| President's message |
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From the desk of Cindy Potter - Are your social posts helpful or hurtful?
CoSIDA president Cindy Potter shares a disturbing comment she heard about the profession that left her sad, but determind. She encourages members to think twice before posting their problems on social media. Click to read
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| Cover story |
Has technology increased opportunities to communicate, but done so at the expense of how we foster personal relationships in the workplace? CoSIDA Executive Director Doug Vance writes that how we connect and build relationships are fundamentals that solve problems and create opportunities. Click to read |
| Member features |
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Young professional spotlight: Joel Nathan Russ - Succeeding in the face of uncertainty and adversity
From Liberia to Maryland, from DIII to DI and back again, from college sports to the casino floor, Joel Nathan Russ’ path to Notre Dame of Maryland has had its share of twists and turns. But those that know him well say the quiet, unassuming voice is a powerhouse in his own right. Click to read
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Aimee Sinacola's big move
CoSIDA member Aimee Sinacola was happy at Indiana University South Bend doing what every NAIA athletics administrator does – a little bit of everything. Her wife of two years, Lauren, was the assistant women’s soccer coach down the road at Notre Dame. Things got a little crazy when Lauren was offered a head coaching position this summer at Oregon State. Click to read
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Staff cuts provide challenge and opportunity for Pete Moore & staff at Syracuse
Pete Moore, now in his 24th year at Syracuse and 40th in the profession, and his officemates felt the economic pinch of the pandemic with the elimination of one full-time position and two 11-month positions from their staff. For the remaining five full-time Orange communication office employees, the workforce depletion resulted in a modified team assignment load in communications office coverage of the department’s 18 sports. Click to read
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Full-time athletics communicators adding value at the high school level
Recently, a new branch of the sports information profession has begun to emerge at the high school level. Schools that have added SIDs have experienced drastic improvements in web visibility, game coverage, streaming capabilities and social media exposure. Click to read
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| Advocate • Connect • Educate • Honor • Support |
Perspectives from outside the profession
Avoiding PR nightmares - by Gail Sideman
Imagine your school hires an athletic director whose background check pops with red flags. This is pretty much the way Sony Pictures Television went about its business when it announced the late, legendary Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek would be replaced by its executive producer. Athletic department leaders can learn from the game show's national PR debacle. It's important for every college athletic program to have a crisis communications plan, and to review and update it on a regular basis. Click to read
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CoSIDA branding study update
Athlete Viewpoint (Jennifer Cross) and 2D Consulting, LLC (Trip Durham) have been selected to assist CoSIDA leadership with the research phase of our branding exploration. This phase will engage the entire CoSIDA membership as well as selected prospective members and external stakeholders through surveys and one-on-one conversations. The goal of this phase will be to determine a course of action for whether CoSIDA should pursue a name change or a brand refresh. It's our goal to complete the research phase by January 2022. Questions can be directed to Doug Vance, Sam Atkinson, Katie Mucci or Beau White.
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Register now! CoSIDA introduces "Leadership CoSIDA presented by SIDEARM Sports"
Year-round professional development track
This 10-part series, designed for elite leadership training for college athletics communicators, begins October 5 and is open to current CoSIDA dues-paying members with a cap of 75 participants. This year-round programming replaces the annual CoSIDA Leadership Forum, which took place during the convention each summer. Learn more
First session on October 5: The Big Reset - Hitting the Hot Button Topics for Athletic Communicators, featuring:
Michael Bazemore
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Bubba Cunningham
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Dr. Bren Stevens
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| Updates, news & notes |
2,566 CoSIDA members...and counting!
A big THANK YOU goes to everyone who has renewed membership for 2021-22. We've more than doubled where we were at this point last year when we had 1,106 members at the end of September. You've heard our call and responded by signing up your communications and creative staffs. Membership renewals will continue to be available throughout the academic year.
The regular enrollment period to renew CoSIDA membership ended September 30. Starting October 1, a late fee of $75/person will be added. Renew membership at CoSIDA.com/Membership
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Nominate for Academic All-America® Hall of Fame
All nominations for the Class of 2022 must be submitted by Friday, November 12at Midnight (ET). You must be a current 2021-22 CoSIDA member to nominate. Nominate at CoSIDA.com/Awards
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Academic All-America® records are updated
As of September 28, all historical records through the 2020-21 academic year are updated on AcademicAllAmerica.com. CoSIDA thanks Hall of Famer Dave Wrath for his years of dedicated service to managing these records. Dave is now retired and passed his database and documents over to the CoSIDA staff. Any updates or corrections can now be sent to Beau White.
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Nominate your best student-athletes starting October 19
CoSIDA has honored more than 36,600 of the nation's best student-athletes with Academic All-America honors since 1952.
Nominating and voting for Academic All-America is a privilege reserved for CoSIDA members. Our first nomination period of 2021-22 opens October 19 with men's and women's soccer in all NCAA and NAIA divisions.
This year marks a return to the normal policy of using current season statistics for nominees. Nomination dates for the year are below. Nominations open at Noon (ET) and - new this year - close at 11:59 pm (ET).
- Soccer - October 19-26
- Football - October 26-November 2
- Volleyball - October 26-November 2
- Basketball - January 25-February 1
- Baseball - April 19-26
- Softball - April 19-26
- At-large - April 26-May 3
- Track and field/cross country - May 3-10
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Publications & Digital Design Contest entries now being accepted - First round of submissions due October 15
This year, there will be three contest period deadlines on October 15, December 15 and March 15. Carefully check which contests have which deadlines.
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The 6th CoSIDA Membership Recognition Week is November 3-9
Mark your calendars! Additional information will be provided at CoSIDA.com/ThankYourSID when available.
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CoSIDA Coffee Shop with Doug Vance and Cindy Potter
The coffee shop is open and will feature a session with the CoSIDA executive director and president on Friday, October 22 at 1 PM (ET). Space is limited. Sign up at CoSIDA.com/CoffeeShop. Send any topic ideas for future coffee shops to any staff member.
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| The SID Life |
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What is your favorite thing about your career? Plus, people who inspire us, most prized possessions, hobbies we’d love to take up, advice for crossover season, a game of “this or that” and more. Click to read
Featuring:
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Sean Farnsworth
St. John Fisher
Assistant AD/
Athletic Communications
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Noel Rosales
Holy Names University
Sports Information
Graduate Assistant
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Michelle Traen Traversie
University Minnesota
Assistant AD/Communications
(Men's Basketball)
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Travis Webb
LSU Eunice
Interim Director of
Public Relations
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Lindy Zamora
Long Beach State
Associate Athletic
Communications Director
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