At Nazareth, we believe in promoting respect for all athletes. We don’t believe in judging our teammates based on who they are or where they come from. All of the student-athletes at Nazareth College are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their identity. So at Naz, if you can play, you CAN play.
This past year, I served as secretary of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), an NCAA committee that serves to generate a student-athlete voice within the NCAA structure and promote a positive student-athlete image. The mission of the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees is to enhance the total student-athlete experience by promoting opportunity, protecting student-athlete welfare and fostering a positive student-athlete image. As a SAAC group, we made the decision to take part in the national You Can Play campaign to take a stance and promote respect for all athletes.
“You Can Play is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. You Can Play works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans alike, only by what they contribute to the sport or their team’s success. You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic, and competitive spirit.”
Check out the video we created in an effort to join the campaign and show support for all our teammates.
To learn more about the You Can Play project, check out their website where you can view their mission statement and more videos from high schools, colleges, and professional teams nation wide and see what they are doing to join the campaign.
If you are interested in getting involved within athletics at Nazareth, talk to your coach about joining Student-Athlete Advisory Committee or Student-Athlete Mentors! It’s a great day to be a Golden Flyer!
Naz is an awesome place to be an athlete. Read more about what being a DIII athlete meant to Karissa and Jenn’s reflections on the skills she learned as a student athlete.