Fall AD Letter to Campus Community

Let’s take a moment to reflect,
On the past few years of my life,
I haven't worked myself away,
To stay inside.
This is the time to let us...
Break out, break out……………

Break Out! Break Out! Song Lyrics by All Time Low


Dear Bates Community & Friends,

The lyrics above are somewhat autobiographical as I have been telling our senior student-athletes that since I arrived at Bates a few years ago when they did, this is my senior year too. I also have been reminding all of our athletes and our staff of the many positive developments that have taken place these past few years. Not the least of these is the Bates Celebrates Athletics event held this past June in Boston that reaffirmed the College’s commitment not just to supporting Athletics, but to excelling in Athletics, as the institution strives to do in all of its endeavors. So that is why it feels to me like now is the time for Bates Athletics to Break Out, to turn those positive developments into more tangible success for all of our teams.

Lest you fear, as some did with my letter last fall, I am not advocating that winning is the only thing or that we must win at all costs. However, given the above-noted commitment to excelling, we should and can be more successful. In competitive sports where a score is kept, that equates to more wins.

We also continue to define success by how well we uphold our mission of providing opportunities that enhance the liberal arts experience at Bates; of serving as professional educators committed to the intellectual, physical and personal development of our students; and of building community among students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as in the Lewiston-Auburn area. That mission statement can be found on the Athletics website at: http://www.bates.edu/x208375.xml.

Additionally, we succeed when we meet and surpass the high expectations that we have in Athletics for who we are, for how we conduct our programs and how we conduct ourselves. These expectations are contained in the Student-Athlete Code of Ethics, the Hazing/Initiation policy, the Athletic Department Alcohol policy, and the Spectator Code of Conduct that I discuss annually with every varsity athlete at the start of her/his season and that each agrees in writing to uphold. These too can be found on the Athletics website at: http://www.bates.edu/x208331.xml.

Your support for our student-athletes, particularly with your attendance at their events, recognizes their passion, validates their efforts and affirms that the campus community appreciates the dedication that it takes to participate in a varsity sport on top of working to excel in the classroom. The sport schedules can be found at: http://www.bates.edu/sports-schedule.xml and for the contests that you can’t make, many of the fall games will be webcast and that schedule is at: http://www.firstteambroadcasting.com/organizations/bates-college/. Also you can always check updates and details on the Athletics website: Bates Athletics. So join us as we Break Out! Break Out!

Thank you and best wishes for the semester