The beginning of the fall semester brings not only new faces to OLLU but also the announcement of two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) sports teams at the university. Although the program will not officially launch until fall 2007, many OLLU staff members are preparing for the university’s new men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams.

OLLU will be the only NAIA institution in San Antonio. President Tessa Martinez-Pollack stated that the program aims to “create a base of athletics so we can grow and add more.”

Dean of Student Life and newly appointed Athletic Director Jack Hank has been working on getting the NAIA program to OLLU since October 2005. The process finally ended in April when the program was approved after the school went through a series of visits from officials from NAIA.

Hank stated that 2006 is definitely a “year of preparation” for OLLU. As of press time, Hank is still going through applications to fill the two positions of volleyball coach and soccer coach.
“It’s a very exciting time,” Hank said.

Pollack stated that she wants the university to “diversify” the experience of student life for OLLU students.

Pollack addressed the need of a sports team when she arrived at OLLU four years ago stating that OLLU “needed to have some sort of athletics program in part because that was such a strong consensus voice of the students.” 

To prepare OLLU for the sports teams, work is already under way to meet its needs. University officials have met with the director of the physical plant and there are plans to level the soccer field, as Hank stated will be “the most drastic change for the field.” Minor changes are in store for the volleyball court and a small training room is in the process of being worked on. By summer 2007 everything should be set for the sports teams, Hank said.

Hank and Vice President of Enrollment Management Dr. Cindy Skaruppa suggest that OLLU will garner at least 25 new students out of the first round of the NAIA and, as Pollack states, “as the program goes on, it will pick up some momentum.”

“I think it will have a very positive influence on enrollment,” Pollack said. 
Funds to keep the NAIA program afloat will come from tuition revenue and some may come from the university; it depends on how the first year of the NAIA program will go, officials said.
“We need to make a commitment to student athletics so we will find a way to make it work,” Pollack said.