Meredith Spelbring: What are students going to notice from you in this athletic department in the next year, and even looking down to the next three to five years? What should students know about you in this department right now?
Terry Gawlik: The students should know that we want to welcome them to any events that we have over here and be a partner with them, and truly appreciate the support that they could offer to all our programs. Of course, attendance at sporting events is important, not just for us as a department, but to our student-athletes. I want to see a closer connection between the student-athletes that are participating and then the students that come to watch them participate, hopefully, friendships can develop more.
I think the band is another group that there’s quite a few number of students in that group, we have a large band here for the size of institutions we have and connection with the, you know, fraternity and sorority houses.
We have such a small campus. Not only do I want to see our student-athletes supported, I want our student athletes to support the other opportunities that students have on campus, whether it be in the art department, or any events that are on campus. So, I just hope that we can start generating a tighter connection.
MS: What is it like coming to university as new athletic director with a new president, almost a new chapter for this university. What is it like being a part of that new chapter?
TG: Very exciting, I feel very privileged to be a part of that.
MS: With some of your background in Title IX and women’s issues, what from that specifically, are you bringing to this job?
TG: A lot of experience in Title IX in terms of the sexual assault, sexual violence, but also the Title IX athletic side of it, whether you’re, you know, monitoring roster numbers or participation and just ensuring that the department is equitably treating women. But people don’t realize is Title IX does not just apply to women, Title IX is any underrepresented population.
So, there’s two parts in my mind — there’s the athletic side and then there’s the Title IX sexual assault, sexual violence side, so they both fall under the footprint of Title IX. So, I try to make sure that we’re monitoring those correctly.
And I will say that we had a training session here, I think it was one of the first Sundays I was I was working here for all our athletes, and all our department staff and campus put on the Title IX training for sexual assault, sexual violence, and it was very well done. I was very impressed with some of the presentations that they presented in the Green Dot program, something I’m familiar with. So just making sure that campus realizes we’re great partners in that as well.
MS: There were discussions several years ago about adding three new athletic programs to the department to address the athletic budget issue. Where do those potential programs stand?
TG: We haven’t had those discussions yet. What you have to realize is when you add any program, it’s not just that you’re trying to add the opportunity for student athletes. But what you have to look at internally is do we have the structure? Do we have enough academic advisors? Do we have enough trainers? Do we have enough strength coaches? Do we have facilities? So, there’s a lot that goes into any types of those decisions?
MS: Looking at the conference as a whole, now the Big Sky has most female athletic directors. What’s it like to be a part of that?
TG: I think it’s exciting.
And it just makes people realize that women can do these jobs too. But it’s really more about it’s not male or female is just having the energy, the desire, the background, the strategy to step into this role and make things better. And that’s hopefully what I what I end up doing here.
Meredith Spelbring can be reached at [email protected].