INDIANAPOLIS – The third annual NCAA Diversity & Inclusion Week started on Tuesday as member institutions from across the country from all divisions participated in different ways to celebrate on social media.
The three-day campaign is driven by a partnership with the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee (MOIC) and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs).
In part through SAAC content and other materials from Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Designees (ADIDs) from Great Midwest Athletic Conference membership, the league is excited to share daily recaps for each theme in 2020.
Several Great Midwest institutions were active for Day 1, “My Story Matters.” The opening theme explores student-athletes’ identities, perspectives and experiences.
Day 2 (Wednesday) is “I’ve Got Your Back” which showcase student-athletes supporting each other to foster inclusive environments on their campuses.
The final theme is “Together We Rise” on Thursday. That day will outline personal action steps to inclusive excellence and celebrating collaboration across the campus community.
Incoming member institution Ashland also previewed its AU IDEAL group, student-athletes advocating for inclusion, diversity, equity, access and leadership.
The following excerpts were shared through ADID’s from Cedarville, Lake Erie and Great Midwest, from Day 1.
“Over the summer, I took on some additional responsibilities at Lake Erie College to help further the college’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives. Since that day, we have developed our DEI Council consisting of faculty and staff members (many of whom are either coaches or athletic trainers) to support our students and our community. Immediate initiatives that our council is working on include: staff and faculty diversity training; updating our policies within Human Resources; creating diverse programs and events for students; updating our website to include DEI resources, events, and applicable student organizations and more. One of our athletic trainers, Em Munson, is also developing an Athletics Trans Inclusion Plan that will hopefully be put into place starting Spring 2021!
Additional initiatives that were put into place prior to the Council’s formation include displaying our LGBTQ flag on campus and also the purchase and installment of a Black Lives Matter banner that hangs proudly in our student center.
We recognize that we all have a responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for contributing positively to a culture of inclusion and empowerment. I meet with the President of the college on a monthly basis to ensure that we are making progress on our goals.”
- Annalise Kelleher, Lake Erie ADID, Coordinator of Academic and Co-Curricular Engagement
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One of the distinctives of Cedarville athletics is our emphasis on our student-athletes’ spiritual growth. Athletes tend to find their identity in their performance, which can lead to joy one day and disappointment the next. We seek to teach our athletes how placing their identity in who God says they are can lead to a life of gratitude no matter how they perform on the court or field.”
- Dr. Alan Geist, Cedarville ADID, Director of Athletics
“Every student-athlete has a story to share, and in their own respective way, it is certainly a unique story at that. And now, more than ever, there are more channels to communicate and let their strong voices full of courage and wisdom be heard. You see the creativity, the passion, the maturity from within. Finding the strength to let your voice be heard is a challenge of its own to deliver an intended message. A chapter of their story is the student-athlete experience that our member institutions provide and what we strive to deliver at a conference championship event during their college careers. From the conference perspective, it is inspiring and motivating to see what our student-athletes accomplish on the field, in the classroom and after graduation.
- Ben Schlesselman, Great Midwest Associate Commissioner