NCAA Division III announces LGBTQ OneTeam Recognition Award recipients
HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford College was one of eight athletic departments/conference offices nominated for the NCAA Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Recognition Award. The LGBTQ OneTeam Recognition nominations were compiled based on a school or conferences demonstrated proactive efforts to create and sustain an LGBTQ-inclusive environment.
Initiated by the Division III LGBTQ Working Group, this awards program was unveiled during the LGBTQ and Allies Reception at the 2019 NCAA Convention. The selection committee reviewed approximately 40 nominations, and conducted two rounds of evaluations with the purpose of identifying a standout nominee in each category. The award recipients will be notified in November and will be announced and publicly recognized in conjunction with the virtual 2021 NCAA Convention.
Among its various efforts over the past year, the Haverford College Athletic Department held a Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Training Program for all of its administrators, head coaches, and support staff in September of 2019. Leading the OneTeam training was Melynda Link, Haverford College's Director of Athletic Facilities & Game Day Operations. Link was one of the first 29 athletic professionals across all of Division III who has been trained as an LGBTQ OneTeam Program Facilitator. To date there are only 58 facilitators who have completed that training. In addition to Link's workshop with the Haverford College athletic staff, she also scheduled trainings with other institutions throughout the region.
Throughout this training workshop, Haverford's athletic staff learned about proper LGBTQ vocabulary, NCAA LGBTQ resources, and the LGBTQ Inclusion Model. The staff was also presented with different case studies to examine how they would react in certain situations. Additionally, women's cross country/track & field, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, volleyball, and baseball all completed the training during the spring 2020 semester as a team before the College went to remote learning. The remaining varsity teams had scheduled training sessions that were postponed but will be completed during the 2020-21 academic year, along with all of the newly hired coaches and staff in the department.
More recently, the athletic department welcomed renowned Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Consultant Nevin Caple to a virtual workshop in July that included all Haverford coaches, staff, and administrators. Caple, who was instrumental in helping to develop the NCAA OneTeam training, had originally been scheduled to present several workshops to both staff and student-athletes on April 22 and 23 but those sessions were canceled due to COVID-19.
Working towards Creating a Culture of Belonging, the cornerstones of Caple's workshop with the athletic department included conversations about cultural competence, developing inclusive leadership, unpacking race and racism, anti-racism action steps, and removing bias in recruiting, hiring, and retention.
Haverford College and all of its departments on campus are committed to fulfilling the College's Strategic Plan for Diversity and Inclusion. For more information about Haverford College's commitment to inclusion, please visit the Diversity and Inclusion page on the College's website.