SLIAC Celebrates NCAA Division III Week

SLIAC Celebrates NCAA Division III Week

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) will join with conferences and schools across America next week to celebrate NCAA Division III with the fifth annual NCAA Division III week. Division III week will be held April 4-10 and celebrates student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and all individuals associated with an NCAA Division III institution or conference. Division III week is a week long recognition of the impact that athletics and student-athletes have on campuses and in the community.

Schools all across the SLIAC will join in Division III Week by sharing their stories about how Division III has helped shape their lives; whether through an athletic experience, success in the classroom, or giving back to the local community. Several upcoming planned events for Division III week by SLIAC members are listed below:

MacMurray College will have several events tied into the "It's On Us" campaign to end sexual abuse on campus. In addition Highlanders will be volunteering with PAWS, an organization that helps in rehabilitating injured and orphaned wildlife, sheltering and adopting homeless dogs and cats, and educating people to make a better world for people and animals. MacMurray will also be doing feature stories on student-athletes that represent the ideals of Division III.

Webster University plans on a physical and mental wellness workshop on Monday, tailgate party for their softball game on Wednesday, and a pie eating contest on Friday. They will also be handing out free rally towels during a watch party for the NCAA March Madness Championship and massages from 7-10 on Monday night. There will also be drawings to win tickets to an upcoming St. Louis Cardinals game.

Westminster College will bring all student-athletes together for a group picture in front of the iconic columns on campus. In addition the Blue Jays athletic teams will be doing yard work around town, writing letters of appreciation, and hold a powder puff tournament. Westminster will also be inducting this year's members of Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society.

NCAA Division III offices encourage schools to participate in outreach activities that fall into one of three categories: academic accomplishment; athletic experience; or leadership/community service/campus involvement. In addition there are two new initiatives this year.

The first initiative involves sharing stories via social media using the hashtags #WhyD3 and #MyD3. The NCAA is asking all student-athletes and individuals to share their unique experiences and empower them to tell their stories about the comprehensive educational environment in Division III by using their own voice.

The second initiative is in conjunction with the release of the "It's On Us" campaign video debuted in January by the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, schools were asked to join in the movement against sexual abuse on campuses by creating their own 60-second video. The winning school receives $500 and the video will play at the Women's Basketball Championship game next week.

Stay tuned all next week as more Division III week activities are announced and don't miss any of the news on social media by following along #MyD3 and #WhyD3