Together Initiative Moves From Concept to Action

At first, Stephanie Johnson had more questions than answers.

Colorado State's athletic department announced the Together Initiative on June 4, 2020. It was a call to action, the first step in creating a plan moving forward to bring about more unity on campus and beyond in the wake of a summer of social unrest.

There was nothing formal about it at the point, just a statement of intention to create a committee within the athletic department to improve awareness of the staff and direct change in the department and the campus as a whole.

Johnson works in the sports performance department, where she said 10 percent of the employees identify as Black, 30 percent specifically in sports medicine. None of them had any idea the Together Initiative would be announced, and that set her back. Immediately, she didn't feel very "Together."

"What changed my mind was thinking I could make a difference, and talking with other Black support staff around the department and knowing I'm not alone in what I was feeling," Johnson said. "If we, together, can be on this committee or council, we can try to make as much change as we could."

Representatives from every department within CSU athletics signed up to take part. So did Kamal-Craig Golaube, who is part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. At the first meeting, athletic director Joe Parker said he was proud to see so many people taking part – more than 50 total – and he made it clear he wanted it to be organized and mobilized by the group, not from the administrative offices. Parker said administration would supply support and encouragement, but he wanted more of a grass-roots feel at the top.

In that first meeting in July – conducted in Microsoft Teams, naturally – a leadership council of seven was formed and tasked with creating a mission statement and to outline goals.

Layne Doctson and Johnson took a lead role in the creation of the mission statement.

"We went back and forth on the language and what it should include, not include," Johnson said. "One, it goes off of being together, and two, it introduces everyone across campus to get involved in the initiative and not just athletics. I also found it important it needed to be said this whole Together Initiative started from the direct response of the killing of those three individuals early in the summer."

Johnson, of course, volunteered for the leadership council, as did Doctson, Marie Tyrrell, Rod Gerald, Christopher Woodard, Megan Boone and Golaube. In addition to the mission statement, the council prioritized creating a direction, with a focus on the short term before expanding. The group also structured intent through the department's stated goals.

Tyrrell, who works in Student-Athlete Support Services (SASS), felt this was a much-needed step for the university, based on conversations throughout the years with student-athletes and coworkers, alike. She believes starting small with a foundation to build will guide the Together Initiative toward long-range structure while attracting more contributions.

Under each heading – educate, engage and excel – smaller subcommittees were formed, with a few of the lead council members overseeing the directives.

"For this coming year, it's starting a little bit small and focusing on a few initiatives, but it also gives the charge to some of the smaller committees to start to build out some of those longer-term objectives in their specific areas," Tyrrell said. "I think our excel committee will take on a lot of the strategizing and planning of what is a two-year plan, a five-year plan and bringing that all together."

Golaube's role wasn't an accident, nor was he being the sole student-athlete involved the first year. Improving the overall experience of student-athletes is organically tied into the overall mission of the Together Initiative, with getting the department involved a required first step. Golaube's role with SAAC helps the flow of information and the sharing of projects between the two organizations.

The Together Initiative as already taken the first steps, starting with creating Kindness Rocks – uplifting messages painted with the help of student-athletes – which were placed around campus prior to the first day of students arriving. The athletic department had also started a book-reading project for employees, where they were asked to select one of four books – "Nobody", "The New Jim Crow", "Stamped" or "White Fragility" -- to read to help gain a new perspective about the current racial climate in the country.

Book clubs were established for each and the first group discussions have taken place, where ideas and information were shared about what individuals learned from their readings. The clubs will break down discussions in chapter groups instead of covering an entire book in one session.

The group is also working on a voting initiative, providing information on how to register and where to vote, and they enlisted the help of Faculty Athletic Representative Kyle Saunders to create a list of independent resources to increase voter education on the candidates, their policies and measures on local and state ballots.

Turning a concept into activity has bolstered Tyrrell's energy.

"I think the committee work has been really cool and given more people a chance to engage," she said. "It's been really cool to see who is stepping up in leadership across the department, whether it is coaches or staff in different places. It's been cool to see new ideas getting thrown out."

Being active is key. Initially, it was why Johnson felt some skepticism, and she knows more people taking an active role is what will keep the Together Initiative vibrant, not just immediately, but for the long term.

Some of the discussions taking place had already been held in private, between friends and coworkers for years. The fact they are still taking place is telling.

Johnson will encourage people to be active, as it is the only way the Together Initiative will meet its objectives. She herself registered through the Colorado Secretary of State to become a voter registration drive organizer, representing the Together Initiative. She is now actively working with SAAC to help any Colorado residents on campus to register to vote, while also aiding out-of-state student-athletes to request absentee ballots from their home states.

"I'm a very logical person. I'm trying to be excited, and I am excited with the leadership group I've been with, because they're excited to do what we need to do," she said. "At the same time, it's a very large council, and I feel maybe not everyone is as excited. Those who are, you can tell. I'm happy to work with those individuals, and I'm trying to bring some life and energize the ones who maybe want to sit back a little bit and experience it instead of engage in that.

"I think it's important for everyone to feel comfortable getting involved and not be pressured or judged."

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