Graduates who participated in intercollegiate athletics during their time on the Oshkosh campus will wear special stoles at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Midyear Commencement set for Saturday, Dec. 14.
The Student-Athlete Graduation Stole was a vision that members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee had four years ago. With funding from the League of Titans and support from UWO Provost John Koker and University Books and More, SAAC’s dream of a student-athlete stole finally came to fruition.
“The idea of a student-athlete stole came from then-senior athletes Krystal Walker (gymnastics), Andre Wallace (men’s basketball), Nicole deRoode (gymnastics) and Kevin MacCudden (football),” said SAAC adviser and women’s gymnastics head coach Lauren Karnitz. “They wanted something that symbolized the commitment to the school through athletics and academics and saw that other schools in the UW system had them.”
Assistant Chancellor and Director of Athletics Darryl Sims is grateful for the student-athletes in 2016 who championed the idea. He is excited for the first class of Titan athletes to proudly wear the student-athlete stoles this Saturday.
“The stole represents our student-athletes’ commitment to academics and athletics and the achievement of receiving their academic degree,” Sims said. “I’m thankful for all involved in helping make this a reality, especially to the League of Titans, Provost Koker and SAAC.”
Nearly 30 UWO student-athletes will wear the stole at graduation on Dec. 14, including Corey Knudsen, a four-year Titan wrestler and three-year member of SAAC.
Knudsen, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, is happy to be one of the first Titans to wear the stoles.
“It is an honor to wear one of these at graduation,” Knudsen said. “I am excited for it to become something that all student-athletes strive to wear as they finish their time at UWO.”
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