BY: Jayla Brown
The spread of COVID-19 has shifted the way colleges and universities are being run for the fall semester, including their athletic departments. Many athletic departments have had to postpone fall athletics until the spring.
Auburn University at Montgomery’s (AUM) athletic department is included. On August 12, 2020, The Gulf South Conference (GSC) postponed basketball, football, soccer, and volleyball until January 2021. The announcement was given by the GSC Board of Directors. The board classified these sports as high risk and high contact according to the (NCAA).
I was able to catch up with athletic director Jessie Rosa about the future of AUM athletics. When asked about the difficult decision to postpone AUM’s fall sports season, Rosa stated, “It was an incredibly difficult decision. As a conference, we worked to evaluate a number of factors. With student health being the core of our decision making.” She went on to say that “the unfortunate truth is that there are too many unknowns. And when you are unsure, you have to err on the side of caution to protect your student-athletes.”
All sports at AUM have not been postponed. AUM’s cross country team is still competing. The sport was classified as a low/medium risk contact by the NCAA and can proceed with the correct precautions.
When asked about the uncertainty for spring athletics, Rosa stated, “It’s nice to be able to give those student-athletes an opportunity to compete. I was able to attend their first meet in Huntsville just this past weekend. In all of this, every day is an assessment.” Rosa expressed how well the student-athletes and coaches have handled this. “Their actions are what dictates what we are or aren’t going to able to do,” Rosa explained.
AUM’s athletic department is hopeful that all nine of its athletic teams here on campus will be able to compete starting next semester. It is unclear what these athletic events will look like in the spring.
You can check for updates on AUM’s athletic website and social media pages. You can also view the list guidelines and updates given by the NCAA. That list can be found on their website at www.ncaa.com.