A group of five Linfield Athletics Department members were recently honored by the NCAA for their commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion on the Linfield campus.

In large measure to its creation of the wildXchange forum during the 2020-21 academic year, the Linfield Athletics Department was named the July recipient of the  Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative, which recognizes outstanding diversity related projects, programming and initiatives that are occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices. 

The week after George Floyd was killed, athletics department colleagues created a Zoom space for athletes and community members to connect and to process their thoughts and reactions to Floyd's death.
 
From there, wildXchange (formerly Impact CatChat) was created: a weekly lunchtime 60-90-minute open forum to share dialogue about diversity, inclusion and social justice. WildXchange, which stands for "Weekly Insight, Listening and Dialogue Across Campus," expanded to partner with Linfield's Office of Access, Equity and Inclusion along with other campus departments.
 
The five staff members honored for their initiative and leadership in developing the wildXchange program are Senior Associate Director of Athletics Doug Hire, Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator Jane Samuels, Faculty Athletics Representative Natalie Welch, Women's Lacrosse Coach Lindsay Kibler, and former Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Jonathan Willis.
 
Students, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee leaders, alumni, community members, faculty and staff all participated in contributing ideas and content to share on specific topics, while also leaving time and space for questions, thoughts and give-and-take discussion. Most of the conversations were recorded, though some were not, to allow attendees to speak freely in safety. Topics included Black Lives Matter and the Fight for Civil Rights, a conversation with social justice educator Jen Fry, The Progression of Women's Sports at Linfield, LGBT Historical Figures, and the Transgender Athlete.
 
"I'm so proud of this recognition and the work that Jane, Doug, Nat, and Lindsay have put into these efforts," praised Director of Athletics Dr. Garry Killgore.
 
Presented by Athletics and co-hosted by various clubs and departments on campus, the weekly wildXchange conversations were hosted each Friday during the fall and spring semesters of 2020-21.
 
Click here for the Linfield YouTube channel where all recorded conversations are available for public viewing.
 
The wildXchange dialogues are expected to resume in September with new topics and special guests.