Under the Lights at Otterbein University

Otterbein University's Athletics Department, in collaboration with both the Health and Sports Sciences Department and the Office of Diversity, has developed a program titled Under the Lights, designed to explore areas of diversity through the lens of sports.  The goal of the program is to encourage genuine dialogue and further develop insight through the stories that occur "under the lights." Programming includes guest speakers, lunch and learns, and workshops that explore the many dimentions of diversity. In an effort to connect the curriculum to the student-athlete experience, the Office of Diversity uses excerpts from ESPN's award winning 30 for 30 series. As the student-athletes dissect areas of each film, they are then able to form discussions that connect their own experiences to the film and their varying communities. Once the connections are made, participants create an action plan that leverages their personal experiences to impact the Otterbein campus climate positively.  Programming in which student-athletes have had the opportunity to engage in dialogue across the spectrum include Leadership & Sports (Diversity of Ideas), Team Colors (Race and Diversity), and the most recent program entitled Diversity in Identity.

The program has extended beyond the field and into the classroom by connecting faculty members in the Health and Sports Science Department to the Office of Diversity. As a result, students have become more knowledgeable, multi-literate, and increasingly more inquisitive about the world around them. Not only do they gain a positive perspecitve on the persons around them, Otterbein students who attend at least three of the six events will earn a free trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.