2008 Woodie Awards
Student involvement key to athletics at BHC
Scott Figuerola
Issue date: 4/30/07 Section: Sports
Lynne Levesque, athletic director at Brookhaven College, said the women's volleyball team won back-to-back championships recently and the basketball team has missed the national tournament by one game the last two years.
She said Brookhaven has a history of success in their athletic programs.
According to the college's Web site, Brookhaven offers less sports than all other Dallas County Community College District campuses.
Brookhaven offers men's basketball, men's baseball and women's volleyball, while women's soccer returns fall 2007.
Levesque said women's soccer will put Brookhaven in compliance with Title IX. She said Title IX is a U.S. Department of Labor amendment that requires colleges to offer the same opportunities to men and women.
According to their Web sites every other DCCCD campus, besides El Centro College, which doesn't have an athletics program, has at least four sports, with all of them offering soccer as of spring 2007.
Richland College and Mountain View College offer the most with six, while Richland offers intramurals.
"We've tried intramurals before but they just haven't worked," Levesque said. "We are limited in facilities and time availability in what little space we do have."
Rodger Bennett, dean of fine arts at Brookhaven who is over the athletic program, said students haven't shown interest or support for intramurals or staff sponsored "Fun Runs."
"It ends up being mostly Brookhaven staff and a small sample of students," Bennett said.
Levesque said, "First and foremost we need to have full-time positions for the head coaching staff as all other DCCCD campuses have."
Bennett said one of the reasons Brookhaven offers less athletics is because administration can only hire part-time coaches.
He said it's hard to keep coaches on board when they are only offered part-time employment.
Bennet said coaches at Brookhaven have to teach class or find another means of supplemental employment, which is difficult since the coaching positions usually take up a large amount of time.
She said Brookhaven has a history of success in their athletic programs.
According to the college's Web site, Brookhaven offers less sports than all other Dallas County Community College District campuses.
Brookhaven offers men's basketball, men's baseball and women's volleyball, while women's soccer returns fall 2007.
Levesque said women's soccer will put Brookhaven in compliance with Title IX. She said Title IX is a U.S. Department of Labor amendment that requires colleges to offer the same opportunities to men and women.
According to their Web sites every other DCCCD campus, besides El Centro College, which doesn't have an athletics program, has at least four sports, with all of them offering soccer as of spring 2007.
Richland College and Mountain View College offer the most with six, while Richland offers intramurals.
"We've tried intramurals before but they just haven't worked," Levesque said. "We are limited in facilities and time availability in what little space we do have."
Rodger Bennett, dean of fine arts at Brookhaven who is over the athletic program, said students haven't shown interest or support for intramurals or staff sponsored "Fun Runs."
"It ends up being mostly Brookhaven staff and a small sample of students," Bennett said.
Levesque said, "First and foremost we need to have full-time positions for the head coaching staff as all other DCCCD campuses have."
Bennett said one of the reasons Brookhaven offers less athletics is because administration can only hire part-time coaches.
He said it's hard to keep coaches on board when they are only offered part-time employment.
Bennet said coaches at Brookhaven have to teach class or find another means of supplemental employment, which is difficult since the coaching positions usually take up a large amount of time.
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