Washington's ‘Dawg Tags' Honor Academic Success
September 19, 2014 | General
By Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
When Hau'oli Kikaha received his first "Dawg Tag," he was excited.
"When we first got them, I just thought it was really cool," Washington's senior outside linebacker said. "We're Dawgs and we got Dawg Tags."
Kikaha was given the award after being named to the Director of Athletics Honor Roll.
"It's always great to reward guys for doing things we expect around here," Kikaha said. "There's always a negative consequence for something you do that we don't like or we don't want to have around here."
Over the years, Washington has used different ways to reward academics success. But, for a long time, the various awards were often handled on a sport-by-sport basis. In 2011, the athletic department decided it needed a unified program.
"If this is one of our core values, we need a department-wide program that recognizes all of our student-athletes in the same way," said Kim Durand, the associate athletic director for student development.
The need was filled through the Dawg Tag Program. Student-athletes must have a 3.25 G.P.A. to qualify. Once they hit that mark, they receive a silver Dawg Tag with their name and sport.
Every quarter after that, they can earn one of three Dawg Tags each quarter. For student athletes with a 3.75 and above, the Dawg Tag is gold. For those with a 3.5-3.74, it is silver and for a 3.25-3.49 it is bronze.
Kikaha collects his Dawg Tags and sends them to his mother, Dawn.
"When you do something great that people want, you get rewarded," Kikaha said.
When the program launched, it was unclear how each team would respond.
"At first we thought some teams would be more into it than others, so we weren't really sure how this all would play out," Durand said. "What has happened over time is it's a real badge of honor for the students. They look forward to it."
The Dawg Tags are presented to the student-athletes in front of their teammates. It is meant to be a celebration of academic success.
"Clearly, the athletic part of things is big and their achievement as athletes, what they can achieve here and what they can potentially achieve afterward is important, but the academic mission can't be lost," women's soccer coach Lesle Gallimore said.
"When kids are reminded of that through reward programs, through incentives, through recognition, it only solidifies and enhances the idea that the department cares about that part of it."
Gallimore's son, Zach, is a Marine, so she sees symbolism in the idea of presenting a Dawg Tag.
"If you think about dog tags and what they mean to someone who serves a purpose bigger than them," she said. "For kids to be able to say, 'Yeah, I earned this,' but I also earned it as recognition for my team, is pretty cool."
In addition to the Dawg Tag program, students who maintain a 3.75 G.P.A. over a minimum of 45 graded credits are given an iPad.
"A 3.75 cum at an institution like this is pretty incredible," Durand said. "We wanted a different level to recognize those students who may not even work with us that much."
It isn't always easy to keep things cool with college students, so Durand periodically checks to make sure the programs resonate with the athletes.
"So far," Durand said, "there's still a lot of energy behind it."
We Are Washington Scholarship Fund – Dawg Tag Program
The Huskies are working to earn their Dawg Tags in the classroom. By giving to the We Are Washington Scholarship Fund, you can contribute to their success and earn your own Dawg Tag in the process.
The money raised through the scholarship fund goes directly toward the cost of student-athlete scholarships – one of the athletic department's biggest annual expenses with a price tag of more than $12 million per year.
Your annual gift supports all teams and helps our student-athletes in their pursuit of a world-class education.
To earn your own Dawg Tag and support Husky student-athletes, visit www.gohuskies.com/dawgtags
