The Big Sky Conference announced June 17 it would suspend all athletic activities on Election Day in November, allowing student athletes extra time to get their votes in.
The initiative to provide its teams with a day off from required activities was recommended by the conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which the league’s athletic directors unanimously approved. Kaysie Bruce, a University of Idaho women’s soccer alumna, is currently on the Big Sky SAAC executive leadership team.
“Big Sky student-athletes across all of our schools and sports are engaged and thoughtful citizens who are sincerely interested in making a meaningful difference, especially in today’s world,” Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said in a statement. “Suspending athletic activities on Election Day is a concept our presidents and athletic directors very likely would have suggested anyway, but the fact that our SAAC proposed this initiative makes it even more meaningful to everyone who it will impact.”
The Big Sky Conference currently sponsors 16 sports and includes universities from Idaho, Montana, Utah, Oregon and more.
Idaho Director of Athletic Communications Joe St. Pierre said the decision provides an opportunity for student athletes to engage with their communities.
“It puts an emphasis on something that’s really important, especially for a younger person. It’s not something they may have acknowledged as being important right away in their lives, I know I certainly didn’t when I was an 18 to 22 year old, but we can educate them now and encourage them to do their own research,” St. Pierre said. “It’s putting those building blocks in place so they can become more productive citizens.”
In June, the NCAA responded to grassroots movements from players and coaches and encouraged its 1,100 member colleges and universities to give athletes the day off on Election Day, according to a press release. The NCAA did not mandate athletes take a day off.
“We encourage students to continue to make their voices heard on these important issues, engage in community activism and exercise their Constitutional rights,” the NCAA said in a statement.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Angela Palermo can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @apalermooo