Varsity Athletics : Experiences of Diversity and Interculturalism

The purpose of this project is to examine how UBC Varsity student-athletes understand and experience diversity and interculturalism. Our objective was to identify the key areas of inclusion that support student athlete diversity; in addition, to highlight any barriers UBC Varsity student-athletes may face within their teams, across teams and within the UBC Varsity unit. The direction of this paper was determined by reviewing previous KIN 465 projects that focused on the intersection of UBC Varsity Athletics and Interculturalism. A series of short and long answer questions focused on five main components: identity, gender, race, sexuality, religion and culture, was formulated. The survey was distributed via Qualtrics, a survey platform, to assess the current UBC Varsity student athlete climate. 92 anonymous responses were recorded. Our three main findings are as follows: (1) UBC Varsity student athletes wish for more opportunities to intermingle within their own team, as well as with other Varsity teams; (2) respondents noted there was less diversity in terms of identity, gender, race, sexuality, religion and culture within UBC Varsity as a whole, as compared to the general student population; and (3) UBC Varsity student-athletes speak highly of the pre-season athlete seminar, but would like to learn more about the resources and tools available for them. Based on our findings, we provided 3 recommendations: (1) designating a space for fostering social connection amongst student-athletes should be explored; (2) further changes in policy and educational means should be explored to better accommodate for student-athletes who have individual religious and cultural needs; and lastly, (3) increasing attendance at events, such as the Pride Parade, to increase visibility of UBC Varsity and it’s support interculturalism, diversity and inclusion. These recommendations will help to inform future policy, practice and education and enhance equity, diversity and inclusion for all student-athletes; however, more research is required as this project provides only a preliminary analysis of the current UBC Varsity student athlete climate. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Education, Faculty ofKinesiology, School ofUnreviewedUndergraduat