NCAA Division I hockey student-athletes, coaches and administrators unveiled a new initiative Wednesday – College Hockey for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – that is designed to create positive cultural change in the sport through communication, education, allyship, and advocacy.

CollegeHockey4DEI.com

A group of 27 people representing the 11 Division I hockey conferences began meeting in the summer of 2020 and are leading the movement.

“The energy and commitment that this group has brought to each meeting has been inspiring,” said Jennifer Flowers, Vice President and Women’s Commissioner of the WCHA and the chair of the committee. “We are united in our goal and recognize there is work to be done. The conversations we have had give me confidence that we can affect change and ensure that college hockey is a welcoming environment for all.”

Flowers and six members of the committee took part in a virtual news conference Wednesday introducing the initiative and unveiling its website (collegehockey4DEI.com) and mission:

College Hockey for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is dedicated to creating positive cultural change across our sport through communication, education, allyship, and advocacy. Together we are working for a better tomorrow, one shift at a time.

That mantra – one shift at a time – reflects the group’s determination to pursue the challenging and necessary work of creating positive cultural change, with a recognition that sometimes that change comes as the accumulation of small steps.

“We are united in our effort to create meaningful change and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within our sport,” the website reads. “We intend to build upon the work of our institutions and partner with other organizations committed to these efforts to affect change in college hockey so that our sport may become a better version of itself. We will approach this challenging and necessary work just like we play our game: one shift at a time.”

In Wednesday’s news conference, Flowers and six members of the committee introduced the group and previewed what is to come.

“This is truly a college hockey initiative,” Flowers said. “Each of the NCAA Division I hockey conferences are represented on the committee. We believe our collective voices and our unique ability to work together as a sport provides us an opportunity to make a difference … We look forward to introducing new projects within college hockey. As those projects are finalized, we will share them.”