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Cardinal Compass: Community

Cardinal Compass: Community

Cardinal Compass Logo - Community

DASH celebrates this rich tapestry of backgrounds, lived experiences, and interests with signature programs, bespoke advising, leadership opportunities, and campus collaboration and connection to ensure all student-athletes have an opportunity to find community and belonging at Stanford.

Signature Programs

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New Student-Athlete & Family Welcome

This annual event welcomes the class of new student-athletes' families for an introduction to Stanford Athletics.

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Welcome Back BBQ

All varsity student-athletes and coaching staff are invited to an informal welcome back BBQ celebrating the start of a new academic year on the Farm.

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GameFACES

Inspired by Faces of Community during NSO for all new Stanford students, GameFACES highlights the challenges, personal development, and stories of resilience of student-athletes in community with the broader Stanford campus.

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Senior Send-Off

Annual reception recognizing the graduating student-athlete class.

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ONBOARDING & TRANSITION SUPPORT 

DASH advising staff provide individualized advising and onboarding support for all new Stanford student-athletes enrolling outside of Autumn Quarter.

Community Groups

Student-Athlete Community Groups, created by and for student-athletes, offer a tangible mechanism to cultivate relationships and support personal and professional development. Reflecting a variety of lived experiences, identities, and interest areas, these groups are instrumental in fostering a sense of belonging in the Stanford student-athlete community.

Supports student-athletes interested in pursuing the field of medicine

Fosters community among Black student-athletes at Stanford

Supports student-athletes interested in participating in community service opportunities

Fosters community among LGBTQIA+ and allied Stanford student-athletes

Fosters community and provides resources for international student-athletes

Supports student-athletes interested in pursuing the field of finance

Fosters community among Jewish student-athletes at Stanford

Tree Talk is a podcast and social media content creation group focused on sharing the unheard and unique stories of Stanford student-athletes

Brings together Stanford's student-athlete body in fun and engaging ways. SEA ideates, plans, and executes events that provide student-athletes events. 

Supports student-athletes interested in promoting sustainability practices throughout the Stanford Athletics experience.

Student-Athlete Voice

The student-athlete voice at Stanford is critical to our success as a community. With support from DASH, SAAC and C-House give varsity student-athletes the opportunity to give voice to their unique Stanford experience.

SAAC

SAAC

Stanford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is a group of student-athletes passionate about policy and legislation impacting the student-athlete experience at the university, conference, and national level. The SAAC executive team meets regularly with Stanford Athletics leadership, university administration, and the ASSU cabinet regarding matters pertinent to the student-athlete experience.

C-House

C-House

Cardinal House (C-House) is a group of coach-appointed representatives from each of the 36 varsity sport programs. C-House plays an integral role in ensuring each varsity sport is represented in decision-making processes regarding policy and legislation affecting the student-athlete experience. C-House meets as a collective group quarterly with select DAPER administrators and University leadership to discuss topics of importance.

Leadership Opportunities

In addition to participating in SAAC, C-House, or a community group, DASH connects student-athletes with a myriad of on and off-campus leadership opportunities.

The ACC invites 6 representatives (4 student-athletes, 2 coaches or staff) per member institution to participate in the annual ACC Unity Tour every summer. Participants of this tour will engage in an immersive educational experience, in which the group will visit historical sites, learn from local leaders about history and culture, and engage with the community.

The Athlete Ally Summit brings together college student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from across the country to convene and build community, gain knowledge, and commit to actions to help expand inclusion, allyship, and belonging on their campuses. The days are packed with panels, breakouts, community reflection moments, play, outings to local pro sports games, and special activities.

The Black Student-Athlete Summit, held each May unites student-athletes, athletic professionals, and industry innovators for four days of dynamic programming. Participants engage in career development sessions, financial literacy workshops, and wellness activities designed to prepare them for life beyond sports. From the game-changing Pro Day to the ElevateXperience and Grad/Job Fair, the Summit equips athletes with tangible skills, strategic connections, and pathways to leadership in business, culture, and community.

The Career in Sports Forum is an annual educational program that brings together 200 selected NCAA student-athletes to learn about and explore potential careers in sports, particularly college athletics. This unique three-day forum helps student-athletes chart their career paths. Participants network with and learn from current athletics professionals.

Student-athletes selected to attend the forum return to campus with invaluable leadership skills, a refined understanding of the relationship among personal values, core beliefs and behavioral styles, and the support of a close personal network of like-minded peers to provide continued connection and dialogue after the program concludes.

The annual National Convention, hosted by the Women Leaders in Sports organization, is designed to develop, connect, and advance women in sports. Student-athlete convention attendees will have an opportunity to connect with women from various roles in sports, including CEOs, conference commissioners, and athletic directors. This is an amazing networking and development opportunity for student-athletes who have interest in getting into the sports industry.

Awards & Scholarships

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship provides a $10,000 one-time award given to student-athletes who have excelled academically and athletically, and who plan to pursue graduate school. Up to 126 scholarships are awarded each year—split evenly between men and women—across the fall, winter and spring sport seasons.

The Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford and Jim & Pat Thacker postgraduate scholarships are awarded to selected student-athletes who intend to pursue a graduate degree after completing their undergraduate requirements. Each recipient will receive $9,000 toward his or her graduate education. 

The ACC Excellence Award recognizes outstanding graduates from ACC member institutions. The goal of the award is to highlight the students embodying the student-athlete ideal. The awardees are exemplary students, athletes, and contributors to the community and society, and serve as an example to their fellow students.  

This award is presented annually to six student-athletes from each ACC conference institution who demonstrate outstanding dedication to community service and outreach programs. 

This award recognizes individuals affiliated with the ACC who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice.

Each ACC institution has the opportunity to select one student-athlete to receive a Dr Pepper Go Teach Tuition valued at $2,500. This program is open to student-athletes across all institutional sponsored sports programs and academic classification. Following all school selections, the ACC conference office will select one recipient to receive the grand prize of $10,000.