INDIANAPOLIS – The third annual NCAA Diversity & Inclusion Week concluded on Thursday as member institutions from across the country from all divisions united and participated in different ways to celebrate on social media.
The three-day campaign was 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 was able 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. Trevecca Nazarene, Kentucky Wesleyan and Lake Erie, all published videos.
The final theme was "Together We Rise" on Thursday. That day will outline personal action steps to inclusive excellence and celebrating collaboration across the campus community. More content was driven from the above schools along with a four-minute video shared by Tiffin's SAAC.
Incoming 2021-22 member Ashland University was also active with related posts.
The following excerpts were shared through ADID's from Cedarville and Lake Erie from Day 3.
"Personally, I know that there is so much work still to be done to advocate and support our students. I am committed to coming to work each day, seeking out new opportunities and ways to help our student community feel accepted and safe. As a council, we have several long-term goals, including diversity and cultural celebrations, creating physical safe spaces on campus where we can provide students with resources and support, book or movie clubs, and more. We are working each day to create positive change at our college."
- Annalise Kelleher, Lake Erie ADID, Coordinator of Academic and Co-Curricular Engagement
"Over the summer, our administrative leadership team spoke via Zoom with some of our minority student-athletes to learn from them regarding their experiences with racism. It was helpful to open the door to that conversation at a departmental level. Our university recently created a Kingdom Diversity Team to address issues of diversity on our campus. Members of the team will be presenting at our next athletic department meeting to share how our staff can support university initiatives toward developing a more diverse campus community."
- Dr. Alan Geist, Cedarville ADID, Director of Athletics
"Another powerful phrase with transcendent meaning, student-athletes, coaches, administration and support staff, are all coming together for one common goal. We are looking forward to continuing to provide our member institutions the resources and education necessary to keep being progressive in this space. It has been exciting to see our SAAC groups come up with creative content for Diversity & Inclusion Week and come out of their shells to make an impact. There is inherent good in people. These three themes are all beautifully woven together and form a common bond. I am adopted from South Korea. I will always have my team's back here in the conference office. I want to do my part in supporting our schools and advocating for diversity & inclusion.
- Ben Schlesselman, Great Midwest Associate Commissioner