If one were to have asked me when I started the MSA program, what I saw myself doing when I graduated, I would have never thought of working in Compliance. However, through the Intercollegiate Athletics course and an internship at the University at Buffalo, I gained interest and I jumped at an opportunity to work in the Office of Compliance at UB.
While at times I am viewed as a police officer enforcing NCAA rules, there are many other aspects of my job. Compliance Coordinators monitor the eligibility of student-athletes, help prospective student-athletes register with the NCAA Clearinghouse and create educational programming for those involved with athletics. Our office also monitors recruiting calls, recruiting visits, practice guidelines, extra benefits and financial aid.
Personally, I monitor recruiting for seven sports, coordinate rules education for our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, examine practice logs, audit recruiting calls and distribute book vouchers to student-athletes on textbook scholarship. Outside of my compliance tasks, I am an active member of committees within the Division of Athletics. I collect and analyze data for our Recruiting and Retention study, work on projects and events for our Committee for Excellence (professional development for student-athletes and coaches) and organize a “Shadow a Student-Athlete Day” for National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The best part of my job is the people I work with. I couldn’t have asked for a better environment to learn and work. Compliance is both a challenging and rewarding area in collegiate athletics. It is very fulfilling to give back to current student-athletes, what others gave to me while I was a student-athlete.