Gannon Commits to Positive Game Environment Efforts

ERIE, Pa. -- President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., Gannon University, has joined fellow Division II presidents and chancellors and signed a pledge to strive to provide a positive game environment at all athletics events that take place on the Gannon campus. Division II leadership plans to have pledge signatures from presidents and chancellors from all 302 member schools by the end of the year.

The pledge is part of a Division II-wide effort to offer student-athletes, coaches, officials and fans the best game environment possible. The pledge affirms that athletics events should reflect the values of higher education and the mission of each institution. It also affirms that presidents and chancellors are concerned about any uncivil behavior that may occur at athletics contests and will work together to ensure that respectful events are the standard of Division II.

“I am pleased to join my colleagues in collectively promoting this important initiative,” said Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., president of Gannon University. “Positive game environment is important to our student-athletes, students and fans, and this initiative will help our campus to continue to provide an enthusiastic and exciting game atmosphere for the entire community.”

The goal of Division II’s national game environment initiative is designed to engage the institution’s community to promote a positive game atmosphere. Game environment is more than just sportsmanship; it includes the behavior of student-athletes, coaches and fans, as well as pep bands, to healthy concessions and clean venues. The initiative calls for the need for sportsmanship from players and coaches on courts and fields of play and also strives to ensure a family-friendly and lively game atmosphere.

“Our member institutions have embraced community engagement on their individual campuses, and a focus on game environment is a natural next step,” said Mike Racy, vice president of Division II. “We must provide a civil, comfortable, entertaining experience that is in line with the overall higher education experience to ensure that those fans who were welcomed on campuses through community engagement will want to return.”

The Division II membership has also created a game environment website, www.divisioniicommunity.org/gameenvironment, which offers a number of resources, video versions of “teachable moments,” and a shared-ideas component for best practices among campuses for creating more civil, comfortable and entertaining experiences.

Release courtesy Gannon University