ATHLETE HEALTH
Dakota Wesleyan University is concerned about the health and safety of all our students, including our student athletes. We understand the variety of benefits achieved as a result of athletic participation and have several athletic opportunities available to accommodate a range of interests, skills, and abilities. Any student wishing to participate in a specific intercollegiate sport should contact the coaching staff to discuss the possibility, their requirements for participation, and information regarding practices and games. Understand that your desire to participate does not guarantee you a spot on an athletic team or financial assistance should you be placed on a team. Intramural activities are also available for those wishing to participate for exercise, enjoyment, stress relief, or as a matter of personal choice without the pressures that may accompany intercollegiate competition.

While we encourage those students who choose to participate in athletics, we also understand the inherent risks, both immediate and long range, that may be associated with that participation. For that purpose we have established additional health guidelines for our student athletes. All of our athletes are required to have a complete physical prior to participation. Should an injury occur, the coaching staff will refer the student to the appropriate medical personnel for assessment and/or treatment and will not knowingly allow an athlete to participate if he/she is in pain or injured without clearance from a physician or qualified medical provider.

STUDENT ATHLETE INSURANCE POLICY
Dakota Wesleyan University requires that all student-athletes participating in intercollegiate sports maintain a permanent, private major medical insurance policy through parent(s), spouse, employee benefit or private policy. In the event of an injury, the private insurance company will be billed by the medical providers. No short term policies will be accepted.

DWU also maintains an intercollegiate sports coverage policy through Student Assurance Services. This policy has a $1000 diminishing deductible for all student-athletes. This means the student-athlete will be responsible for the first $1000 of medical costs, which could either be paid by the athlete’s private billable insurance (depending on the deductible of the private policy), or be an out-of-pocket expense for the student-athlete (the out-of-pocket expense would apply toward the private insurance deductible and the intercollegiate sport policy’s diminishing deductible). After the intercollegiate deductible of $1000 has been satisfied, the sports coverage policy will be billed once the primary insurance has been processed. This will help defray the cost of medical attention needed due to an injury sustained while participating in intercollegiate athletics that is not covered by a student-athlete’s primary coverage (i.e., deductibles, co-pays). The athletic policy provided by DWU through Student Assurance Services will only be billed after the athlete’s primary insurance has been billed and an explanation of benefits has been received. It is the student-athlete’s responsibility to inform his or her medical provider(s) of the intercollegiate coverage benefit provided by DWU and to initiate the claims process.

NAIA/GPAC SPORTS OFFERED BY DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY