INDIANAPOLIS – Earlier this spring, Lebanon Valley student-athletes Trey Manning and Erin Kingham, along with director of athletics Rick Beard '90, M'92, attended the 2016 NCAA Inclusion Forum in Indianapolis.
An annual event held each year since 2010, the forum aims to tackle various topics of inclusiveness and diversity within the area of college athletics. These include panels about international students, race, gender, and athletes with disabilities. This year's forum was held from April 16-18.
"The sessions were focused on improving the educational and professional culture for student-athletes, coaches, and staff," said Beard. "The range of topics related to policy, research, and best practices for racial and ethnic minorities, women, international student-athletes, LGBTQ, and disability-access to sport."
This year's panels included sessions such as Title IX and Athletics: Participation, Financial Aid and Equal Treatment, Supporting Students and Staff: Developing LGBTQ Inclusive Policy and Best Practices, and Importance of Diversity and Inclusion on Campus.
Manning, a soon-to-be senior tight end for the LVC football team, discussed a number of his experiences at the forum and the benefit they have had on him personally, as well as how they affect the College's athletic programs moving forward.
"I participated in multiple dialogues, I listened to number of effective speakers, and I sat in on a lot of educational conferences," he said. "We talked about the difference between inclusion versus diversity and how important both are, while simply bringing diversity to a college will not make your campus inclusive."
He continued by elaborating on an experience that Beard also felt was one of the most interesting of the weekend, an opportunity to experience the sport known as goalball for the first time.
"In this session I was introduced to the Paralympic sport of goalball for people who are visually impaired," said Manning. "I was even able to meet the U.S. Paralympic team and watch them demonstrate the sport for us. We also got to participate and play with and against them."
For Beard, the event allowed him to come away with a focus on the notion that inclusion is less about pointing out the differences among those in a college or university's athletic program and more about highlighting and celebrating those things that student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have in common with one another.
"One of my biggest takeaways from the forum was that we do not spend enough time focusing on our commonalities and far too much time focusing on our differences," said Beard. "Understanding how important community and culture is within a team and our campus will help everyone win."
Manning was particularly impressed with the discussions centering on intra-team dating and prevention of sexual assault. LGBTQ educator Pat Griffin spoke about developing effective and fair guidelines for those student-athletes in a relationship while playing on the same team, while Manning recognized the importance of discussing the role of student-athletes in sexual assault prevention and particularly the role males play in preventing sexual assault. It's clear the forum is already paying off for him on a personal level.
"I thought the NCAA push for inclusion was very important and critical of colleges and universities because of the influence athletics plays," he said. "I spoke with a number of people from athletic directors to coaches and former players. It was one of the best experiences I have had in my college career. I have already brought back a lot of what I learned."
