ANNVILLE, Pa./HOBOKEN, N.J. (July 24, 2020)  – After a careful and thorough review of the health and safety needs of its student-athletes, while also being cognizant of the significant challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present to campus communities around the country, the Stevens Institute of Technology Department of Athletics, in conjunction with the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), has made the difficult decision Friday to suspend all intercollegiate athletic competition through the fall 2020 semester.

"Today's announcement from the MAC is clearly in the best interest of the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the entire Stevens community," said Director of Athletics Russell Rogers. "I want to emphasize how important intercollegiate athletics is in the college experience of our students and in the day-to-day lives of all of those who work in our department. We are more committed than ever to ensuring that all of the student-athletes receive the support and enjoy the growth and development that are at the core of our mission to the greatest extent possible under these challenging circumstances."

"The time and dedication given by staff and coaches, along with a number of colleagues from other offices on campus, in planning and preparing for the role of athletics in the fall semester at Stevens has been incredible and represents how much our community cares," Rogers continued. "I look forward to continuing this process as we move toward the start of the school year."

The conference's presidents are well aware of the important role athletics plays in the lives of student-athletes and are committed to exploring creative approaches and alternatives that will provide future competitive experiences for fall sport student-athletes in the spring semester as circumstances allow. Working alongside the conference's athletic directors and the COVID-19 Advisory Group, the MAC presidents will continue to evaluate the athletics landscape to address:

• Engaging fall, winter and spring sport student-athletes in the fall term with coaches following all institutional, local and national health and safety guidelines
• Shifting fall sport competitive seasons to the spring, insofar as possible
• Scheduling winter sports competition beginning in 2021
• Implementing league-wide and campus safety measures for practices and competitions when they do occur
• Developing league-wide and institutional personal and professional development programming

"This decision was very difficult, as we know how deep the love of the game is for our student-athletes and that intercollegiate events are an important part of campus life for our entire community," said Dr. Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Chair of MAC President's Council and Hood College President. "However, we are confident that our coaches and athletic staff will work with the students to build an engaging athletic experience for our student-athletes while mitigating the risk of COVID-19."

On July 9, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver providing guidance regarding eligibility concerns for teams who play a limited number of contests, or whose seasons end prematurely. The blanket waiver states that student-athletes will not be charged with participation for the 2020-21 season if their team can complete only 50% or less of the sport's maximum contests/dates of competition due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  
 
The NCAA also approved a second blanket waiver which permits student-athletes to receive a two-semester/three-quarter extension of eligibility if the student-athlete is unable to participate in their sport during the 2020-21 academic year due to the impact of COVID-19 or if the student-athlete's team completed 50% or less of the sport's maximum contests/dates of competition due to COVID-19.  For more information on these blanket waivers, please see the NCAA press release.

The Middle Atlantic Conference has put together a document to address general questions, which can be found here. Questions about the conference's response not addressed on its FAQ document can be directed to questions@gomacsports.com.

For more information on Stevens Institute of Technology's return to campus plan, please visit the institution's "A Stronger, Safer Stevens" website. 

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