Huskers Embracing 2017 Slogan: We Are United

By Randy York, The N-Sider

Turn on the television or radio, go online or pick up a newspaper. Whatever you hear, read or watch, many would believe that the United States, based on political climate, is divided.

That, however, does not reflect the climate of Nebraska Athletics. With 550 current student-athletes representing 27 other countries, the Huskers, including 328 staff members, have a simple but powerful slogan for 2017 – We Are United.

To kick off 2017, Nebraska student-athletes and staff united under the letter N to support NU’s deep-rooted tradition and fundamental values.

On Sunday night, Husker student-athletes participated in the second annual Nebraska Inclusion Summit inside the Devaney Center.

On Monday morning, staff members heard the same speakers and followed suit with interactive table discussions to embrace the power of inclusion, unity and teamwork.

“The healthy aspect about this event is that everyone’s going to have a chance to converse and have an open dialogue about diversity and inclusion,” said Keith Zimmer, Nebraska’s senior associate athletic director for Life Skills and the N Club.

Layers of Diversity Reflect Differences with Common Threads of Unity

“In its simplest form, diversity is about differences,” Zimmer said. “There are many layers of diversity within each individual, but there’s also that common thread of unity among all 900-plus student athletes and staff members who will attend.

“In a nutshell, we’re trying to embrace the differences that capitalize on what unifies all of us as student-athletes and staff,” Zimmer said. “We all represent Nebraska and what defines us. We have to make sure that everyone represents Nebraska with class and with respect, by involving one another and including one another, by appreciating one another and valuing one another, no matter what the differences are.”

Zimmer is confident that Nebraska can provide “the very best student-athlete experience in the world” because “we have the resources” and “we understand what really matters. We treat our student-athletes with respect and we treat one another with respect as a staff. That is at the core of what this Summit is all about.”

The Inclusion Summit is a requirement for all student-athletes Sunday night and for all staff members and coaches on Monday morning. “It’s a capstone launch for Nebraska Athletics in 2017,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst said.

“This has become an annual priority for our student-athletes and staff,” said Lawrence Chatters, Nebraska’s second-year diversity and inclusion coordinator. “The Inclusion Summit is an opportunity to explore different aspects of inclusion. It is an important way to keep everyone accountable, regardless of wherever people are from, what they look like or what religion they practice. At Nebraska, we value it all.”

Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon Launched SportSafe Inclusion Program

Nebraska, fellow Big Ten member Northwestern and Oregon were the three inaugural Founders Club members for the SportSafe Inclusion Program in 2016. Since that launch, four other NCAA Division 1 institutions – Colorado, North Carolina, Temple and UCLA – have joined the SportsSafe Inclusion Program.

This year’s program features three keynote speakers – human rights activist Dr. Richard Lapchick, Ph.D., diversity consultant Nevin Caple and Hungary native Reka Czuth, a junior jumper on the Nebraska women’s track and field team.

Following the speakers’ incisive remarks Sunday night, all student-athletes on Sunday night and all staff members and coaches on Monday morning, will participate in interactive roundtable discussions regarding diversity, inclusion and action steps that will enable understanding and reinforce unity and teamwork.

Lapchick founded the Center for the Study of Sport in Society, which created the National Consortium for Academics and Sports. A pioneer for racial equality and regarded as the nation’s expert on sport and social issues, Lapchick helped design the Degree Completion Program and created National Student-Athlete Day. A prolific writer (16 books, 550 articles), Lapchick also launched the DeVos Sports Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida.

Caple is a sports advocate who engages, educates and empowers LGBTQ. She is a NCAA presenter who also consults with college, professional and high school teams and coaches. A member of the Wade Trophy selection committee, Caple co-founded the SportsSafe Inclusion and Silence campaign. A collegiate basketball student-athlete, Caple was also among LGBT emerging leaders honored at the White House.

Czuth is a marketing major at UNL. The 2015 Big Ten Conference long jumper and NCAA qualifier in both the high jump and triple jump in 2016, Czuth earned 2016 first-team All-America honors in the NCAA Outdoors high jump. She was also an academic All-Big Ten honoree and a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Current Husker Student-Athletes Represent 27 Different Countries

One of the most intriguing facts about Nebraska Athletics is the number of student-athletes representing the Huskers in 2017.

In addition to Czuth’s successful transition from Hungary to Lincoln, Nebraska has current student-athletes from 26 more countries – Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Dominican Republic, England (Great Britain), Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland. Jamaica, Latvia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaraugua, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden and Thailand.

“We believe that student-athletes can be fully appreciated and enabled to perform at their highest level,” Chatters said. “Our main goal this year is to let people know and understand that regardless of what’s happening elsewhere, we are united.”

Because all selected facilitators are leaders, “we want them to be the ones to carry that torch to show other student-athletes how we do things at Nebraska,” Chatters said. “We not only talk about diversity and inclusion, we facilitate about it, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing at every roundtable discussion. There will be 10 student-athletes at every table with one student-athlete leading each discussion.”

The same process will apply to staff. The approach is a full flip from the 2016 inaugural summit. “Last year, we were speaking to student-athletes,” Zimmer said. “This year, student-athletes will share their stories with other student-athletes. That defines the next step we’re taking.”

Zimmer Credits Eichorst for the Resources to Establish an Annual Event

The same principle applies to Nebraska’s athletic staff. “We want to have more conversations like these throughout the year,” Zimmer said. “Once we’re off the launch pad, we can slowly ramp things up because it is a process.”

Zimmer credits Eichorst for “giving us the resources to make this an annual event that impacts everyone and touches everyone in the athletic department,” he said. “We can extend it beyond the immediate athletic department because our staff also works with fans, with donors and with corporate partners.”

The Summit reinforces “how we treat people, how we value them, appreciate them, include them and involve them,” Zimmer said. “That’s going to help our athletic department get even better. This is a high priority and we are excited about it.”

Whenever a positive vision becomes a meaningful reality, change accelerates, enabling Nebraska to prepare and push passionately for progress, inclusion, unity and teamwork, year in and year out.

“It all really is part of the Nebraska N,” Zimmer said. “Our student-athletes and our staff are excited to unite and to support the tradition and the values of Nebraska Athletics.”

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