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CoSIDA.com/CoSIDA360 Magazine Archive
Note: This story appeared in the Summer 2020 September edition of CoSIDA 360 Magazine. To view the full magazine, click here.
Gut Punch
CoSIDA members like Dave Walters — through no fault of their own — are facing the harsh reality of furloughs and layoffs.
by Dave Walters – CoSIDA 25-Year Award Recipient // CoSIDA Committee Member
I awoke with a strange feeling. Something wasn’t quite right. It felt like a mixture of light nausea and dread.
What’s wrong with me? Oh yeah, that’s right. I don’t have a job today. For the first time in over 25 years (and the first time as a homeowner), I was in the job market in the middle of an international health pandemic and economic crisis.
Guilford College furloughed me and 132 other employees April 3 with hopes of stemming a financial crisis that started well before COVID-19. We hoped to return to work in June, but that date shifted to August. Word trickled out in June that some of those furloughed would not return. One of Guilford’s vice presidents called me June 30 with the news that after 24 years of service, my position had been eliminated.
The news hit like a gut punch and triggered a torrent of thoughts and questions. What will I do now? What did I do to deserve this? I don’t even get to say goodbye. What will become of the student staff? What will become of Guilford’s first full-time assistant SID who remains employed in the second year of an NCAA grant-funded position? Where’s my resumé? Can I stay in sports information? Will I have to relocate? Maybe this was a mistake and I’ll get called back. I’ve spent nearly half of my life at this place, how do I separate from Guilford College?
These and other concerns kept me up at night for a couple weeks. Despite the doubt and uncertainty, I kept returning to two prevailing themes: hope and thankfulness.
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CoSIDA hurts for its members when institutions are forced or, in some instances, make the misguided decision to eliminate their communications professionals or staffs at a time when communications is more important than ever.
For those who have lost their jobs, you remain part of the CoSIDA family. Please stay connected with your national organization. We are here to support you, provide you resources, and advocate for you.
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My unexpected loss of employment stings, but I’m not defined by my title or my employer. The skills that served me well over 27 years in the profession remain. The experience and relationships gained in that time will make me an asset to a different organization. A small severance affords me time to rest, reflect, and possibly reinvent.
There’s an adage that says when God closes one door He opens another. While I believe that, I’ve also experienced the reality of God’s goodness and mercy all the days of my life, and that doesn’t stop because Guilford eliminated the position of its long-time sports information director. While I’ve led an extremely blessed existence, a friend reminded me I’ve faced greater hardship than unemployment. This too, shall pass, and it will not surprise me if I surface elsewhere with an opportunity that proves more life-giving than what I experienced at Guilford.
While the ending didn’t turn out as I had hoped, I am thankful for my time at the small liberal arts college in central North Carolina. I helped the school transition through the many technological advances of the last two and a half decades. (The Internet was an infant when I started in 1996. Statistics gathering was in transition from paper to computers.) I saw a handful of Quakers’ teams and individuals excel in national tournament play and had the joy of promoting a few CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Guilford occasionally appeared in national media outlets, had a solid social media presence, and streamed nearly every home team-sport event for the benefit of distant fans and recruits.
But more than any professional accomplishment, I’m thankful for the many relationships forged over the years. As word of my departure trickled out, my phone started blowing up. Friends from all facets of life reached out for the better part of a week via calls or texts. The frequent remembrances humbled me and reminded me of what I’ll miss the most — the people, especially the students. When I started at Guilford I recruited student assistants and tried to reproduce the experience CoSIDA Hall of Famer Pete Moore provided me at Ithaca College in the early 90s. We covered games, worked in the office, and more importantly, we worked together and had fun in the process. Over time I realized the best part of the job at Guilford was coming alongside young people, investing time and energy in their development and watching them grow into productive team members and responsible young adults. I’m hopeful my next stop affords me a similar opportunity to work with people so passionate and dedicated.
If a transition from sports information is in order, I’ll definitely miss CoSIDA and the many friends made there. Despite meager funding, I attended all but two national conventions, plus a handful of EAST-COMM Workshops. Committee and board service to the organization were life-giving experiences that introduced me to so many good people, most of whom never covered an event with me at Guilford. In July, Doug Vance told an online Coffee Shop audience of furloughed and displaced SIDs they were always welcome in the CoSIDA family. These were encouraging words to be sure.
While I don’t know specifically what the future holds, I know there’s something out there for me and it’s likely better than what I left at Guilford. A friend (and former Guilford student assistant) works locally as a counselor. He helpfully advised me to grieve the loss. A couple friends and I walk daily wearing weighted backpacks, which has greatly helped my mental and physical fitness. I bought my first personal computer (ever!) and secured my outdated resumé from Guilford’s network. I’ll update the resumé, work my professional network, continue to serve in my church, and perhaps seek a part-time job to generate some income.
There’s something out there for me. It may have a different title and will be with a different organization, but that’s okay. I’m flexible, versatile, and relational. I’m an SID and by God’s grace, I’m going to get through this.