From the Desk of the Director of Athletics...

This message has been approved as part of Daemen College's COVID-19 official response.

Dear DC Wildcat Nation,

As we step now into mid-October, I'm grateful for the opportunity to provide you some feedback on the status of our division and 17 teams. 

When I last wrote to you, we were in the early stages of implementing a comprehensive resocialization plan to ensure a safe and effective return to practice sessions for our nearly 250 student-athletes. We're essentially a month into that plan now and I'm happy to report that things are going well. Our student-athletes and coaches have embraced the challenges that come with engaging in athletic activities during this pandemic. There are many hurdles to clear before we're ready for a return to competition, but seeing how things have worked thus far keeps me optimistic. I'm confident that we'll be able to control the things that are within our control. 

The pause in competitions this semester has afforded us the time to reconnect with student-athletes, staff and alumni. I've enjoyed reading and watching the features being posted to our website, and I've found the thoughts and experiences they've shared to be amazing. I'm happy to be starting a new initiative of my own - Lunch with the A.D. - where I'll be joined by student-athletes each Friday to discuss the issues that we all face, be it COVID-19 or otherwise. It's important to step back from the daily hustle and bustle and really understand what makes people tick, and I think this will help our division grow to better meet the needs of today's student-athletes. 

Speaking of today's student-athletes, ours continue to impress me on a daily basis. They've shown a great amount of adaptability with everything that's been thrown at them in 2020, not just from an athletic standpoint, but also academically and socially. They've also used this time to be advocates for the kinds of changes they'd like to see within our society. Student-athletes have played an integral role with the "Get Civically Fit at Daemen" campaign, working alongside the History and Political Science Department to promote voter registration. They've also taken advantage of the opportunity to use our website as a platform, writing blog posts for the Wildcat Social Series that shine a light on issues important to them like racial inequality, mental health and climate change. I commend the many students on our campus who have who have put their words into actions, like those from our women's basketball team who have made a conscious effort to combat racial injustice since putting out a unified video on social media earlier this year. Our student-athletes are amazing and thoughtful, and they're using the life-changing experiences of 2020 to grow and make us all better.

Lastly, you may have seen recently that our conference has published an update and revised schedule timelines for sports that have been impacted by the pandemic. This was certainly welcome news for many of our student-athletes and coaches to know there's the framework of a plan in place and something positive to look forward to in the weeks ahead. With that said, there is much work that remains to be done. The biggest hurdle we'll have to face in the coming months is likely to be meeting the testing protocols established by the NCAA. Testing presents a problem on two fronts. First, we need access to COVID tests that provide an accurate reading more rapidly than what's currently at our disposal. Secondly, COVID testing presents a huge unbudgeted expense for our division. We have no choice but to be as fiscally conservative as possible while also aggressively looking at external revenue sources to help us bridge the gap. In the near future, you'll see some opportunities to invest in our student-athletes through a targeted fundraising campaign, and I sincerely hope you consider making a donation if it's within your means. These student-athletes have lost out on so much since the pandemic began, and we must do everything in our power to ensure their hard work and sacrifices aren't met with yet another disappointment.

Thank you for your continued interest and support. If you'd like to speak more about ways in which you can make a direct impact to help us through these challenging times, please reach out to me at tmurphy@daemen.edu; I'd love to have a conversation with you. Until next time, go Wildcats and remember to BE FIERCE!
 

Traci Murphy
Director of Athletics