By Hailey MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief
On Friday, March 19, the Department of Athletics at Western New England University announced that all athletic teams would be placed on a ten day halt. This was due to the surge in cases on campus, a large amount of which specifically being traced back to student athletes. During this time, teams were not allowed to meet in person together, whether for practice or even an official team meeting.
According to the email message received by student athletes on Friday, March 26, 37% of positive cases on campus last week were student athletes. Out of about 2,600 undergraduate students, there are approximately 500 athletes, meaning that student athletes only make up about 5% of the student population. For only being around 5% of the student population, 37% of athletes attributing to the positive case count is high.
In the statement from athletics on Friday afternoon, it was confirmed that all winter sports competition will be canceled for the remainder of the year. In terms of fall sports, they will remain on pause for the next two weeks and be re-evaluated on Friday, April 9.
Spring sports are set to resume on Monday, March 29. They are free to practice with masks on as well as compete against teams from other institutions. They will be closely monitored and re-evaluated each day to ensure that they are being safe and are not putting the community at an increased risk.
If anyone on a spring sports team tests positive, the entire team will be put on a 48-hour pause. Proper contact tracing and testing will be done to ensure that the safety of the players and coaches are the priority of all decision making.
The Department of Athletics has been closely monitoring the student athlete population, and that is what is driving their decision to resume.
“The decision to move forward with the spring season was grounded in the knowledge that a low positivity rate can be specifically attributable to spring sport rosters,” says Matt Labranche, the Director of Athletics. “That, in combination with the low to moderate risk nature of these outdoor sports supports the conclusion that we can move forward safely.”
Labranche encourages all student-athletes, and the entire student body as a whole, to be smart, safe, and vigilant to allow athletes to compete. If there is another increase in cases by the student-athlete population, it is likely that athletics will be canceled for the remainder of the year.
Labranche concludes with reminding everyone to wear their masks properly, respect quarantine and isolation protocols, and be honest about contact tracing. This is what will not only allow athletes to play, but allow all students to remain on campus for the rest of the semester.
“Your decisions matter and will greatly influence how successful the next six weeks will be,” Labranche says. “I believe in the power of us. Prove me right.”
