This week, the Kenyon Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (KSAAC) and the Department of Athletics, Fitness, and Recreation sponsored Inclusion Week. Throughout the week, KSAAC members tabled in the Peirce Dining Hall atrium, offering students the chance to enter into a raffle for the chance to win one of three prizes. Inclusion Week concluded with the women’s and men’s basketball games on Wednesday, sponsored as KSAAC/Kenyon Athletics DEI Inclusion games.

For KSAAC co-Diversity Chairs Truly Martin ’26 and Jaden Stewart ’25, Inclusion Week is, at its core, about providing every student on the Hill with support and community. “Inclusion Week allows all students and student-athletes at Kenyon to feel like they have a sense of belonging in the Kenyon community on the basis of race, sexuality and other forms of identity,” Martin wrote in an email to the Collegian. Stewart echoed that sentiment: “Inclusion Week just allows everyone, from non[-student-athletes] and student-athletes, to have and let them know that they have a sense of belonging and purpose here at Kenyon, and within the community, no matter how you may identify yourself.” 

Director of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation Jill McCartney highlighted the importance of supporting diversity in varsity athletics and across the Kenyon community. “It is essential that we provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of our athletics teams, so we must be active in doing the work to promote inclusion,” she wrote in an email to the Collegian. “This week is a time for student-athletes, coaches and programs to show support for everyone who participates and also reach out to the entire campus community to invite their participation and support. We want everyone to feel that they belong — on teams and in the stands.”

According to Martin, Inclusion Week is KSAAC’s primary event this semester to highlight and celebrate diversity in athletics. “This is our main DEI event of this semester,” she said. “Last semester, we partnered with DEI initiatives from the NCAA and did a social media campaign with the help of the athletics communications team of Kenyon Athletics.” 

Martin and Stewart led the planning efforts, which included a number of meetings with members of the athletics department. “I had multiple meetings with the Athletics DEI committee… and Jaden and I also met to organize the event and the tabling schedules,” Martin said. Stewart emphasized the collaborative nature of planning the event, while also praising his co-chair for her efforts: “It was truly an all-hands-on-deck activity.” According to Martin and Stewart, they worked with the athletics department’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging committee, led by Head Track and Field Coach Julius Higginbotham, to plan the event and organize tabling. 

From Monday through Wednesday, student-athletes from a variety of varsity teams tabled in the Peirce atrium, giving students an opportunity to enter a raffle to win a prize. Though Martin and Stewart kept the prize a secret prior to the conclusion of the raffle, they encouraged students to attend the basketball doubleheader, where the winners were announced between games. For Megan Lieb ’25, Melana Pomerants ’27 and Mikayla Rudolph ’26, the women’s basketball team’s KSAAC representatives, the opportunity to support all members of the Kenyon community and foster greater acceptance was an exciting one. “I think it’s just about bringing people together,” Pomerants said. Lieb highlighted the importance of “creating a safe space for everyone.” Rudolph, a KSAAC operations officer, was excited for the chance to draw a wider audience in support of both inclusion and the basketball teams. “It’s fun to have an opportunity to get the entire campus involved,” she said. “Obviously we spend a lot of time playing basketball and we want to showcase that, and also get people to our games and celebrate Inclusion Week.”

KSAAC representatives continued to table during the women’s basketball game, before Stewart announced the winners of the three prizes between the two games: A 40-ounce Stanley Cup water bottle with Kenyon stationery and a drawstring bag for first prize, a Nike Kenyon vintage quarter zip for second prize and a Kenyon Athletics vintage fleece for third prize. 

Martin was proud of how many members of the Kenyon community worked to organize and participate in Inclusion Week. “The efforts from everyone involved helped Inclusion Week be an incredibly successful event,” she said. “I am so grateful to have helped make this event happen.” Though Inclusion Week has concluded, Martin and Stewart are excited for future KSAAC events, such as the annual KESPYs and D-III Week.

McCartney and Higginbotham both hope that the Kenyon community will continue its efforts to foster a more inclusive campus beyond Inclusion Week. “I hope that the community takes away the positive energy that comes from student-athletes performing at their best in what they love — and that only happens when they can show up fully as themselves,” McCartney said. Higginbotham encouraged students to maintain their commitment to promoting respect and inclusivity: “Take the conversations and thoughts with you. Inspire others to find their belonging. Continue to be a great community member.”