
July 06, 1999 | General
July 6, 1999
Many Oklahoma State student-athletes spend their summer hours in jobs or internships, many of which were received with the help of the OSU Athletic Department.
"Students usually will come in and tell me they want to have a summer internship or job, and from there I try to find work that will suit a particular student," said Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Affairs, Marilyn Middlebrook.
Middlebrook heads up the office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes, which provides several services to student-athletes.
"Students visit our office to talk about anything from academics, to finance, to careers, to scholarships. We take them from their freshman year and orient them to college life," Middlebrook said.
Middlebrook stated that much of the summer work that student-athletes do is done to improve their resumes. Several of the jobs that student-athletes assume vary, some are paid internships, some are non-paid internships, and some are actually independent studies for which students receive class credit.
Senior basketball player Glendon Alexander is receiving credit for his summer internship with the NYSP (National Youth Sports Program).
"Basically, I interact with a group of kids Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm. We play different sporting games and through those games we teach the children basic principles of life," Alexander said, "We teach them about teamwork and about interacting with each other."
Alexander said he found out about his internship from Middlebrook's office.
"In order to get students college credit we are constantly in touch with their academic advisors. As soon as an internship or a job opportunity comes across my desk I begin working with advisors to see if the student can get credit for the work they are doing during the summer," Middlebrook said.
One of the paid internships Middlebrook's office obtained for students this summer was with the Department of Finance for the State of Oklahoma. The four men working there are all business majors, and they are all getting paid, as well as getting college credit for the work they are doing.
"My internship has been a really great opportunity for me to get some experience and to grow up and to make a lot of connections," said senior football player Russ Schwettman.
Schwettman is an economics major and one of the student-athletes interning with the Department of Finance for the State of Oklahoma.
"A lot of what we try to do for students is to get them an internship that will help them decide if they are in the right career field," Middlebrook said, "We often get calls from people who are looking for student-athletes to work in their offices.
The office of Academic Services for Student-Athletes actually gets so many requests for student-athletes that they often turn down some of businesses that are soliciting student interns.
"If we feel like what they are asking for won't be beneficial to the student working there, then we turn them down. When setting up internships we put the interests of the athletes first," Middlebrook said.
Middlebrook's office also assists students with career placement. They help them get jobs as well as help them work towards fulfilling the requirements necessary to obtain the job that they are looking for.
Every year Middlebrook's office puts out a "corporate playbook." The playbooks consist of published resumes of graduating seniors, and are sent out to various corporations with the hope of assisting athletes in obtaining jobs.
