Empire 8 Supports You Can Play Initiative
The Empire 8 recently held its annual Student-Athlete Summit in Rochester, NY at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa. Every year a handful of student-athletes and advisors from each institution participate in the summit which focuses on leadership development and other contemporary issues in sport and society. In addition to the programming this year, the Empire 8 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) made a video to support the "You Can Play" initiative.
This project is geared towards ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. "You Can Play" works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans alike, only by what they contribute to the sport or their team’s success. It also seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.
School representatives discussed the "You Can Play" Project in depth before scripting their statements of acceptance for the entire Empire 8 conference.
“This was a great opportunity for the student-athletes of the Empire 8 to show their support for the "You Can Play" project and use their leadership skills to influence positive social change on their campuses," said Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano. "Our student-athletes showed great character and interest throughout the process to bring this video to fruition. We are proud as a conference to support this initiative.”
For more information on the You Can Play Project visit
http://youcanplayproject.org.
The Empire 8 consists of Alfred University, Elmira College, Hartwick College, Houghton College, Ithaca College, Nazareth College, St. John Fisher College, Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ), and Utica College.