2019-20 #SpreadRespect Events Begin as America East Continues to Prioritize Diversity & Inclusion
BOSTON – A record number of #SpreadRespect events will take place across all nine America East campuses this fall as the conference enters its sixth year of holding #SpreadRespect games throughout the academic year.
#SpreadRespect raises awareness to ensure equality and safety for all student-athletes, coaches and fans without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. A record 23 #SpreadRespect events will take place this fall across all nine America East campuses in nine sports: men's & women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's and women's soccer, men’s & women’s swimming & diving and volleyball.
| America East #SpreadRespect Events - Fall 2019 |
| Date |
Time |
Sport |
Home |
Away/Event |
| Sept. 21 |
6pm |
Men’s Soccer |
Binghamton |
Monmouth |
| Sept. 29 |
2pm |
Women’s Soccer |
UMBC |
UAlbany |
|
4pm |
Women’s Soccer |
UMass Lowell |
Hartford |
| Oct. 4 |
3pm |
Field Hockey |
Maine |
UMass Lowell |
|
7pm |
Volleyball |
UAlbany |
New Hampshire |
| Oct. 6 |
1pm |
Women’s Soccer |
Maine |
Hartford |
| Oct. 11 |
4pm |
Swimming & Diving |
UMBC |
Navy |
|
6:30 pm |
Volleyball |
Stony Brook |
UAlbany |
| Oct. 12 |
6pm |
Football |
Stony Brook |
New Hampshire |
| Oct. 18 |
6pm |
Field Hockey |
New Hampshire |
UMass Lowell |
| Oct. 19 |
1pm |
Cross Country |
Vermont |
Fall Foliage Invitational |
|
4pm |
Men’s Soccer |
UMass Lowell |
New Hampshire |
| Oct. 20 |
1pm |
Volleyball |
New Hampshire |
Stony Brook |
| Oct. 22 |
7pm |
Men’s Soccer |
UMBC |
Navy |
| Oct. 25 |
3pm |
Field Hockey |
Vermont |
New Hampshire |
| Oct. 29 |
6pm |
Field Hockey |
UMass Lowell |
UMass |
| Oct. 31 |
6pm |
Women’s Soccer |
Hartford |
Stony Brook |
| Nov. 1 |
-- |
Cross Country |
#AEXC Champ |
Practice Day |
| Nov. 6 |
-- |
Field Hockey |
#AEFH Champ |
Practice Day |
| Nov. 8 |
7pm |
Volleyball |
UMBC |
Stony Brook |
| Nov. 15 |
7pm |
Volleyball |
Binghamton |
UAlbany |
| Nov. 21/22 |
-- |
Volleyball |
#AEVB Champ |
Practice Day |
As part of its #SpreadRespect initiative, America East will distribute over 4,000 patches to its campuses again this fall:
America East recently unveiled a new 30-second institutional spot highlighting SpreadRespect events and the message of fostering diversity and inclusion that the intiative promotes.
America East has conducted #SpreadRespect nights since 2015 after becoming the first Division I Conference to partner with You Can Play in 2012. Since then, the conference has helped further You Can Play’s mission by sponsoring a speaker series and locker-room campaigns on its members' campuses in addition to You Can Play nights and creating videos to educate the general public. In 2016, America East’s #SpreadRespect nights were featured in USA Today.
The conference also partnered with LGBT SportSafe in 2016, becoming the first conference in the organization’s Founders’ Club, and sponsored educational programming on each of its campuses. LGBT SportSafe provides training to educate coaches, athletic administrators and recreational sports staff on best practices and policies in creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive athletic community.
In 2019, America East partnered RISE to expand the scope of its #SpreadRespect initiative and broaden the conversation on race. The partnership is focused on research and analysis of each member institutions’ current practices as well as education and outreach. America East and RISE also held a community event at UMBC last year that focused on bringing the athletics and campus communities together to identify strategies to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on campus, discuss misconceptions, and determine positive strategies for change.
More #SpreadRespect events will take place during the winter and spring seasons, with the next ones taking place at basketball games between in February. Additionally, America East will host its first-ever #SpreadRespect Forum October 20-21 at the University of Vermont bringing together student-athletes, administrators and coaches from all nine institutions to engage in dialogue around diversity and inclusion.
#SpreadRespect is one of the many America East programs under the conference’s #3Pillars “leadership” umbrella aimed at making a difference for conference stakeholders, on league campuses and within their communities. Other initiatives include SAAC’s mental health campaign, #BetterTo9ether, the America East Alumni Network and Health & Safety Summit and the #3PAcademy, which focuses on providing professional development opportunities to America East constituents through its digital series and in-person programming.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -