UTRGV Athletics and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) announced last Monday the Vaqueros United initiative to promote social justice.
According to a news release from UTRGV Athletics, the new initiative will be used to provide student-athletes, coaches and staff with a platform to promote conversations about peace, equality, human rights, race and social justice.
UTRGV SAAC Vice-President and men’s basketball sophomore forward Jamal Gaines explains that the rapid creation of the initiative happened naturally among student-athletes.
“It was just a great idea that was put out there and then everybody got on board with it,” Gaines said. “Everybody made it collectively a very quick process, but it wasn’t any emphasis on speed it just happened that quickly. It just, we just got the ball rolling and it just kept rolling and kept rolling and now we’re here.”
According to the news release, Vaqueros United will provide different avenues to promote change, such as working with UTRGV organizations and departments along with discussions with various local media and voter education.
UTRGV SAAC President and women’s golf senior Rachel Yu says that Vaqueros United is more than an initiative within the athletics department but a bridge to promote change in the Rio Grande Valley community as well.
“I know that we want to see it expand across the Valley and that is something that we want it to reach further,” Yu said, “but I’m more excited for what it’s going to do for our personal relationships within UTRGV Athletics, amongst the sports and other athletes as well as building a bridge to our community as well and that sense of feeling at home and with family here in the Valley.”
Yu added that Vaqueros United was met with strong support by members of the SAAC Diversity & Inclusion Subcommittee and all student-athletes.
UTRGV women’s tennis freshman Lea Karren said that her team is ready for change and supported the Vaqueros United initiative when it was first presented to them by the SAAC and members of the administration.
“We all agree that we have, it’s time for change.” Karren said. “We in the tennis team pretty much all [are] international athletes, probably a couple of them are from here so we, for sure, 100% [are] for this idea… I feel like everybody [is] one in the same family [and] in the same boat and we all have to just support each other.”
UTRGV Vice-President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque is proud of the work from both the SAAC and UTRGV Athletics but emphasizes that the real change begins now.
“Today’s public announcement, the launch is just one piece and now the work truly begins.” Conque said. “Now we get to walk the walk but really proud of these two student-athletes’ as President and Vice-President of SAAC but also all of our student-athlete’s coaches and staff that embraced this concept.”
To take the pledge visit, GoUTRGV.com/VaquerosUnited.
The Vaqueros United campaign starts with a pledge and the option of signing the following:
To take the pledge, visit GoUTRGV.com/VaquerosUnited.
FOR VAQUERO RADIO, I’M LUIS RUBIO.
