Montana forms Diversity & Inclusion Committee

In early June, Montana athletics, along with many athletics departments across the country, put out a statement standing against racial violence and social injustices. The end of the statement called on each other to unite, stating: 'Together we can make a difference. Together we can be part of a solution. Together we are stronger.'

The statement was a start, but Brynn Molloy knew they would just be empty words if there wasn't follow-up action. So Molloy, Montana's associate A.D. for marketing and community relations, took it upon herself to learn more.

She talked with her friends of color, both on campus and from athletics departments across the country. She listened to their stories and absorbed information.

What she heard was the need for action.

"It's easy to look at where we live and think, 'We're not that bad' when it comes to social injustice," Molloy said. "We can't think that way. We need to be doing more. It's not enough to just be an ally."

A big thing, Molloy learned, was the need to normalize the conversation and to keep it going, so with the help of others, Montana created a new Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee, which was launched earlier this month.

Molloy will chair the committee, which also includes athletics director Kent Haslam, 10 student-athletes, five coaches and five department staff members. The group had its first meeting last week and will continue to regularly meet throughout the year.

For now, the committee is still deciding what it wants to be about – and more importantly what is needed from it. The next steps will be to create a mission statement and determine some actionable steps to take, but regardless of what is determined, the focus is simple.

"This committee has to be more than just another committee," Haslam said. "The goal is to provide a platform for discussion and action around the topics of social justice, racism and equality. I am so proud of this group and their willingness to step up, speak up and to listen."

The committee is just the start. Unfortunately, the work will never be finished and forming a group isn't enough. But it is a next step, which is what Molloy is proud of.

"This is too important to just sweep under the rug," she said. "We're not just doing something because it's trendy, but we're doing something to create lasting change, and that's our hope. We might not have shared experiences, but we need to share our experiences.

The committee came together over the summer, after Molloy had a conversation with Thomas Harris, who started a similar committee – and now holds a full-time diversity, inclusion and engagement position – at the University of Arizona. She then talked with head men's basketball coach Travis DeCuire, who stated the need for input from everyone. His suggestion was a nomination process, so each student-athlete, coach and staff member was asked to recommend others in the department who they believed would be good for the committee.

Molloy and Haslam then looked over the nominations from the department to determine the official list. At first, five student-athletes were going to be included, but it was later determined that the student-athletes needed more of a voice, so the number was doubled to 10.

"I saw it as an honor that I was selected and that I could share my voice and my background," said sophomore men's basketball player Kyle Owens. "My hope is that we can work toward a solution on how to educate people on campus and have voices heard. In the end, everybody matters and needs to be seen as equal."

The committee will soon determine what defines the group and what actionable change can be implemented. The next step will be to get buy in from the rest of the department, before hopefully partnering with other groups across campus.

"Our department is one of the most diverse departments on campus, and this is long overdue," Molloy said. "We have to look at ourselves and what we can do to support others and be an inclusive place. We have to make sure people are empowered to use their voices and can speak up when things aren't right."

The inaugural Montana Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee includes:

Brynn Molloy, associate A.D. for marketing and community relations (chair)
Kent Haslam, director of athletics

Student-Athletes:

Samuel Akem, football
TraJon Cotton, football
Alexa Coyle, soccer
Bria Dixon, women's basketball
Mimi Eiden, soccer
Isabelle Garrido, volleyball
Garrett Graves, football
Amethyst Harper, volleyball
Xavier Melice, track & field
Kyle Owens, men's basketball

Coaches:

Chris Cobb, associate head men's basketball coach
C.J. Cox, assistant football coach
Allison Lawrence, head volleyball coach
Melanie Meuchel, head softball coach
Paul Reneau, assistant track & field coach

Staff:

Drew Babcock, assistant athletic trainer
Nic Hallisey, director of communications
Jimmy Morimoto, assistant A.D. for football operations
Rachel Ronan, assistant strength & conditioning director
Jen Zellmer-Cuaresma, director of student-athlete support services

University of Montana Athletics

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