NSU introduces RiverHawk Host Family Program

By NSU Staff Writer Dustin Woods

A new program for freshman and transfer athletes will allow Northeastern State University football players to build ties with the Tahlequah community. The RiverHawk Host Family Program will pair 21 incoming players with host families in Tahlequah.

We anticipate the host family inviting the student athlete to their home for a meal or taking them to dinner occasionally, inviting them to attend one of their childrens extracurricular activities, introducing them to others within the Tahlequah community and including them in a variety of other events and activities in which they participate within our town, said Susanne Betz, wife of NSU president Don Betz and program co-creator.

Student athletes often find it difficult to interact with the student and local communities due to sport and academic schedules. The pilot program intends to foster these relationships.

Many of them come to us as transfer students and will only be members of our student body for two years before moving on and others come for four years or more, and during their time here they are focused on their academics and sport. Betz said. This program will assist new student athletes in the transition to college, or a new college, and aid in their retention at NSU.

The athletes met their host families and exchanged contact information during a cookout Aug. 11 at the Betz home. Athletes also provided their home families information so that host families can maintain communication with them.

We are the only university in the country that has a president and his wife that have implemented a program of this magnitude, which shows the commitment from the top, said Kenny Evans, NSU Head Football Coach. This is a tremendous undertaking that will aid the football program in our number one goal of graduating our players.

The program also seeks to aid recruiting.

I think as potential student athletes are looking for the right school in the recruiting process, theyll be very impressed with the work that Susanne Betz and Suzanne Myers [NSU Director of Transfer and Parent Programs] have put into this program, Evans said.

This new avenue for interaction with the campus and community could generate bonds strong enough to encourage student athletes to visit NSU and Tahlequah after graduation.

The commitment to our student athletes by encouraging, nurturing, befriending and modeling the way for success during their first year at NSU will make the students experience here more than just a place they came to play football and get a degree, but a place they will form community ties and perhaps return to after graduating, Betz said. These families will provide a more gratifying experience for these students that will help them navigate through their years here at Northeastern State University.

8/21/2009

Published: 2009-08-21 00:00:00