The MIAA First in the nation and always together
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association became the first conference in NCAA Division I or II to return to basketball play in the COVID-19 Global Health Pandemic. In fact, last night the MIAA had the first conference-wide action in any sport since March 12.
The journey to the court started on October 15, when the Association announced it had finalized its guidelines that will lead member institutions to start the season as scheduled. A week later, the MIAA became the first conference to commit to a conference-wide approach on daily health monitoring with a health monitoring and education tool through the U.S. Council for Athletes Health (USCAH). USCAH, a partner of the Association, also advised the MIAA in its Return To Competition document.
The Association has set a 25 percent capacity on attendance for the first month of the season but each member institution may have a lower cap on attendance or different fan policies and guidelines.
Continuing in the one for all, all for one direction of the conference, the MIAA has introduced a conference wide Unity Statement which has been titled, Always Together. The statement has been distributed to each of the conference’s 14 member institutions, prior to the start of the MIAA basketball season last night.
MIAA Unity Statement
Today and always, we are a unified conference that supports each other, our fans, and our communities.
Together, we will always fight for justice and for what is right. Together, we will remain active as a voice for equality, diversity, opportunity, change, and love. Together, we will empower one another and work to make this world a better place for all.
We are the MIAA. Always Together.
The Unity Statement was created with input from the MIAA Community Culture Task Force. The Task Force serves as an advisory group to the conference office, focused on the goals in the MIAA strategic plan which will look to achieve ways to celebrate diversity and identify resources for member institutions to enhance diversity and inclusion in intercollegiate athletics while identifying strategies to create first-class, family-friendly events that reflect the values of the Association.
Finally, The MIAA issued a safety statement, “If you are feeling sick, have a temperature or are experiencing any symptoms associated with COVID-19, please stay home, consult a doctor, and do not enter an MIAA campus to attend a conference event.”