NCAA Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program

In 2016, the Division III Management Council endorsed the creation of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Working Group. To further the Division III and the Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, the Division III LGBTQ Working Group created the Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program. The program is a free two-hour interactive session on a campus or conference, for coaches and administrators, led by one of the certified facilitators. 

The Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program has four objectives for participants:

  1. To understand the involvement of the NCAA and Division III in LGBTQ issues;
  2. To recognize the importance of LGBTQ inclusion in college athletics; learn common LGBTQ terms, definitions and concepts;
  3. To identify strategies and best practices for institutions and conferences to ensure all individuals may participate in an athletics climate of respect and inclusion, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression; and
  4. To develop facilitation and presentation skills. The program is designed to provide peer-driven LGBTQ educational programming directly to Division III institutions and conferences.

Haverford Athletics and OneTeam

Melynda Link, Haverford’s Director of Athletic Facilities and Game Day Operations, was a member of the NCAA’s first cohort of trained OneTeam facilitators.  As part of an ongoing effort to continue training and education efforts for LGBTQ inclusion, in September 2019 all of Haverford’s full time athletics staff, including coaches, support staff, and administrators, participated in a OneTeam training program facilitated by Melynda.   Throughout the training, Haverford's athletic staff learned about proper LGBTQ vocabulary, NCAA LGBTQ resources, and the LGBTQ Inclusion Model. The training also included case studies of scenarios that have happened on college campuses throughout the country. Although the OneTeam includes athletics language, such as a playbook and X’s and O’s, all knowledge gained is transferrable to the daily lives for all who partake in the training.

Melynda will also be conducting OneTeam training sessions with student-athletes. Since the beginning of 2020, Melynda has done trainings with various varsity athletic teams on campus and plans to have facilitated the training with all 23 teams by the end of 2020.

OneTeam trainings are of no cost to you and the facilitator will come to you. Please contact Melynda Link, Director of Athletic Facilities/Game Day Operations and trained OneTeam facilitator, at mlink@haverford.edu with any questions.

 

 

 

Haverford College and all of its departments on campus are committed to fulfilling the College's Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For more information about Haverford College's commitment to inclusion, please visit the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion page on the College's website.