Tomorrow college athletes across the country may stand and take a bow.

April 6, 1991 has been declared by Congress as National STUDENT-Athlete Day, a day set aside to recognize the accomplishments of college and high school student-athletes both in the classroom and on the playing field; as well as to inform the community of the importance of being a student and an athlete.

At Penn State, the Student-Athlete Advisory Board is responsible for "coming up with ways to let people know about it, and encouraging people on the sports teams to recognize it," said Jill Cincera, president of the advisory board and a member of the field hockey team. She said that today "every (Penn State athlete) will be wearing something from their teams."

"This is the second year that Penn State has recognized it," said Laura Stober, a member of the advisory board and the women's volleyball team. She added that because April 6 falls on Saturday this year, "We will be celebrating (nationwide today)."

Last year Penn State celebrated the day with a panel discussion on student-athlete issues and a "Fun Run" around University landmarks.

This year's activities include members of sports teams speaking at local elementary schools. The men's and women's fencing teams will give a demonstration at Park Forest Elementary School on April 19.

The goals of National STUDENT-Athlete Day, in regards to the community, are to stress that the student takes precedence over the athlete, and "to reinforce the oppurtunities to get an education through sports," Cincera said. "(A student) can play a sport and have fun and go to school."

"The future of our state's youth depends on their education, both in the classroom and on the athletic field," said Everett Baker, coordinator of NSAD in a letter to Massachusetts Gov. William Weld. "The establishment of National STUDENT-Athlete Day, a day to recognize and encourage all-around achievement, will go far to combat the problems of athletics and education."

Baker added the main goals of NSAD are "to put the student back in student-athlete, and to encourage (students) to establish a balance between academics and any athletic dreams they may have."

Said Cincera, "Education comes first. People are here to get an education. That is one of the most important things to remember. Most (student-athletes) aren't going to have careers in sports."

NSAD is coordinated by Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society and 70 other colleges and universities, which are members of the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.