Seminar teaches student athletes business etiquette
By Laura McFarland
Staff Reporter

At a formally set table in Bistro le Frog, Mr. and Mrs. Right sit and quietly discuss the events of their day as they enjoy their meal.

One table over, Mrs. Wrong slips silverware and rolls into her backpack while Mr. Wrong spits into a plastic foam cup and then sucks a forkful of pasta into his mouth.

There’s a lesson to be learned here — an etiquette lesson.

Both the Rights and the Wrongs were fake couples in role playing exercises used to teach student athletes the dos and don’ts of business etiquette, said Dennis Conner, a volunteer for athletic academic services.

“The things that we’re teaching them are not just something they might use someday once or twice,” Conner said. “These are things that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

The seminar, held Tuesday for junior athletes, is part of the CHAMPS Life Skills Program.
Pauline Hyman, coordinator of the CHAMPS Life Skills Etiquette Seminar, said the program is a series of nine programs sponsored by Athletic Academic Services this year.

The program focuses on helping student athletes with time management, academic skills and professional skills, she said.

“Our goal for our student athletes is that when they finish TCU, not only do they have an education, but they are prepared to be good citizens in our community,” Hyman said.

In a presentation that combined role playing and instruction, Ann Louden, director of the principal gifts department of University Advancement, coached the students through a five-course meal on the proper behavior in business situations.

“So much of what we do in getting and securing a job is how we behave in a dining setting,” Louden said.

The evening’s lesson, which was free, included subjects such as how to make introductions, how to behave in a job interview and how to properly eat a meal.
“The best way to learn how to behave in business situations is now, before they are forced into these situations,” Louden said.

Athletic administrators helped illustrate each of Louden’s points by modeling the right and wrong way to act in each situation.

For the seminar’s second year, Ross Bailey, associate athletic director for operations, was the waiter who serves the two couples. Bailey said he thinks the program is a great opportunity for student athletes to gain an overall awareness of etiquette.

“They’re not going to remember everything — I’m not going to remember everything — but it will make for some interesting meals for the next few days,” Bailey said.
Nicole Carman, a junior international marketing major, said she thought the seminar would be more serious.

“It was more entertaining than I thought,” Carman said. “I didn’t expect there to be actors. I think that having the actors got the point across better.”

Hyman said there is a booklet that reviews the seminar’s material and introduces additional etiquette subjects. The booklet is designed to keep students from forgetting these new lessons, she said.

The program was videotaped for those athletes who were not able to attend, Hyman said.

Laura McFarland
l.d.mcfarland@student.tcu.edu

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