June 3, 2020

Dear Yellowjackets,

We hope this email finds you healthy and well. This message is intended to address two critically important issues currently facing our society today. First, we want to acknowledge how challenging these past few months have been as we manage and address the global health crisis related to COVID-19. We are looking forward to having you back on campus in August and take great pride in providing a positive and rewarding experience for each of you. We want you to know the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff will continue to be paramount moving forward into the fall.

Second, those of us who work in MSUB athletics are deeply saddened by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family and friends. As an athletic department, we cannot let incidents of racial injustice pass without acknowledgement and a real, measurable effort toward change. Everyone in our community deserves the right to feel safe and protected.
We value you and want to assure you MSUB Athletics will be a place where racism and prejudice are not tolerated.   

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  Together we need to commit to breaking down barriers, encourage important conversations, and take steps to improve. We will strive for our University to be a place where EVERY person is acknowledged, honored, and respected equally. This is a commitment we all must own.

Social media statements might make us feel like we are making a difference but alone, they are not enough. We believe a concrete plan of action is also necessary.

We are all leaders in athletics and sports have to the power to bring many people together from different backgrounds and cultures.  We all have one thing in common; we value effort, team work, hard work, and leadership.  Leadership is hard and we recognize it is incumbent on us to use this platform in our power to prevent racial injustice. We are currently working on internal strategies to better achieve these goals and welcome any and all additional suggestions on how to achieve that mission.

It is impossible to understand what life is truly like on a daily basis for the oppressed and segregated minorities of this country, but the time for change is now and MSUB Athletics is committed to doing its part. Please reach out with any comments or concerns and rest assured, they will be addressed.

Chancellor Edelman will be sending out a campus-wide message to all students tomorrow. Our university, along with our athletics department will do everything we can to keep our campus a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

Please stay safe and be kind to one another,

-MSUB Athletics