Professor Brenda Vogel to serve as Faculty Athletics Representative again
As a criminology professor, Brenda Vogel is interested in a sense of justice. It’s about right versus wrong.
As a longtime sports fan, Vogel is interested in cheering on her favorite team, the Long Beach State Dirtbags. In this case, it’s winning versus losing.
Now, as the newly appointed Faculty Athletics Representative, Vogel can mesh her two favorite pastimes and create a fair environment for student-athletes and coaches. She served in the same capacity from 2007-2015, overseeing the affairs of student-athletes at Long Beach State and has been asked by President Jane Close Conoley to again serve as the eyes and ears of the university when it comes to athletics.
“You want to make sure the university knows what athletics is doing and that’s it’s not an island over there,” said Vogel, Director of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management.
As Faculty Athletic Representative, Vogel keeps tabs on the welfare of students, making sure they are being treated fairly and not over-training and traveling extensively so that it causes them to miss class too often. She also makes sure they have housing and food.
“I provide them a resource, another resource on campus,” Vogel said. “There are a ton of resources where they can go, but I am another one for their well-being, for whatever reason. I’m not their coach. I’m not their teacher. I’m something in between.”
She also verifies that all team and student-athletes and coaches are in compliance with National Collegiate Athletic Association rules.
Lastly, she regularly checks on their grades, working closely with the Bickerstaff Center.
“I’m a teacher at heart and I love the opportunity to mentor students. I’m also a big advocate of justice – that’s my core thing,” she said.
