The Athletes of Color Coalition (AoCC) and the Bowdoin Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (BSAAC) hosted their annual No Hate November event Tuesday evening in Morrell Gymnasium, bringing together more than 300 student athletes and staff to discuss discrimination, exclusion and accountability within the athletic community.

This year’s theme: “Be a Good Bear: How to Be an Upstander in the Bowdoin Community!”, emphasized the importance of speaking up against harmful behavior and supporting fellow athletes.

No Hate November grew out of an earlier program focused on the intersection of race and athletics. Director of Athletics Tim Ryan explained that the event evolved from providing athletes of color with opportunities to share their experiences to facilitating discussions among student athletes and coaches.

“Originally, the hope was to help inform members of the community of the experiences that students of color were having within our athletic teams,” Ryan said. “And over time, the program has evolved more into conversation in small groups about issues involving sport and society.”

AoCC Co-President Keito Ishibashi ’27 said this year’s focus on being an upstander reflects the responsibility often placed on athletes of color to confront discrimination within their teams.

“I think a lot of times, it falls on those athletes of color in the locker room to kind of speak out for themselves,” Ishibashi said. “I think that that can be a pretty hard responsibility at times.”

The event opened with remarks from Head Coach of Track and Field LJ Que-Holmes, who discussed the distinction between intention and impact and encouraged athletes to approach others with curiosity and kindness.

Following the remarks, student athletes participated in small-group discussions facilitated by team captains and other student leaders. Groups considered potential responses and the consequences of remaining silent in hypothetical scenarios involving misogyny, discriminatory language, socioeconomic exclusion, transphobia and mental health stigma.

AoCC Co-President Laila Nickelson ’25 explained that organizers introduced more specific scenarios this year to encourage athletes to identify practical ways to intervene.

“You have the opportunity to kind of enact change or to be the person to make the first move,” Nickelson said. “A lot of that is just preparation and exposure to those moments.”

The discussions brought together coaches and athletes from different teams and class years in groups of eight to ten people. Nickelson said the smaller setting encouraged participation while allowing younger athletes to connect with more experienced student leaders.

“We’re kind of also trying to cement these people as leaders and mentors that you could maybe reach out to in the future,” Nickelson said.

Ryan credited AoCC leadership with continually adapting the event to address issues affecting athletes at Bowdoin and beyond. This year’s scenarios were developed by student organizers, and team captains facilitated discussions for the second consecutive year.

“The AoCC leadership over the years has done a tremendous job of consistently reevaluating the program and thinking about ways that it can be better,” Ryan said.

For women’s ice hockey member Cara Kuczek ’30, her first No Hate November event offered an opportunity to hear perspectives from athletes across different sports and class years. Her group discussed how financial circumstances, discriminatory behavior and team seniority can influence athletes’ willingness to speak up.

“There was a lot of stuff that I hadn’t really thought about until we kind of discussed it,” Kuczek said. “So I definitely feel a little bit more prepared if I do encounter anything that we discussed.”

Associate Director of Athletics for Operations, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Katie Greene estimated that more than 300 athletes and staff attended the event. Greene emphasized that creating an inclusive athletic environment requires participation from coaches and administrators, not just student athletes.

“We also don’t want that weight just on student athletes,” Greene said. “We want it on our coaches. We want it on our admin. We want it all the way up to our athletic director.”

Beyond the annual gathering, each varsity team participates in two inclusion-focused sessions per semester, providing additional opportunities to address issues affecting team culture.

“We want continuing conversation, and we want hard conversation, and we encourage that,” Greene said. “We want everyone to feel like they can show up authentically.”

For Kuczek, the discussions offered a broader understanding of what it means to challenge harmful behavior, particularly for younger athletes who may not yet hold leadership positions.

“I think being an upstander doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the loudest voice in the room or the one making the biggest change,” Kuczek said. “But knowing how you can make a difference and using your resources and your connections to … challenge what might be perceived as normal if it’s something that you don’t agree with.”