By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — A petition started by University of Michigan-Dearborn athletes is calling for the reinstatement of athletics after it was announced sports would not be played until at least March 1.
As of Oct. 1, the petition generated almost 3,000 signatures of the 5,000 goal.
According to a Sept. 30 news release, the decision to not have university athletics and recreation not participate in intercollegiate competition comes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This plan is consistent with the university’s approach to prioritize the health and safety of the campus community and it is aligned with the hybrid blend of remote and in-person teaching,” the release said. “The semester will start on January 13, 2021, and all classes will be taught remotely through February 26, 2021.”
Also, “The university will continue to monitor the pandemic throughout the next several months. If the COVID-19 pandemic conditions permit, UM-Dearborn will plan a limited return to in-person classes under a hybrid model as well as a return to athletic competition starting no earlier than March 1, 2021.”
The operations update said that due to the current schedules for competition and qualification plans for the NAIA and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, UM-D men’s and women’s basketball seasons are canceled for the 2020-21 academic year.
UM-D men’s and women’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s bowling competition opportunities will be subject to conference and national qualification plans and schedules.
As for the fall sports, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball that previously had their NAIA Championships and WHAC seasons moved to the spring, will be reassessed through February and will not return to play until at least March 1.
Spring sports, including including baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s lacrosse, and softball will also be reassessed through February and cannot be played until March 1 as well.
The UM-D Fieldhouse and Wellness Center will remain closed through the end of February. All athletic scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year will be honored by the university.
“The Athletics & Recreation staff will continue to work remotely while supporting all student-athletes with virtual services including sports medicine as they navigate the 2021 Winter semester,” the news release said. “Updates regarding the 2021 Winter semester will be shared with student-athletes and the campus community after the first of the year.”
UM-D basketball senior guard Jalen Paul tweeted the petition and asked other student athletes to stand up and voice their concerns.
“This decision was made because our administration here does not respect us as student athletes,” he said. “They treat us as normal students who are just participating in extracurricular activities, and anybody that’s been a college athlete knows that this is not the case. The time, effort and dedication that we show on a daily basis, as well as the time, effort and dedication we have shown our whole lives to get to where we are, deserves more respect than our university is showing us. So, we as a group of student athletes are standing up to fight this.”
To sign or view the petition go to www.change.org/p/u-of-m-dearborn-chancellor-let-umd-play.
A Sept. 30 update letter signed by Chancellor Domenico Grasso and Director of Athletics & Recreation Matt Beaudry said that the decision reflections their commitment to student safety and the promotion of public health during this pandemic.
“Although it will be disappointing not to see the Maize and Blue taking the court, ice, fields and other venues sooner, student-athletes coming back to campus and holding sporting events would be inconsistent with the decision to remain in a fully remote educational mode until the end of February,” the letter said. “We will continue to consider and evaluate UM-Dearborn’s participation in sporting events this spring with the sincere hope that we can begin competition in March, coinciding with the university’s return to limited in-person instruction on campus, if COVID-19 conditions permit.”
For more information on UM-D athletic updates go to www.umdearborn.edu/campus-life/athletics.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])