Stanislaus athletes take stand in video against sexual violence

With images of actors crying in public service announcements have helped to bring the issue of sexual violence to the masses, universities across the country are starting to do their part to make the message personal.

Last week, the message was driven home at Cal State Stanislaus with the release of a video featuring 24 athletes representing all Warriors teams, plus the cheerleader squad, delivering a message calling on all students to get on board with the effort.

“This video makes athletes accountable,” said Kim Duyst, the associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator. “If they're stepping up and people see them do this, they need to take the stand in the community. I get so excited about this that I watch it over and over. It's such a great message and I hope it will help.”

Duyst said she got the idea for the video from a similar production at her alma mater, the University of Wyoming. The Cowboys and Warriors are not alone in the effort, which has been spurred by a joint effort of The White House and the NCAA announced in September called “It’s On Us.”

“We've spoken to our administration about having our athletes step up and take a stand because they're very visible,” Duyst said. “We've done a few things through the semester about educating our staff and faculty, students, clubs, groups and athletes. The university is trying to educate people, make them aware and accountable. When I saw the video I thought we needed to do this.”

Duyst brainstormed the idea of a video with Hung Tsai, the assistant athletic director for sports information and marketing, and Amanda Rosas, athletics assistant for marketing and sponsorships. They brought in cross country assistant coach Joey Nunes to help work on the script and round-up the athletes.

“The feedback has been great,” Duyst said. “Maybe we can do this again, something a little different. Maybe we can bring in an alum or a parent. I'm very willing to steal some ideas.”

The video is far from the only effort at Stanislaus to get students and student-athletes involved in raising campus awareness of social issues. A year-long series of peer-led afternoon luncheons bring discussions to the South Dining Room about once a month. The next such session, set for Feb. 18, will be led by soccer player Chelsea Lewandowski – president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee – and baseball player James Heller, and will discuss concepts of developing leadership skills while maintaining the balance between team and personal goals.

“We're trying to get as many students there as we can to help get the message out and keep it out there,” Duyst said. “As our athletic program soars and people notice us in the community, it's important that our kids take active roles.”

CCAA BASKETBALL TICKETS ON SALE

Advance tickets for the California Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament are on sale. The event moves north this year to the Stockton Arena, March 5-7, and the top six teams in the final CCAA standings will qualify for the event.

The top two teams earn a first-round bye, but in past years that has not been an automatic springboard to a title. Last March, the Warrior men took their No. 4 seed and won three games in three days to claim their first CCAA championship.

“We’d like to finish in the top two, but once you get into the tournament it really doesn’t matter where you’re seeded because at that point all the teams are good,” said Stanislaus coach Larry Reynolds.

Four games – two women’s followed by two men’s – in the first two rounds, with the first tipoff at noon. The women’s title game is slated for 5 p.m. on Sat., March 7, with the men’s game following at 7:30.

A special $7 general admission ticket for seniors, children and students is available only at box office. Other seats, including $10 general admission, $15 reserved and $25 courtside can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com or (to avoid fees) at the Stockton Arena box office. A $2 per ticket group discount (10 or more) is available by calling 209-373-1485.

HOME EVENTS THIS WEEK

With the basketball teams on the road, home events are scarce this week. The Warrior softball team, 1-1 heading into this afternoon’s doubleheader at Academy of Art, comes home to open CCAA play with doubleheaders Friday (4 p.m.) and Saturday (noon) against Cal State East Bay.

The baseball team (3-3) has single home games Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (3 p.m.) against Holy Names before traveling to Oakland to meet the Hawks in a Sunday doubleheader. The Warriors open CCAA play Feb. 20 at home with a four-game set against Chico State.

This story was originally published February 9, 2015 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Stanislaus athletes take stand in video against sexual violence."