Dear Williams Fans,
I am writing you today from my remote location at home. We are in the final stages of planning to resume athletic practices at the end of February. Students began arriving on campus this week, and we are excited to get back to coaching and teaching.
This semester we will begin with practices for winter and spring sports. Later in the semester our fall teams will resume coach-run practices, an exception to normal NESCAC rules, as we seek ways to support our students during COVID. This video captured the fall athletic experience.
Though students have been off-campus since Thanksgiving, our athletic staff has been busy: our entire department participated in the conference-wide 21-Day Allyship Challenge, a deep look at how we personally and collectively confront issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The three main content areas were exploring privilege, bias, and identity; overcoming barriers to act; and building inclusion through empathy. This was a powerful journey in which participants read, watched, wrote, and discussed personal experiences. This is but one step on a long on-going journey to create supportive, inclusive experiences for all students, faculty, and staff.
Williams facilities department, in partnership with our Associate Director for Operations and Facilities Jill Campbell, have been working to prepare our indoor facilities for greater use this spring. We moved equipment to create safe distancing, added signage, and improved air handling systems. All these steps will allow us to use our indoor facilities more fully than we were able to in the fall. Thanks to Jill and our facilities team we will have indoor spaces in February and March for students to recreate. Our outdoor sports performance tent will be insulated and heated, and open for business later this month.
The NESCAC Presidents have not yet made a decision about a spring competitive season. A full regular season will not be possible, however we remain hopeful that we will find a way to manage safe competition. This is not something we will be able to fully evaluate until students have been back on our campus and others for some time. Any decision will center the health and safety of the Williams community.
The loss of competition for our athletes and coaches has created a real sense of sadness. I’m heartbroken when I think of how much our students have lost, but buoyed by the resiliency and commitment to moving forward I witness every day in our coaches, staff and students. If the fall taught us anything, it is what we value the most is the time we spend together doing something we love. So we gather to practice, be with teammates and friends, and enjoy the beauty of Williamstown, we continue to grow, learn, and take care of each other.
I hope you are managing the stress multiple national crises have brought. I think often of Ephs near and far and wish you all well. I look forward to when we can all be on the sidelines together once again.
Stay safe and be well,
Lisa Melendy
Director of Athletics
