{"id":48998,"date":"2023-06-09T18:31:11","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T18:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/?p=48998"},"modified":"2024-06-26T18:12:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T18:12:37","slug":"building-community-in-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/2023\/06\/09\/building-community-in-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Community in Athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Grace<\/a>Grace Eastman \u201923 grew up in a small town north of the Twin Cities. Upon reflecting on her decision to attend Augsburg Grace shared, \u201cAugsburg gave me the vibes of a small town in a big city setting. It was important to me to have small class sizes and actually know my professors.\u201d Another driving factor was being able to play on the basketball team. In fact, pursuing an athletic career at Augsburg isn\u2019t something new to Grace\u2019s family. \u201cMy uncle <\/span>Randy Eastman \u201995<\/span><\/a> wrestled here in the \u201990s,\u201d she excitedly shared.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although she was excited to be recruited for basketball, she admitted she didn\u2019t know too much about Augsburg before the Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR). \u201cI had only toured a couple of times before then, so I was unsure of what it would be like. But it was great meeting all the people and realizing I would enjoy what Augsburg has to offer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many students, Grace\u2019s Augsburg experience was possible in part due to the generosity of benefactors who support scholarship opportunities. Throughout the <\/span>Great Returns<\/span><\/i> campaign, donors have given to 150 endowed scholarships. \u201cWithout financial aid, I don’t think I would have been able to come here. It really took the stress of student loans off my back and helped me be a successful student all four years,\u201d Grace said, who is graduating with a degree in finance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grace also shared what being on the basketball team has meant to her and how it enriched her college experience. \u201cWe\u2019re like our own little family,\u201d she said. \u201cBeginning college can be scary, it\u2019s like starting over, but I didn\u2019t feel that way because I had already met my coaches and teammates ahead of time. I felt like I already had friends that I could talk to and could go to my coaches if I needed anything.\u201d Grace feels the tight-knit community and communication attributed to the team\u2019s success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another contributing factor to success is found in the renovated women\u2019s locker room. During Augsbrug\u2019s <\/span>Great Returns<\/span><\/i> campaign, a significant initiative was updating the women\u2019s locker room. Through the generosity of <\/span>Patricia Piepenburg \u201969<\/span><\/a>, the renovated space was unveiled in October of 2022. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely improved our experience and makes us feel valued as athletes. I used to think locker rooms were just for changing because that\u2019s what it\u2019s been like my whole life, but now that we have this new space, it became a place where we could build community. We\u2019re able to hang out, watch TV, and create bonds after practice or games,\u201d Grace said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This initiative was especially significant because it happened 50 years after the passage of Title IX. When thinking about the legacy of people like Patricia who came before her, Grace shared \u201cIt gives us a sense of pride to be part of something so historical, and motivates us to play because we understand and acknowledge the struggles women before us. When we won a championship last year it was the greatest feeling and I want to leave behind a legacy for future generations too.\u201d As she thought about how philanthropy has life-changing effects, she shared, \u201cGifts like these send the message that students like me matter and drive me to be the best version of myself. It is a blessing to have peoples\u2019 support.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about Augsburg\u2019s <\/span>Great Returns<\/span><\/i> efforts on our <\/span>website<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grace Eastman \u201923 grew up in a small town north of the Twin Cities. Upon reflecting on her decision to attend Augsburg Grace shared, \u201cAugsburg gave me the vibes of a small town in a big city setting. It was important to me to have small class sizes and actually know my professors.\u201d Another driving …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[183,205,214],"tags":[158,175,218,219],"class_list":["post-48998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-augsburg-giving","category-great-returns-campaign","tag-athletics","tag-basketball","tag-class-of-2023","tag-finance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48998"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49245,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48998\/revisions\/49245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}