NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference News) - The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced its partnership with Officially Human on Wednesday, to provide support in restoring respect and positive treatment of sport officials through education and communication.
“This collaboration underscores the MAC’s commitment to supporting officials while also enhancing the competitive experience for our student-athletes, coaches, fans, and member institutions,” Said Megan Morrison, Executive Director of the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Officially Human was founded in 2019 by Brenda Hilton with the mission to “restore respect to game officials and recognize them as authorities on the fields and courts”. Hilton has spent the last 22 years working in a range of collegiate officiating, collaborating with assignors and officials.
“Early in my conversations with Morrison, I appreciated her approach to sportsmanship shown toward sport officials,” says Hilton. “This topic is one her conference wants to address and help lead change. I look forward to working with her staff and member institutions.”
Morrison also stated, “It is our collective vision that athletics events, though steeped in passion and competitiveness, can also be events characterized by civility and kindness.”
The Middle Atlantic Conference will provide its membership with resources created by Officially Human to help promote respect and good sportsmanship including public service announcements, graphics, banners, and access to Officially Human’s Elevate Respect learning module.
“The MAC is excited to partner with Officially Human in supporting the effort to create a more positive and respectful environment for all game officials,” said Russ Rogers, Director of Athletics and Recreation at Stevens Institute of Technology. “Our 16 member institutions are committed to promoting good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans and this collaborative effort is the perfect opportunity for all of us to let our game officials know how much we appreciate what they do."
ABOUT THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
Located in Newtown, Pa., the Middle Atlantic Conference is an NCAA Division III conference comprised of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) and Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom). Its 16 member institutions, located across three states, are: Albright College (Reading, Pa.), Alvernia University (Reading, Pa.), Arcadia University (Glenside, Pa.), Delaware Valley University (Doylestown, Pa.), DeSales University (Center Valley, Pa.), Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.), Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus (Madison, N.J.), Hood College (Frederick, Md.), King's College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Pa.), Messiah University (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Misericordia University (Dallas, Pa.), Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.), Stevenson University (Owings Mills, Md.), Widener University (Chester, Pa.), and York College of Pennsylvania (York, Pa.).
ABOUT OFFICIALLY HUMAN
Based in Lombard, IL, Officially Human was founded to restore respect to, and positive treatment of, sport officials through increased education and communication to all stakeholders (administrators, coaches, athletes, and fans.) Founded in 2019, Officially Human is the leader in addressing the growing crisis in officiating that touches every sport, official, and level of competition. Officially Human offers tailored solutions to athletic host organizations of all sizes that improve the stakeholder experience at each of their sporting competitions. The comprehensive solutions package includes digital education, awareness building, event host communication strategies, and organizational support in addressing poor fan behavior. To learn more about Officially Human, visit officiallyhuman.com.