NCAA Diversity & Inclusion Campaign: A Shared Responsibility

This week, the NCAA is hosting its Diversity & Inclusion campaign. Today's topic is "A Shared Responsibility": Sharing institutional and individual responsibilities and action steps for fostering belonging and inclusive excellence.

At a large research institution like the University of Maryland, supporting identity groups within the student population is undoubtedly a complex challenge. But by putting students first and embracing "shared responsibility," Maryland faculty such as Kristopher Oliveira and Resa Lovelace have cultivated a safe space for the school's LGBTQ+ community, both in athletics and in general. This beneficial work also keyed Maryland's current title of most LGBTQ+-friendly campus in the country.

Oliveira, the current president of Maryland's LGBTQ+ Equity Center, frequently collaborates with Lovelace, the Associate AD of Student-Athlete Development and Inclusive Excellence, creating a strong and mutually beneficial relationship between Maryland Athletics and the university's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which the Equity Center is housed in.

"Now we're in a place where we [can] say 'how are we better serving student-athletes?,' This is synergistic work, and student-athletes are a core and important part of the community at the University of Maryland," Oliveira said.

Oliveira came to Maryland over the summer, meaning he is only four months into his work as President of the LGBTQ+ Equity Center. Yet, as Lovelace pointed out, Oliveira's presence has already translated into progress for the university's LGBTQ+ support system.

"There's a new energy [in the LGBTQ+ Equity Center], and a new sense of purpose that I think our students will lean into," Lovelace said. "I also think we're talking about a new generation of students who are coming to our campus in a more expressive state than in the past."

Both Oliveira and Lovelace discussed channeling this positive momentum into athletics, a space that has historically been less supportive of the LGBTQ+ community in general.

"I think sometimes we still have students who are in a really great space in terms of their athletic prowess, but they have that fear [of the consequences of coming out]," Lovelace said. "So I think it's incumbent upon us within college athletics…to teach students that how you identify should not hinder who you want to be openly out in the world."

To bolster this support in athletics, Lovelace has called upon Oliveira and the LGBTQ+ Equity Center, which provides resources for education and training, community building, and advocacy work.

"One of the first things that happened upon my arrival was an invitation in the conversations about what's happening in athletics, and in very publicly naming support for…queer and trans athletes at the University of Maryland and in sports generally," Oliveira said. "Our Center was [also] invited to participate and collaborate in Pride events, [which] brings awareness to the needs of the community and also celebrates our diversity."

Lovelace emphasized just how important sharing responsibilities with Oliveira and the LGBTQ+ Equity Center has been for her work in Maryland Athletics.

"Athletics will fit in a silo because we do have resources to do a lot of things, but…we are not the experts in everything," Lovelace said. "So to be able to bring in some people who have expertise in a number of fields, I think it will only make us stronger."

The pair expressed hopes of continued collaboration to achieve a more inclusive and supportive campus, in athletics and beyond. Many of Lovelace and Oliveira's future plans also involve bringing in Maryland's other LGBTQ+ organizations to foster positive progress together.

"What [Resa and I] have been processing is, how is it that we make sure that every queer and trans student within our purview feels supported and feels like they belong—because they do—on our campus," Oliveira said.

Print Friendly Version