Unmasking Barriers, Unleashing Potential
Authors:   , Thompson William London , Smith Budhai Stephanie 
Published: October 2023

Black male student-athletes at predominantly White institutions (PWI) are funneled through Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) programs where advisors primarily focus on maintaining NCAA athletic eligibility instead of degree completion, which is detrimental to their academic identity development. The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of academic advisors within SASS programs at PWIs to understand how they perceive their role in supporting the academic identity development and degree completion of Black male student-athletes. To investigate this phenomenon, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and maintained a researcher's journal. This research was guided by one overarching central research question, with two sub-questions: 1. How do academic advisors who support Black male student-athletes as part of a Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) program at predominantly White institutions describe their lived experience? a. How do academic advisors describe the challenges they face in supporting the academic identity development of Black male student-athletes at predominantly White institutions? b. How do social justice frameworks inform advising practice within Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) programs at predominantly White institutions? Three interconnected modes of thought supported the conceptual framework that informed this study: (a) college student development theory, (b) advising practice, and (c) critical race theory. The researcher introduced the CSS Framework identifying critical support practices that activate student success which includes: (a) centering the lived experiences of Black male student-athletes, (b) naming and resisting structural violence, and (c) implementing critical pedagogies. Four recommendations were suggested: (1) Top-level university leadership should prioritize diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices within Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) programs to ensure their most at-risk populations, who are overwhelmingly Black and male student-athletes, receive the support they need; (2) Athletic programs (recruiters, coaches) should involve Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) advisors in the recruiting process and vet potential recruits with consideration of their academic dispositions; (3) In consideration for the academic implications of student-athletes transferring from one institution to another, policymakers should work with NCAA member institutions to create standardized four to six-year student-athlete degree paths and waive residency requirements; and (4) Because of the valuable work Student-athlete Academic Support Services (SASS) advisors perform in support of vulnerable student-athlete populations, their practice should be informed by an intimate knowledge and dependence on theory as a basis for practice. Keywords: academic identity, academic advising, anti-racism, degree completion, Black male student-athletes, student-athlete academic support programs.