On Monday and Tuesday, June 5 and 6, NYU hosted the first UAA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Summit at the New York Marriott Downtown.

Attendees included all eight UAA athletic directors, vice presidents, vice provosts, deans, campus DEI leaders, coaches, athletic trainers, compliance officers, support staff, and student-athletes.

“While we all had high hopes for the UAA DEI Summit, I do not think that anyone was prepared for the honest exchanges of feelings and perspectives that emerged throughout the two days,” stated NYU Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Athletics Stuart Robinson. “For me, the best part of the summit was the student perspective on the topics. What it showed was that the summit allowed students, coaches and administrators to be on the same level. And isn’t that what the hope for such an effort is about? It was great to host such an important event.”

“One of our goals going into the UAA DEI Summit was to be able to move beyond conversations, no matter how well-intended and meaningful, to actions that will make a real difference in the lives of our student-athletes, coaches, staffs, and communities,” added UAA Executive Vice President Dick Rasmussen. “I believe we were able to do that. Our participants left the summit having identified actionable goals for their respective institutions that they shared with the larger group and to which they can hold themselves accountable in the short term and beyond.”

The event was planned by the UAA DEI Committee chaired by Brandeis Unibversity Athletics Director and UAA Vice President for DEI, Lauren Haynie. The committee members were Monica Harrison (Carnegie Mellon Head Softball Coach), Now-Allah James (NYU Head Softball Coach), Aseem Rastogi (former Brandeis University Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach and the institution’s Student-Athlete of Color group’s liaison), D’Angelo Solomon (Washington University Senior Associate Director for External Operations), Audrey Hester (Emory University Associate Athletic Director For Student-Athlete Success & Compliance), Curtis Spence (NYU Assistant Athletic Director for Brooklyn Operations), and Rasmussen and Sports Information Director Timothy Farrell of the UAA.

“The inaugural UAA DEI Summit offered a tremendous opportunity for student-athletes, coaches, campus and athletics administrators, as well as DEI experts to collaborate and consider ways to improve the culture of inclusion on each of our campuses,” Haynie described. “While we had the opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the attendees, we also left with a commitment to our shared identities and values.”

The summit included sharing information on the UAA’s Strive Together campaign, which provides an aligned vision for unity in the effort to create a better world and be leaders that work with and alongside, rather than against, one another. “The UAA DEI Summit was the first step in uniting the UAA in an effort to ‘Strive Together.’ As leaders in Division III, the UAA must carry the torch and move the country forward in its understanding and in modeling the creation of a more just society through inclusion and equitable practices,” explained campaign founder Aseem Rastogi, who recently served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at Brandeis and co-chairperson of the UAA Staff Mosaic Committee, which brings together coaches, administrators, staff, and athletic trainers of color in the UAA. “It is the UAA’s charge, as outlined over those impactful two days, to compete the right way by doing just that. I am incredibly proud of the work we have done and look forward to continual progress.”

UAA DEI Summit Programming: https://uaasports.info/ community/uaadeisummit

“It was an honor to be a part of the planning committee for the inaugural UAA DEI Summit. To be in a room full of student-athletes, coaches, and administrators all committed to finding ways to change the climate and environment to support the growth and development of underrepresented populations on our campuses was uplifting,” Carnegie Mellon Head Softball Coach Monica Harrison remarked. “We have a long, hard road ahead of us. This work isn’t easy. I can only hope that in the face of adversity, challenges, and time constraints, our administrators and University leadership teams stay committed to the work they started at this summit.”

On Monday, Corey Posey from RISE (a national nonprofit that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice, and improve race relations through partnerships and programs) led the attendees through interactive workshops on understanding our identities and perspective taking.

Tuesday’s program began with a student-athlete panel discussion facilitated by UAA Sports Information Director Timothy Farrell. The panelists were Selenya Gonzalez (Brandeis women’s basketball), RJ Holmes (Carnegie Mellon men’s basketball), Elise Moore (Case Western Reserve women’s track & field), Ephraim Reed (NYU men’s basketball), and Abayomi Awoyomi (WashU men’s track & field).

Following that, 13 roundtable discussions were held over four time slots with each topic holding one or two time slots. The facilitators included coaches, athletic and academic administrators, as well as student-athletes Awoyomi, Moore, and Rea Marfatia (Case Western Reserve volleyball).

Abayomi Awoyomi (holding WashU book) and Rea Marfatia (far left) leading discussion about UAA student-athlete affinity groups. Attendees, L-R: Ephraim Reed (in between facilitators), Jackie Ruhnke (CMU), Summer Hutcheson (WashU), Pat Kennedy & Janaye Johnson (CWRU), Josh Centor (CMU).

Next was the UAA Staff Mosaic Committee panel discussion facilitated by Rastogi. The panelists were Mosaic co-chairperson Harrison, Mosaic co-founder Now-Allah James, incoming co-chairperson Roy Flores (NYU head athletic trainer), incoming co-chairperson Ladi Iya (Rochester head volleyball coach), and D’Angelo Solomon. Niya Blair Hackworth and Sadé Sleet of the NCAA Office of Inclusion led discussions on the role of the Athletics Diversity and Inclusions Designees (ADID) and avoiding microaggressions in everyday conversation.

“I am honored that I was able to attend this inaugural DEI Summit. This is an important topic that continues to be part of mainline discussions,” Flores commented. “I am proud to have shared my voice alongside coaches and student-athletes to the stakeholders of the UAA. We have had enough time for discussions and awareness. I am looking forward to the results of the action items the conference and each institution created.”

UAA Staff Mosaic Committee Panel: L-R: Aseem Rastogi, Monica Harrison, Now-Allah James, Roy Flores, Ladi Iya, D’Angelo Solomon.

“The DEI Summit was an event built out of the dedication of many individuals to make actionable steps towards our institutional and conference DEI goals. I am looking forward to expanding my role within the UAA Staff Mosiac Committee to help achieve those goals, because words without action cannot continue to be the norm,” described Iya, who organized an event for volleyball Black student-athletes when Rochester hosted one of the UAA round robin weekends.

“The inaugural UAA DEI Summit couldn’t have come at a better time. I am pleased with the level of engagement, candor, and energy to start making net gains in the DEI space,” stated Solomon, who became involved with Association DEI effforts soon after his arrival on the WashU campus. “The UAA has a unique opportunity to lead by example to ensure all of our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have a level playing field to enhance the experiences of all within our conference.”

Photo on left, L-R: Charlie Copp leading “Challenging Conversations” with Geoff Point-Du-Jour & Andrea McPherson (Emory), Selenya Gonzalez (Brandeis), and Chidera Nwokolo (WashU).
Photo on right, AD’s Keiko Price (Emory) and Stuart Robinson (NYU) at the Jackie Robinson Museum, a trip organized by Stuart Robinson and the NYU staff

The event concluded with institutional breakouts led by Carnegie Mellon alum Grace Stewart, the Assistant Director of Equity & Inclusion at American Alliance of Museums. UAA First Vice President and Rochester faculty athletic representative Gerald Gamm led the final discussion as institutions reported on commitments they are making on their own campuses and recommendations were made for next steps for the Association in terms of DEI work. 

“The best part of the summit was hearing from student-athletes and coaches from the universities that make up the UAA,” Gamm expressed. “Their stories and experiences helped define the agenda that all of us are bringing back to our home institutions.”

What the Student-Athlete Attendees Are Saying:

Selenya Gonzalez, Brandeis Women’s Basketball: “The UAA DEI Summit taught me that providing equal representation isn’t only an ethical means of action, but that it is essential for athletes and coaches to reach their maximum potential. I’m hopeful that our institutions are slowly coming to this understanding and by creating more inclusive spaces we set a precedent for other conferences in the NCAA.”

Ethan Edwards, Brandeis Men’s Basketball: “The summit was very eye-opening. It gave me the opportunity to connect with and meet people who share similar ideas and want to make change. We were all able to come together and utilize all of our experiences and ideas to help benefit each other’s institutions and our overall conference.”

Ragini Kannan, Brandeis Softball: “I really enjoyed the DEI Summit. The energy and presence of everyone in the conference room was wonderful and goes to show that with a community willing to make change that it is truly possible. A lot of the activities done at the summit will definitely be implemented during meetings with other student-athletes of color at Brandeis, which I am excited for. It was a great learning experience and I am grateful to have been a part of it!”

RJ Holmes, Carnegie Mellon Men’s Basketball: “I think the biggest thing that made the summit so impactful for me were voices and connections. The voices that were amplified through the panels and the speakers provided illustrations into the worlds of the student athletes and key administrators, and the activities that we did helped us not only connect to one another, but learn how we can build connectedness within our respective campuses and as a conference.” 

Jackie Ruhnke, Carnegie Mellon Swimming & Diving: “The UAA DEI Summit was critical in the UAA’s path forward. I am so grateful I had the opportunity to connect with others who share my values and experiences, and I look forward to bringing what I learned back to Carnegie Mellon to make a real change.”

Rea Marfatia, Case Western Reserve University Volleyball: “The identities and experiences of others can teach us so much. Through sports, we experience a unifying force that transcends boundaries of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and more. Using the lens of athletics to amplify marginalized voices, facilitate conversations about equity, and challenge systemic injustices is vital in building a successful future for ourselves and empowering future generations.”

Elise Moore, Case Western Reserve University Women’s Track & Field: “It is such a special opportunity to be a part of a conference that is interested in more than just the performances of its athletes. The DEI Summit was a great opportunity to share my own experience and learn from other’s experiences.”

Andrea McPherson, Emory Women’s Track & Field: “The UAA DEI Summit was effective and left strong viewpoints from the perspectives of students, athletic advisors, and others about changes that should be made and have already been considered within their respective institution. I have learned a plethora of ideas through this experience to be carried out at Emory to encourage diversity in the recruitment process for college sports within the UAA and supporting student-athletes as their years progress, not only support through those initial steps. I anticipate that with everything that was learned and discussed, our propositions will make notable improvements for the benefit of college student-athletes, coaches, and advisors in the UAA.”

Geoff Point-Du-Jour, Emory Men’s Track & Field: “The DEI summit was an invaluable experience that allowed me to connect with not only other student-athletes of color in the UAA, but also being able to hear of the unique experiences and efforts from coaches and faculty.”

Ephraim Reed, NYU Men’s Basketball: “I believe that the UAA DEI Summit was a necessary event that allowed administration, coaches, and student-athletes to learn more about their institutions, and different issues that are too often ignored or go unnoticed. We came away with great action items that I believe will improve the experience of everyone involved in UAA athletics, specifically people of color.”

Zay Freeney, NYU Men’s Basketball: “This year’s DEI summit was a big step in the right direction for the UAA. It provided black student-athletes and administrators with a platform to engage in meaningful conversations, challenge existing norms, and unite in our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The summit’s importance lies not only in the discussions held during the event, but in the lasting impact it can have on our student-athlete experience moving forward.”

Abayomi Awoyomi, WashU Men’s Track & Field: “I’m very proud to have taken part in what I think is a crucial step forward for our conference. Everyone present bought in to the experience, and I’m looking forward to how we’re going to change the entire conference.”

Taylor Geluck, WashU Softball: “The inaugural UAA DEI Summit served as a reminder that the UAA possesses a strong sense of community and passion greater than the sports, schools, and rivalries within it. In just two days, I found myself learning and connecting with athletes from various sports and schools on a level I did not expect. Hearing the stories of so many different athletes, coaches, and administrators was incredibly eye-opening and moving. We explored our own identities and biases, learned about the experiences and struggles of our peers, had the heavy conversations, and developed plans to create the best experience for all athletes, coaches, and administrators in the UAA. Moving forward, I’m excited to be an accomplice — not just an ally — as the UAA strives to create a better experience for everyone it represents.”

Chidera Nwokolo, WashU Men’s Basketball: “It was great to be in a space with athletes who share similar backrounds with me, but also those with different backgrounds. This summit allowed me to learn and explore ways to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion on my campus.”