Princeton Athletics Announces “Tigers Together” Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Initiative

Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux Samaan '91 has announced the launch of the Tigers Together initiative reaffirming Princeton Athletics' commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

During the last six months, significant time has been spent listening, learning and meeting with members of the Princeton Athletics family with a goal to better understand the experiences of underrepresented populations within the community and to be a force for positive change at this most critical moment in time. In collaboration with student leaders, coaches, alumni, athletics administrators and University partners, Princeton Athletics has established Tigers Together, an aggressive action plan to further create and maintain a culture of mutual respect and unity and to use our platform to combat bias based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race and all other marginalized identities. In addition, Tigers Together aims to create and implement new strategies for further increasing diversity at all levels of our organization.

Tigers Together will be directed by a newly formed, 17-member, broad-based Executive Committee co-chaired by Samaan and Executive Associate Director of Athletics Anthony Archbald.

In addition to the formation of the Tigers Together Executive Committee, four initial task forces have been assembled to focus specifically on: 1) the well-being and life experiences of our students-athletes and staff, especially student-athletes and staff of color; 2) strategies for staff and student-athlete recruiting to ensure that the Department reflects the University's diverse community; 3) strengthening the mentorship program between student-athletes and alumni networks, especially for student-athletes and alumni networks of color; and 4) utilization of the athletics platform to make sustainable and systemic change within our larger community. These task forces will work closely with the Executive Committee throughout the next three months to provide a full set of recommendations in January 2021.

"One of the greatest gifts that comes with being part of the Princeton community is the combination of our individual strengths and our collective force," said Samaan. "At this critical moment in time, we must use our collective force to make meaningful change. I could not be more proud of our student leaders, our coaches, our staff and our alums for their commitment to listening, learning, growing and leading."

Initial steps in activating this work have included:

Meetings and conversations that began this past June with student-athletes, coaches, Princeton Athletics and University staff, faculty and alumni to develop and implement strategies and action items which have ultimately led to Tigers Together.
Forming of the Black Student-Athlete Council (BSAC) and the Asian Student-Athletes of Princeton (ASAP) - advocacy groups formed by and for student-athletes to help foster an inclusive environment and offer a deep sense of belonging at Princeton as student-athletes.
Establishing the Chi Family Fund for Excellence and Inclusion, which provides vital support to the athletic department in several key areas related to excellence and inclusion with an immediate impact on department-wide education, training and programming as well as directly aiding Princeton's steadfast commitment to recruit, develop and retain coaches and administrators from broad and diverse backgrounds.
Engaging with strategic consultants who specialize in inclusive excellence, developing education and training initiatives for all student-athletes, coaches, and staff to build knowledge, skills, support and allyship for diversity, equity and social justice. The consultants will work with Athletics to build and deliver educational curriculum; and create a foundation for effective safeguards, leadership strategies, talent and management outlook and operational measures in alignment with Princeton Athletics values.
Supporting coaches who have stepped forward as leaders inside their own respective associations to create change.

"There is nothing harder in the world than changing culture, and Princeton Athletics has accepted the challenge," said Grace Stone, president of Princeton's Black Student-Athlete Council. "Hearing the concerns of its student-athletes of color, the Department has undertaken a meaningful, long-range deep dive into converting that ideal into action."

With this action plan in place, Princeton Athletics has reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion with a heightened focus on continual reflection and growth inside the department and across our communities.

"We are fully dedicated to our Tigers Together initiative and know that our work will have lasting impact." Samaan said. "In the spirit of our departmental Be A TIGER values, we will move forward by developing a concrete plan and holding ourselves accountable for real action."

For updates on the work being done through Tigers Together and a full list of the Executive Committee membership, please visit www.goprincetontigers.com/TigersTogether.

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