Dear Leopards,

Today I write to you with important, but disappointing news. Due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commonwealth Coast Conference will not be competing in a traditional intercollegiate athletics format during the Fall of 2020. The official CCC statement can be viewed here.

Wentworth fully supports this decision and has decided to extend this decision to sports outside of the CCC, including varsity and club sports. This decision was made with the upmost consideration for the health and welfare of our student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, and the entire campus community.

Wentworth values the importance of varsity athletics and club sports, as we know it enhances the educational experience of our students. We are committed to providing a meaningful athletic experience for all our student-athletes that includes team practices and trainings this fall semester. We will be complying with all relevant safety guidelines and standards, including campus protocols and required on-campus, viral-based COVID-19 testing.
 
The CCC and Wentworth will continuously assess factors impacting the health and safety of both our athletes and campus community in deciding how best to proceed with the winter and spring seasons. No decisions have been made about winter or spring competition, but winter sports competition would not start any sooner than January 1, 2021. Additionally, there may be a possibility for fall sports to compete in Spring 2021.
 
While there are a lot of details that still need to be determined, we recognize this message will result in questions from our student-athletes. We will be hosting two town hall style meetings next week to share guidelines for practice and training, share University expectations, and answer questions.
 
The varsity athletes' town hall session will be held on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:00 pm. The club sport athletes' town hall session will be held on Thursday, July 23 at 6:00 pm. A link to these will be sent next week.  
 
Given our determined Leopard spirit, I am confident that we will emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than ever, but at this moment, I recognize and share your disappointment regarding this news and appreciate your understanding. I look forward to seeing all our Leopards back on the playing field in the future.

If you have immediate questions, please feel free to reach out to Cheryl Aaron, Athletic Director at aaronc@wit.edu or Jackie Herb, Assistant Director for the Center for Student Engagement at herbj@wit.edu. 

Respectfully yours,

Mark A. Thompson, Ph.D.
President

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