GW Athletics Launches #OnlyatGW Voting Initiative
7/24/2020 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Sailing, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Women's Rowing, Women's Volleyball, Student-Athlete Development, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Effort encourages voter registration and informed participation in the lead-up to the November elections
From her home in Orono, Minn., just 30 miles away, Maddie Loder watched the late May news coverage from Minneapolis. Protests continued round-the-clock with thousands in the streets standing against police brutality vs. the Black community spurred by the death of George Floyd at the hands of an officer in the city.
"It was really, really close to home for me," said Loder, a rising junior on the GW women's basketball team. "That really got me thinking 'What can I do to help? How can I make sure that change actually happens?'"
Loder's concern led to a text back-and-forth with assistant coach Kevin DeMille which led to a dialogue with her teammates and hours of online research which led to more conversations, more study on the issues and eventually the #OnlyatGW Voting Initiative.
Developed by a team of student-athletes, coaches and staff, the multi-layered effort is designed to encourage voter registration and informed participation in the lead-up to the November elections.
GW Athletics will take a break from practice and competition on Election Day 2020, and the goal of the voting initiative is to make sure that day is the successful culmination of a months-long journey of conversation, education and collaboration.
"I'm just really excited to see everything fall into place," Loder said. "We're trying to make sure that not only are we educating people on who they can vote for, but we want to give people a safe space where they can learn and understand and figure out on their own what their views are and who they think is the best person to carry on those views in their local, state and national elections."
The first step is providing the resources and support to help eligible student-athletes get registered to vote with the goal of 100 percent voter registration.
The education piece will be on-going with a speaker series exploring the democratic process and smaller-group meetings for student-athletes to continue the discussion and share knowledge. The list of speakers will highlight former Colonials in the world of politics, including sailing alumna Kaitlin Denney, who currently serves as special assistant to Senator Kamala Harris of California.
On Election Day, GW Athletics is committed to a service element with the hope of mobilizing volunteers to help at polling places or support the efforts virtually.
"It's great to be at a place that is passionate about building initiatives that not only impact our student body but also impacts others," GW men's basketball head coach Jamion Christian said. "It's what we strive to do here at GW by changing the world one person at a time. That change starts with finding and using your voice. Voting and the understanding of the importance of it is as an American is huge in that process."
Over the past two months, the voting initiative has been student-athlete driven with Loder, Lauren Bennett (women's rowing) and Olivia Raymond (gymnastics) taking on leadership roles to find resources, set the agenda and spread the word within the department under the guidance of Senior Program Associate of Student-Athlete Development Sarah Vollaro.
The group's preliminary research has found that about 60 percent of eligible student-athletes are already registered to vote. The aim is to provide a platform that offers something for everyone, regardless of their voting history or political background.
"I feel like my role's been a lot of organizing logistics and getting plans on paper, but really the student-athletes have been on board and driving this forward," Vollaro said. "We have a very politically active group here, and the majority of them are plugged in and knowledgeable about what's going on in the world. I'm excited to help them facilitate this because I know it's something they're passionate about."
For Loder, it's a step outside her comfort zone. The Organizational Science major has never been particularly politically inclined, but that's changed amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
After George Floyd's death, Loder sent emails to a number of her local and state politicians to ask how they planned to push for change.
"I didn't hear back from any of them," Loder said. "So, I was like 'Are these the people I really want in office?'"
Loder recalled voting for the first time in the 2018 midterm elections without doing much prior research. She's already more informed this time around, and she's excited about helping other Colonials do the same.
Loder is particularly passionate about increasing awareness in local elections. To help student-athletes hailing from across the country, she's proposed the idea of getting together groups from the same states or regions to talk about the issues and politicians on the ballot.
She hopes that this initiative can help others with the same questions that sparked her down this path.
"It's a testament to what people can do right now," Loder said. "If you're out there thinking 'Hey, I don't know how to help.' We're telling you how you can help. If you go out and vote right now, you're going to be helping. No matter who you vote for or what you do, it's going to help. Because you're fulfilling your civic duty."
A rising junior gymnast, Raymond is on the other end of the spectrum as an International Affairs major.
Through this process, the New Jersey native has been able to put into real-world practice what she's learned about cultivating unbiased sources and breaking down complex issues into an approachable format through classes in the Elliott School.
It's important to Raymond that this is more than a voter registration drive, and she's enthusiastic to tap into the resources available in the nation's capital to learn even more.
"It is a very #OnlyatGW thing," Raymond said. "It's cool that the administration and coaches are passionate about getting us involved in more ways than saying we're involved. It's about actually showing up, showing out and demonstrating how important it is to GW Athletics and GW as a whole that we create this lifelong voter community."
In her role as GW SAAC President, Bennett's goal is to provide opportunities for her fellow student-athletes to learn and grow as leaders. She's excited to see how this program can help empower others.
As a Criminal Justice major, the rising junior rower hopes to one day find a career shaping public policy. She's personally eager for what's to come.
In the current climate of social unrest amid a global pandemic, Bennett believes the timing is right to launch this program, and she's proud to be part of an athletic department committed to making it happen.
"You can just see it on social media now," Bennett said. "Everybody's waking up to a lot of different political issues right now in the midst of the pandemic and everything else going on.
"I think people are realizing that this election year, maybe unlike any other that we'll experience for a long time, is crucial. People are realizing the power of our voices and how important it is that we actually engage."
"It was really, really close to home for me," said Loder, a rising junior on the GW women's basketball team. "That really got me thinking 'What can I do to help? How can I make sure that change actually happens?'"
Loder's concern led to a text back-and-forth with assistant coach Kevin DeMille which led to a dialogue with her teammates and hours of online research which led to more conversations, more study on the issues and eventually the #OnlyatGW Voting Initiative.
Developed by a team of student-athletes, coaches and staff, the multi-layered effort is designed to encourage voter registration and informed participation in the lead-up to the November elections.
GW Athletics will take a break from practice and competition on Election Day 2020, and the goal of the voting initiative is to make sure that day is the successful culmination of a months-long journey of conversation, education and collaboration.
"I'm just really excited to see everything fall into place," Loder said. "We're trying to make sure that not only are we educating people on who they can vote for, but we want to give people a safe space where they can learn and understand and figure out on their own what their views are and who they think is the best person to carry on those views in their local, state and national elections."
The first step is providing the resources and support to help eligible student-athletes get registered to vote with the goal of 100 percent voter registration.
The education piece will be on-going with a speaker series exploring the democratic process and smaller-group meetings for student-athletes to continue the discussion and share knowledge. The list of speakers will highlight former Colonials in the world of politics, including sailing alumna Kaitlin Denney, who currently serves as special assistant to Senator Kamala Harris of California.
On Election Day, GW Athletics is committed to a service element with the hope of mobilizing volunteers to help at polling places or support the efforts virtually.
"It's great to be at a place that is passionate about building initiatives that not only impact our student body but also impacts others," GW men's basketball head coach Jamion Christian said. "It's what we strive to do here at GW by changing the world one person at a time. That change starts with finding and using your voice. Voting and the understanding of the importance of it is as an American is huge in that process."
Over the past two months, the voting initiative has been student-athlete driven with Loder, Lauren Bennett (women's rowing) and Olivia Raymond (gymnastics) taking on leadership roles to find resources, set the agenda and spread the word within the department under the guidance of Senior Program Associate of Student-Athlete Development Sarah Vollaro.
The group's preliminary research has found that about 60 percent of eligible student-athletes are already registered to vote. The aim is to provide a platform that offers something for everyone, regardless of their voting history or political background.
"I feel like my role's been a lot of organizing logistics and getting plans on paper, but really the student-athletes have been on board and driving this forward," Vollaro said. "We have a very politically active group here, and the majority of them are plugged in and knowledgeable about what's going on in the world. I'm excited to help them facilitate this because I know it's something they're passionate about."
For Loder, it's a step outside her comfort zone. The Organizational Science major has never been particularly politically inclined, but that's changed amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
After George Floyd's death, Loder sent emails to a number of her local and state politicians to ask how they planned to push for change.
"I didn't hear back from any of them," Loder said. "So, I was like 'Are these the people I really want in office?'"
Loder recalled voting for the first time in the 2018 midterm elections without doing much prior research. She's already more informed this time around, and she's excited about helping other Colonials do the same.
Loder is particularly passionate about increasing awareness in local elections. To help student-athletes hailing from across the country, she's proposed the idea of getting together groups from the same states or regions to talk about the issues and politicians on the ballot.
She hopes that this initiative can help others with the same questions that sparked her down this path.
"It's a testament to what people can do right now," Loder said. "If you're out there thinking 'Hey, I don't know how to help.' We're telling you how you can help. If you go out and vote right now, you're going to be helping. No matter who you vote for or what you do, it's going to help. Because you're fulfilling your civic duty."
A rising junior gymnast, Raymond is on the other end of the spectrum as an International Affairs major.
Through this process, the New Jersey native has been able to put into real-world practice what she's learned about cultivating unbiased sources and breaking down complex issues into an approachable format through classes in the Elliott School.
It's important to Raymond that this is more than a voter registration drive, and she's enthusiastic to tap into the resources available in the nation's capital to learn even more.
"It is a very #OnlyatGW thing," Raymond said. "It's cool that the administration and coaches are passionate about getting us involved in more ways than saying we're involved. It's about actually showing up, showing out and demonstrating how important it is to GW Athletics and GW as a whole that we create this lifelong voter community."
In her role as GW SAAC President, Bennett's goal is to provide opportunities for her fellow student-athletes to learn and grow as leaders. She's excited to see how this program can help empower others.
As a Criminal Justice major, the rising junior rower hopes to one day find a career shaping public policy. She's personally eager for what's to come.
In the current climate of social unrest amid a global pandemic, Bennett believes the timing is right to launch this program, and she's proud to be part of an athletic department committed to making it happen.
"You can just see it on social media now," Bennett said. "Everybody's waking up to a lot of different political issues right now in the midst of the pandemic and everything else going on.
"I think people are realizing that this election year, maybe unlike any other that we'll experience for a long time, is crucial. People are realizing the power of our voices and how important it is that we actually engage."
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