CHAMPS/Life Skills
The UNC CHAMPS/Life Skills program is designed to prepare
student-athletes for the challenges of life beyond the playing
field. The program is designed to better prepare
student-athletes become successful in college and in their
professional lives beyond graduation; as well as, prepare them to
make educated decisions in their personal life, and make meaningful
contributions to their communities. At the University of
Northern Colorado, members of the Student-Athlete Services
Committee (SASC) are responsible for the CHAMPS’
operation. SASC is made up of representatives from strength
& conditioning, sports medicine, equipment, Student-Athlete
Academic Success, compliance, and the senior women’s
administrator. The UNC CHAMPS/Life Skills Program
incorporates education for student-athletes in conjunction with
campus regarding the five commitment areas of the program:
- Commitment to Academic Excellence
- Commitment to Athletic Excellence
- Commitment to Personal Development
- Commitment to Career Development
- Commitment to Service
FYE 108
The student athlete Life Skills education begins with the
FYE 108 “Life Skills for Student Athletes” course
during their freshmen year. The course focuses on success
strategies for student athletes as college students and division 1
athletes. Following their freshman year, they can participate
in various programming covering the 5 commitment areas listed above
which will gain points for their athletic teams in the “Life
Skills Competition.”
SAAC/Bears Life Skills Competition
This competition is for all UNC athletic teams.
Through the SAAC/Bears Life Skills Competition, we hope to reward
those teams and individuals who represent the complete
student-athlete. Athletes must submit a point sheet in order
to receive points for personal enhancement, community outreach and
Bear pride categories. Points are updated weekly and can be
earned until April 1st.
Student-athletes can earn points for their teams in six categories:
Community
Outreach:
This category refers to our proud tradition of service to
the community. Outreach can be done as a team, with other
student-athletes from other teams, or individually.
Academic
Achievement:
Points will be awarded for student athletes receiving these
academic honors: Academic All District, Academic All
American, and highest Team GPA.
Personal/Team
Enhancement:
Teams or individuals can earn points for attending any
Campus Event, CHAMPS/Life Skills event or team requested program
related to personal development. Examples of events include
career workshops, diversity, drug and alcohol speakers, behavior
education workshops, or nutrition workshops. This category also
includes mandatory team and athletic department events.
Bear Pride:
This category awards points to teams and athletes that go
the extra mile to support their fellow student athletes by
attending each other’s sporting events. Any athletes
who support their fellow Bear student athletes’ competitions
will receive points, individually or as a team.
SAAC Participation
& Communication:
Teams will earn 10 points for each meeting if they have two
representatives in attendance. In the case that a meeting
conflicts with practice, the team can earn points by notifying the
Academic Success office of their absence and reading the minutes to
their team in the following week.
The Scoring System:
Individual Points – Individuals will earn 100 points for their team for each individual effort. At the end of each week, the points will be divided by the number of student-athletes on the active roster for each sport. This should account for the varying numbers on rosters
Team Points - Team efforts, defined as 80% participation or 20 members, for all categories earn 100 points per event. All mandatory events require 100% participation in order to receive points.
Reward:
There will be one ultimate winner at the end of the year. The winning team will be recognized at the Academic Awards Reception in April. Also, each team leading a particular category will be recognized for their efforts.
** Student-athletes will be counted as part of the team if they are listed on the eligibility roster.
Athletes listed on two rosters will count points towards both teams.
CHAMPS/Life Skills Event Request Form
Word Format | PDF Format
SAAC/Bears Life Skills Cup Point Submittal Form
Word Format | PDF Format
Bears Next Step Program
In conjunction with the UNC Career Services office, the
Bears Next Step Program designed through the CHAMPS/Life Skills
program provides a full-service approach to academic major and
career selection, career counseling, internship and job search
assistance (including job and internship fairs), and testing
services. Testing services include CLEP examinations (where
students can test and receive designated elective and general
education classes); college entrance exams (including ACT, SAT,
ACT-Residual and GED); and graduate school entrance exams
(including GRE subject, LSAT, MAT, NLN, and MCAT). Assessment
services are also provided to assist in selections of majors and
career selections.
Career Center
The Career Services office is located on the 2nd floor
of the University Center, and is open Monday through Friday from 8
am to 5 pm, with drop-in career counseling available Tuesday
through Thursday from 3 pm to 5 pm. The office can be reached
at 351-2127 or online.
