Page 14 - BEQ Magazine Iss 21 rev01072022

Dr . Yannick Kluch (right) moderates a panel of college student athletes at the NCAA Inclusion Forum .
| COURTESY PHOTO

academic experience until he arrived at BGSU. to embrace some incredible experiences. While
“I loved the pride the school had in its athletic at BGSU, he founded We Are One Team (WA1T),
teams and I wanted to use that emotional power a first-of-its-kind initiative that utilizes
to play my part in creating a more socially just sport to promote diversity, inclusion
world,” he said. and social justice on American
Kluch earned a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. college campuses. The initiative
in media studies from BGSU. His dissertation, provided him with a platform
“More Than an Athlete: A Qualitative Examina- to translate his research
tion of Activist Identities among NCAA Division to non-academic audi-
I Student-Athletes”, is the first empirical study ences and speak about Hamburg
to explore how NCAA Division I student-athletes those issues at various
construct activist identities. His research “con- industry conferences.
tributes to knowledge on athlete activism and Under Kluch’s leader- Bowling Green
identity construction in sport by analyzing the ship, WA1T received
student-athlete activist experience through par- numerous awards,
ticipants’ definitions of activism, their construc- including the
tions and negotiations of activist identities and national 2017 NCAA
barriers to activism.” He is currently working on Award for Diversity
expanding his dissertation into a full-length book and Inclusion.
for publication. After earning
his Ph.D. from BGSU,
TURNING PASSION INTO Kluch worked for the
MEANINGFUL CHANGE NCAA Office of Inclusion
for a year before heading to
Kluch is a firm believer in the importance of Rowan University where he
passion – as long as it is combined with pragma- was Lead Faculty Consultant at
tism. the university’s Center for Sports
“That’s one of my mantras as a leader,” he said. Communication & Social Impact and
“Passion is important, but passion alone will not an Assistant Professor of Sports Communi-
create change.” cation & Media in the Department of Communi-
His second mantra is to push himself outside cation Studies.
his comfort zone. In 2020, Kluch’s passion turned global when he
“I never want to feel comfortable in the work was one of only four national experts appointed
that I do but rather seek projects that make me by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Com-
more comfortable with being uncomfortable – mittee (USOPC) to serve on the inaugural Team
especially as a white man doing DEI work in the USA Council on Racial & Social Justice, where
U.S.,” he said. he advises the Council’s steering committee on
These two principles have already led Kluch athlete protests and demonstrations alongside

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