Working overtime
Asking Shaun Mahoney to give 100 percent effort at his job simply wouldn’t be enough. "I’m really trying to pack two full-time jobs into one day...it’s pretty much that I’m [giving] 100 percent on both," said Mahoney, the director of financial services. At Franklin, a number of coaches are also faculty or staff members. Mahoney is the head coach of the men’s soccer team. Kim Eiler also fills two jobs. She is the head women’s basketball coach and teaches physical education classes. Richard Park, who retired from teaching full-time in the math department in 2003, remained the head men’s golf coach until he retired from that role after last season. Coaches said they see a number of advantages in holding another job on campus. "I think it’s a great balance between both worlds. I definitely know how my players feel. After last night’s game, I know that they have to go to class," Eiler said. "Well, I have to teach today. It helps balance your perspective of what is being a student-athlete." Another advantage is the opportunity to experience and participate in the culture of the campus. "The big advantage that I have is that I know more people on campus than just my players. It makes me feel more attached to the campus community and to the student community because I get to know players on other teams and students who are involved in other things besides athletics," Mahoney said. The major disadvantage is the extra invested time. The long hours can get difficult, said Mahoney. For all the time that both jobs require, there are some duties which crossover. There are many qualities coaches use during their sports that help them perform their teaching and staff jobs. "With my job, I work with students on a touchy subject, [the] change in ability to pay for school and that sort of thing, so I think you have to be pretty patient with students," Mahoney said. "... The case is the same on the field, as far as having to show patience with players and also know that players bring all sorts of issues with them to practice and sometimes that can effect the way they’re playing." These faculty and staff members acquired their double-duty status through natural progression. Park, who began teaching math at Franklin in 1958, held a number of positions at the college, including academic dean, academic vice president, a senior academic administrator and acting president. While holding these positions, Park also taught either full or part-time. He started coaching the men’s golf team in 1979. Mahoney was first hired as the head men’s soccer coach. Then, because he had taught high school economics for 10 years, he was chosen for the financial services position. Eiler followed a similar path to her dual jobs. She was first hired as a coach and instructor, then received her doctorate in 2006 and became part of the faculty. The benefits of having coaches who also teach are not financial, said Kerry Prather, who pulls a double himself, as athletic director and head men’s basketball coach. "This is a philosophical decision, not a financial decision," he said. "We consider all of our coaches to be teachers. It’s just some of them literally teach in the classroom sense."
