POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – The Marist Athletics Department has announced the formation of the IDEA Committee.
 
IDEA stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Action, and is comprised of 14 administrators and coaches. The group meets weekly to discuss diversity and inclusion topics while implementing action items designed to improve the department's culture.
 
This committee was formed as the result of a student survey, our partnership with the Black Student Athlete Alliance (BSAA), Student Government Association (SGA), and further input from students and alumni.
 

Members

Administration
Tim Murray – Director of Athletics
Harrison Baker '14 – Associate AD & Director of External Affairs
Elizabeth Donohue – Associate AD/Senior Woman Administrator
Brandon James – Assistant AD/Business Operations
 
Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement
Alyssa Gates – Director, Student-Athlete Enhancement
Peaches Brown – Assistant Director, Student-Athlete Enhancement
 
Coaches
Chris Vidale – Head Coach, Women's Water Polo
Keegan Wilkinson – Head Coach, Men's Lacrosse
Ethan Fergus – Assistant Coach, Men's & Women's Swimming
Cameron Gibson '17 – Assistant Coach (Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties), Football
James Groce – Assistant Coach (Defensive Line), Football
Mike Kagafas '14 – Assistant Coach (Linebackers), Football
Dorian Long – Director of Operations, Men's Basketball
Brittany Parker – Assistant Coach, Women's Basketball
 

Mission Statement

Implement diverse, inclusive, and supportive strategies and actions within the Marist Athletics Department while seeking to improve its climate and culture by holding our student-athletes, coaches, and staff accountable to the following pillars:
 
I. Education

1. Diversity, inclusion, and equity training for all coaches and administrative staff throughout the year.
2. Commit each head coach to provide education to their team every other month.
3. Diversity, inclusion, and equity training for all student-athletes (from the athletic department as well as their coaching staffs) through guest speakers, facilitated discussions, and other events.
4. Creation of constantly updated resource hub on diversity, equity, and inclusion for staff and student-athletes.
5. Strengthening the partnership between Athletics Department and the Marist Center for Multicultural Affairs.
6. Voter education

 
II. Campus Community Engagement

1. Create a lasting relationship with the Poughkeepsie community by partnering with local school and youth programs in the Hudson Valley.
2. Establish a stronger relationship between the athletic and campus community with workshops and campus initiatives to promote an inclusive environment.
3. Collaborate and stand in solidarity with diverse and inclusive groups on campus.
4. Provide our student-athletes with opportunities to learn from local community leaders and institutions.

 
III. Relationships

1. Relationships with each other (coaches, staff, and administration)
   1. Continuation of full athletics department meetings that were created to promote conversation on social justice issues pertaining to sport and society.
   2. Continued conversations/gatherings with our Black and Brown coaches and administrators.
2. Relationships between Coaches, Staff, and Administration and/or Student Athletes
   1. Routine meetings with Director of Athletics Tim Murray, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and Black Student Athlete Alliance (BSAA), as well as weekly office hour opportunities for all Student-Athletes to sit down for discussion with the Athletics Department.
   2. Ladies Empowering Athletics Program (LEAP), SAAC, BSAA invitation to IDEA meetings to give their own updates and engage in collaborative discussion with the group.
3. Peer to Peer: Student-Athlete to Student Athlete
   1. Department emphasis on support for the Red Fox Challenge that has a team support team component built-in already.
   2. Encourage attendance by student-athletes for bi-weekly Town Hall Events that will be hosted by the BSAA.
   3. Sponsorship of new Athletics Department traditions such as student-athlete barbecues and Field Day events (pandemic pending).

IV. Recruitment of Diverse Athletic Department Staff and Student-Athletes

1.  Staff
   1. Create a career pipeline for student-athletes interested in careers in athletics.
      1.  Implement job shadowing, internship, graduate assistant, or fellowship opportunities.
      2.  Encourage/provide student memberships to relevant professional organizations.
      3.  Continue to send student-athletes to Black Student-Athlete Summit or other in-person or virtual conferences.
   2. Improve the hiring process.
      1.  Further research or outreach for candidates with minor resume flaws.
      2.  More diversity on search committees.
      3.  Consistency and training for those participating in interviewing and hiring.
      4.  Extending professional networks/memberships to allow for additional vetting of candidates.
      5.  Utilizing coaches and athletic staff to solicit candidates for open positions.
      6. Promoting open positions with organizations/sites devoted to diverse hiring.
   3. Conducting exit interviews when possible so College is aware of any diversity-related issues employees encountered.
   4. Retaining staff by giving them opportunities to build relationships in Athletics and on other parts of campus (i.e. search committees, campus working groups, etc.).
2. Student-Athletes
   1. Introduce Marist's resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) student-athletes on recruiting visits (i.e., BSAA, Black Student Union, Center for Multicultural Affairs).
   2. Provide programming on arrival to re-introduce resources and to allow BIPOC student-athletes to share their experiences.
   3. Promote opportunities in Athletics for job shadowing, internships, graduate assistantships, or fellowships.
   4. Recruitment of student-athletes from different areas.
   5. Conversations with coaches about recruiting challenges.
   6. Look at Academic Progress Rate retention data by sport.
   7. Examine other institutions' plans for recruiting more diverse student-athletes.