Student-Athletes Learn Proper Etiquette Off the Field

Camille Simmons stood up in front of a room full of people and spoke about the best piece of advice she had ever gotten from a coach.

"He told me that when I'm not practicing, is my opponent is," said Simmons, the sophomore fencer. "If I want to be better than them, I have to put in the work."

That is exactly what forty-five student-athletes were doing on Wednesday, September 27, when they attended the annual Etiquette Dinner hosted by Career Services to kick off career week.

The student-athletes weren't working to get better on the court or on the field, instead they were working to get better in the business world. The athletes, who varied in age, represented 16 of Temple's 19 sports teams.

"From a student-athlete affairs standpoint it's just providing our student athletes another opportunity to build their network," said Jessica Gray, the student-athlete affairs representative for the dinner. "It also helps them gain experience outside of their sport and prepare them for life after college because they will be having those real conversations with potential employers in a professional setting."

The student-athlete affairs committee sponsored two student-athletes from each team, but many coaches sent more than two.

"I think it shows a lot of interest that our coaches have in the success of their student-athletes outside of their sport," Gray said. "I think it's really great when they want to take advantage of the opportunities that we offer them."

Theresa Hummel-Krollinger, the key presenter, taught the students about proper etiquette for a business dinner and different networking tools.

"I really wanted to help the students to be more comfortable in their own skin," Hummel-Krollinger said. "I think going to a business meal should be a pleasure, it shouldn't be awkward and uncomfortable, it should be a really nice way to conduct business, meet new people and build your personal brand."

To start her presentation, she asked everyone in attendance to stand up and go meet someone who was not at their table. This gave the student-athletes an opportunity to meet new people in different sports and some people who don't play sports, including other students and alumni.

"I learned a lot about etiquette and how to be a better person outside the business world and learned not just about social networking, but business networking," said freshman basketball player J.P. Moorman. "I met some great people and alumni tonight and learned some things from the executive director of North Broad Renaissance. I'm glad I got to speak with her and other alumni."

Hummel-Krollinger continued her presentation with a quiz, asking for participation from those who were in attendance. She broke down the proper etiquette for a business dinner from beginning to end.

While dinner was arriving, Hummel-Krollinger continued to take the students step-by-step through everything from what silverware to use to what conversations were appropriate to have at the dinner table.

"It was very helpful," said junior fencer Auset Muhammad. "I learned a lot tonight, like the positioning of the silverware, and I made some connections."

In addition to attending the dinner itself, the student-athletes were also required to attend a "Dress for Success" seminar, created by Gray in 2014.

"Prior to 2014, our student-athletes weren't particularly dressing well or appropriately for the Etiquette Dinner," Gray said. "So I took the matter into my own hands in regards to educating them. In the program we talk about appropriate dress for the dinner, do's and don'ts and the major differences between casual, business casual, business formal and formal attire."

The Etiquette Dinner and Dress for Success seminar are just two of the many things the athletic department does to help its student-athletes get involved in the community and gain real life experiences outside of their sports.

"I think the athletic department does a great job of communicating the importance of professionalism and being professional as well as being an athlete," said Christopher Peterson of career services. "I think in the past the student-athletes have always done a good job contributing. I think it's always great to have them here because they bring a lot of leadership skills with them."

Temple University Athletics

Student-Athletes Learn Proper Etiquette Off the Field

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