Junior marketing major Dan Oliszewicz is like many other Purdue Northwest student athletes.

A member of the Men’s Hockey team, he cannot compete because of COVID-19.

“At the start of the pandemic I was really worried about school and hockey, because I go to school on a sports scholarship.” said Oliszewicz. “Fortunately, I was able to come back to school online for the fall semester. It’s really a shame that I can’t be on the ice so far this semester, but I’m using my extra time to study and work.”

Many other student athletes have been doing the same, helping the Athletics Department set a new departmental GPA record of 3.43 for the previous spring semester.

Oliszewicz also found a new job that helped him stay healthy during the pandemic. He’s working at a landscaping company specializing in inground pools and water features for people’s yards.

“The job has definitely helped me stay in shape, since gyms have been closed and I haven’t been practicing either,” he said. “I’m really glad that I’ve been able to get out of the house too.”

Oliszewicz said he hopes to get back on the ice and practice hockey again sometime in October or November. However, he feels that he needs some help to do that.

“I get that everyone wants the college experience, but student athletes want to play sports more than anything right now,” he said. “The more people who cooperate with CDC guidelines, like social distancing, the faster that student athletes will be able to get back to their sports.”