APPLE CONFERENCE

Four student athletes, from the University of Maine at Farmington, were given the opportunity to attend an Apple Conference at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.  This Apple Conference provided students with information and personal testimonies related to hazing, drugs, alcohol and deep depression illnesses; common problems seen on campuses around the world.  It was beneficial for the UMF athletes to learn that incidences that have occurred at the University of Maine at Farmington are the same incidences that other colleges are facing as well. 

In addition to heart felt presentations by speakers, the APPLE Conference taught the athletes about seven slices to the APPLE model.  These slices, or areas of concern, are the guiding principles in the athletic department and the goal of this conference was for student athletes to choose one slice that they would like to improve back at their own university.  These slices included, policies, education, drug testing, expectations and attitudes, recruitment practices, referral and counseling and sanctioning.  The UMF Apple Team decided to focus on policies because they want to help improve the informational meetings that the athletes attend.  As of now, the meetings for each team are slightly different which may cause some teams to receive more information about college athletics at UMF and others receive less.  To maintain a sense of consistency, the Apple team wants to help develop a student athlete orientation for every varsity team.  Currently, the Apple Team is working on an outline for the meeting which would be used at every presentation for the athletes.  This outline will then be presented to the athletic department for approval.

-- Jenna Rowan

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