Omar E. Zapata | THE RIDER
UTRGVโs Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) announced Vaqueros United, a campaign to engage in conversations about racism, social injustice and equality, on Monday.
The campaign starts with a pledge that all students, student athletes, coaches, staff and faculty have the option of signing.
โAs a Vaquero and member of the UTRGV Community, I am committed to upholding the rights of people of all walks of life and addressing the inequalities of society. I am committed to stopping divisive conversations and starting productive discussions that promote unity and understanding. I stand committed to the inclusion of all races, genders, religions, and nationalities. I stand united with my fellow Vaqueros against racism and hatred. We share a commitment to continuing the conversation of love, acceptance, and awareness for social justice and human rights. Together, we will promote peace, love, and equality.
We are Vaqueros for change. We are Vaqueros United.โ
Chasse Conque, UTRGV vice president and director of Athletics, said in a news conference Monday that a lot of hard work has gone into Vaqueros United. The announcement is just the beginning and now the work truly begins.
โUTRGV Athletics encompasses nearly 350 student athletes, coaches and staff,โ Conque said in a news release Monday. โOur initial goal is to be โ350 strongโ and have all members of our athletics community sign the pledge. And weโd like to get the rest of the campus community and the entire Rio Grande Valley community involved, so we can all collectively do our part to promote change.โ
UTRGV SAAC President and womenโs golf team senior Rachel Yu said she was extremely excited about the launch of Vaqueros United in a news release Monday.
Asked what Yuโs fellow student athletesโ reactions to the campaign were, she said it was a strong response, especially with their diversity inclusion subcommittee.
โThey all feel very strongly about this topic, they feel very strongly about this initiative,โ Yu said in a news conference Monday.
The release lists several different initiatives that the Vaqueros United campaign includes, but is not limited to.
The campaign states that they will work closely with the Student Government Association, the Black Student Union, the UTRGV Police Department, the Herd, Student Affairs, University Marketing & Communications, the Presidentโs Office and any other office organizations within the UTRGV community.
Vaqueros United will host roundtable discussions with student athletes, staff and outside guests to promote safe and open dialogue, while also bringing awareness to issues.
Jamal Gaines, UTRGV SAAC vice president and sophomore on the menโs basketball team said in the press release, that this initiative provides an avenue to continue to combat racial inequality.
Gaines said he hopes that voting will be a part of the discussions, and that voting will continue to be a part of discussions so that people can make tangible changes.
Vaqueros United is going to make Election Day an off-day from all athletic-related activity. Prior to Nov. 3, UTRGV Athletics staff will provide voter education to all of its student athletes, staff and coaches.
UTRGV Athletics will get voter information to its student athletes, staff, and coaches virtually, Conque said.
He said the campaign will use educational programs from the Western Athletic Conference that Yu discussed at the conference level, and also use campus resources for voter information.
โWhatโs your local ballot?โ he asked. โWhen do you vote? What is your ballot going to look like? What are some of the issues that we face this election? โฆ [These are] some of the things that we all need to be educated on and prepared for when we do go to the polls on November third.โ
To view the full news release, visit https://goutrgv.com/news/2020/9/21/general-vaqueros-united-utrgv-athletics-stands-against-racism-hatred-and-social-injustice.aspx
