Week of October 19th-23rd, 2020
Institution: University of Akron
The University of Akron has demonstrated excellence in service and citizenship over the past three weeks and is deserving of this award. The University has had student-athletes:
· Hand out textbooks for students at the Lebron James Family Foundation I Promise School in conjunction with the 2
nd and 7 Foundation.
· Create a Racial Equity Committee with the Dean of Students and Chief of Police on campus.
· Host the Secretary of State of Ohio Frank LaRose for a seminar on the importance of voting and how to register.
· Host a fundraiser at Swenson’s Restaurant for our annual adopt-a-family.
· Participate in tabling at the Student Union for Mental Health Awareness Week and create a video highlighting the difficulties and how to persevere through it with our Dr. of Sport Psychology, Director of Sports Medicine, and a current student-athlete.
· Volunteer at the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank handing out thousands of meals for struggling families.
· Volunteer at the Haven of Rest aiding homeless families and children.
· Create welcome videos for the First Christian Church of Canton annual Café Disco, a homecoming like event for individuals with mental and physical disabilities.
· Sent readings of books to over 300 2
nd graders in two local school districts.
The 2020-21 Give Back Leadership Awards will be awarded each week to the Mid-American Conference institution, sport program, or student-athlete that has demonstrated excellence in service and citizenship that week. The three awards will be awarded on a rotating weekly basis, outlined below, and are intended to highlight the activities of MAC members in local communities. Award nominations should highlight the contributions that the institution, sport program, or student-athlete made to the broader community. The winners are selected by a representative of the MAC's Faculty Athletics Representatives (FARs).
Other Nominees
Institution: Kent State University
Over the past three weeks our institution has been busy with our Fall for Service community service events. All these events were able to be done solo or socially distanced with a group, in order to keep our athletes safe along with the community. The first week of October we focused on recycling and our athletes were able to use old unused t-shirts to make dog toys for local animal shelters. All together we made over 60 dog toys that will be donated to 3 different local shelters! The second week of October we focused on donations and collected 8 large boxes of clothing from athletes and department staff members to donate to Portage county clothing center. This center offers clothing, and household items to families and individuals in need at absolutely no cost. On top of this our athletes have been reading virtually to local schools, through the 2nd and 7 foundation. In the past 3 weeks we have read to 6 classrooms, where each student receives their own book to take home. Each book has a lesson, this month we focused on the books dealing with accepting people who are different then you and mental health.
Institution: Northern Illinois University
NIU is committed to developing active, engaged and informed citizens who become global leaders who work to build a better society. The university is proud to participate for the first time in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a program that seeks to enhance student involvement in voter education, registration and mobilization.
A steering committee worked with members of the university and community to create an action plan to achieve the following goals:
· Increase the percentage of students who registered from 72.6% in 2018 to 80% in 2020
· Increase the percentage of students who voted from 50.1% in 2016 to 55% in 2020
· Surpass the mean voter turnout rate for all institutions
· Given the concerns over COVID-19 and the challenges it could present to turnout on
· Election Day, have at least 50% of students vote either absentee or early
The plan included over 50 action items being implemented. Some highlights from the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics includes:
· Launched a “Paws to the Polls” Social Media Campaign
· Provided voter registration information materials
· Became a Campus Voter Registration Partner which included two staff members trained as deputy registrars
· Held two voter registration workshops where students could ask questions and register to vote
Institution: Ohio University
Ohio's student-athletes have created a student-leadership group, Bobcats Lead Change. As part as Bobcats Lead Change, the group has campaigned to register teams to vote in the upcoming 2020 election. Led by Ohio football’s Cam Odom, seven of Ohio’s teams – including volleyball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball - are 100 percent registered to vote. Once Bobcats Lead Change got teams registered to vote, the group is now working with teams on their options to vote and the best way for each student-athlete to vote.
