SJC Athletics Issues Statement Addressing Racial Injustice

On June 1, 2020, SJC President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D. issued a statement on behalf of the College addressing the national crisis of racial injustice happening throughout our country. Despite the pain that these crises raise, it is imperative that we use this platform to once again reiterate our commitment to the values expressed in that message.  

The SJC athletics community recognizes that recent events have triggered deep feelings of anger, sadness, frustration and disappointment for us all. We commit to working together to combat injustices and prejudices to ensure that our environments are ones where all SJC Golden Eagles and SJC Bears feel safe and secure as well as seen and heard.

As athletic administrators, coaches, staff, student-athletes and members of the SJC community, we all have a responsibility to foster an atmosphere of respect, dignity and unity within the communities we serve and belong to. We are firmly committed to equality for all, and support the public outcry for change to systems that have disproportionately impacted the safety and dignity of minorities.

These times also demand that we take a critical and introspective look within ourselves. Over the next few weeks, we intend to conduct internal dialogue among our many constituent groups to identify how we can do more to educate, empower and enlighten, not only our student-athletes, but the entire SJC community.

Our words and actions must, at all times, reflect our commitment to uphold the College's motto: Esse non videri — "To be, not to seem." As ambassadors for the College and in our internal and external communities, no less is expected. Each day forward, and especially when it is safe for us to resume in-person gatherings again, we pledge that we will be better than we were the day before, as well as positive champions for the values of social responsibility and equality that lie at the heart of the mission of our institution.