Fitchburg State SAAC Attends NCAS Workshop

Five SAAC members represent Falcons at Diversity Training program

FITCHBURG, Mass (November 17, 2009) - The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) represented Fitchburg State College at the 2009 MASCAC Diversity Workshop hosted by MCLA this past Sunday, November 15th.

The NCAA, in collaboration with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS), conducted the two-hour workshop looking to explore the personal and institutional perspectives of diversity issues. The NCAS, an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities, provides opportunities for current and former athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while addressing social issues within the community

Fitchburg State was one of eight MASCAC schools in attendance as the Falcons were represented by five SAAC members. Senior Tori D'Amato (Women's Lacrosse), junior Kristen Love (Women's Basketball), junior Megan Callahan (Softball), sophomore Meghan Coullahan (Field Hockey) and classmate Will Gasson (Football) all participated in the event. 

"The workshop was a pleasure to participate in," said Gasson. "It was everything I thought it was going to be and more. I learned so much from the workshop about myself and about others reactions and feelings towards diversity and different forms of racism."

Dr. Nancy Kaplan, Associate Vice President for Academic Support Services at St. John's University, and Duane Defour, free-lance educator and marketing consultant from Massachusetts, headlined the workshop, discussing several diversity topics such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and inclusion. The duo used the platform to build a better foundation for communicating with other people from different backgrounds

"I really enjoyed this workshop," said Callahan. "It provided us with an opportunity to see different points of views that we sometimes overlook. It was a good reminder that everyone is different and not everything will do everything the same way, but it could still be as effective. "

 The Fitchburg State SAAC program is made up of student-athletes from each varsity athletic team and is assembled to provide insight and feedback on the student-athlete experience. The committee will be hosting its IH Team of the Year program on December 3 as the Falcons host Westfield State in Wallace Civic Center at Fitchburg State College.