The UTRGV Athletics Department is working on creating a more inclusive presence across the university. While Edinburg remains the primary campus for student athletes, associate athletic director for communications, Jonah Goldberg, tells UTRGV Radio how university facilities and infrastructure in Edinburg play a key part in deciding where games are played.
[su_quote] “Yeah, facilities are really the big key. You know, we have the fieldhouse here, the baseball stadium, the soccer field, you know we have all the stuff on campus. Like Garza Gym, where UTB used to play volleyball, belongs to TSC from what I understand. So, you know, there would be a rental fee one thing.”
-Jonah Goldberg, associate athletic director for communications [/su_quote]
Aside from hosting the upcoming Western Athletic Conference Tennis Tournament in Brownsville, future student-oriented events are in development on the Brownsville campus. Senior associate athletic director for external operations, Chelsea Blakely, tells us more about these upcoming events.
[su_quote] “Regardless if it’s in Edinburg or Brownsville, we are trying to get students engaged and passionate about athletics. I think the other thing we will try to do better next year is have a regular presence — a pop up once a month, a tent in the middle of campus that allows students to come get athletic swag, learn about watch parties and learn about transportation.”
-Chelsea Blakely, senior associate athletic director for external operations [/su_quote]
From a student athlete’s perspective, mass communication senior Jordan Jackson says it would be a good idea to have the department become more inclusive and considerate of the other campuses.
[su_quote]“I think that would be good to get the fan base expanded out, you know, to Brownsville. I feel like it would be cool to have maybe, you know, a couple neutral site games in between Edinburg and Brownsville at maybe a venue or something like that. I think a lot of people might come to support. You know, like i said, to just keep the foundation building.”
-Jordan Jackson, mass communications senior[/su_quote]
Jackson says this season has provided growth for UTRGV Athletics, and that he looks forward to the future of the department once he graduates later this year.
