On Sunday, numerous Illinois State University student-athletes announced plans to strike athletic practices in response to recent comments made by Athletic Director Larry Lyons during an August 26th Zoom call with the university’s athletes.
The outcry was immediate, with many athletes—including members of the gymnastics team—taking to Twitter and Instagram to express their disappointment.
Repost @AngelicaLabat
— Savannah Remkus (@savannahremkus) August 27, 2020
@ISURedbirds been awful quiet today… pic.twitter.com/SlmgvEz0ct
The student-athletes outlined a list of demands for the Illinois State administration:
- Required seminars for athletics administration, staff, coaches and athletes
- A commitment to more people of color in positions of power and in mental health facilities (people who specialize in minority struggles).
- A commitment to more diversity in athletic trainers and student athletic trainers
- Make athletic department plan of action to support the Black Lives Matter movement and any future social justice movements and share with the public and social media
The student-athletes acknowledged that meeting these demands in full will take time, but that they will not resume practices until the fourth demand has been implemented.
This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
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Article by Kalley Leer
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