The Middlebury College Department of Athletics is excited to unveil its plans for a new diversity, equity, and inclusion program called M+. The five-year plan includes several initiatives, with a heavy focus on education.
 
The M+ program was chosen to show that we are more than the Middlebury M that we wear. While the "M" represents Middlebury and what it means to be a part of the athletics community, this is just a piece of each of our identities. The "+" represents each individual person and everything that makes someone who they are outside of athletics. Collectively, M+ represents the significance of the Middlebury athletics experience, which impacts lives beyond competing as athletes.
 
The program's curriculum plans will focus on developing four years of diversity, equity and inclusion education, with three primary learning groups: student-athletes, teams, and staff. When a Panther enters as a first-year, they will go through four years of DEI workshops, training and activities that build from one year to the next.
 
The student-athlete group will undergo training sessions with their respective class year, building strengths that stretch beyond the bounds of each individual team. The team development curriculum will be interactive and serve as a way to unite teams and build a solid foundation of inclusivity. Finally, the staff group will participate in training that is similar to the team training, as well as workshops to build skills in facilitating difficult conversations.
 
Included in the M+ program, are structures that are already in place, including the Student-Athletes of Color (SAOC) organization, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Green Dot, First-Year Leadership & Life Skills program, and the Athletics' Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
 
The five-year plan is still in development and slated to launch in fall 2022. We will share more updates as the program continues.