DEI consultants train Bowdoin's sports teams? Athletes, coaches undergo diversity sessions.

Bowdoin College in Maine is now making diversity, equity, and inclusion training mandatory for coaches through a partnership with the Institute for Sport and Social Justice.

Coaches in the college’s athletics department must complete a “six-step” program from ISSJ which helps colleges “rise to the social justice moment,” The Bowdoin Current reports.

The ISSJ is a non-profit diversity consulting firm attempting to “create worldwide social justice through the power of sport.” In March, the PAC-12 Conference announced a partnership with the ISSJ, citing the company’s status as “preeminent leaders in the areas of DEI and social justice.” 

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The sessions as described in the student newspaper echo ISSJ’s “Huddle Up for Equity & Social Justice” program, which requires participants to ”build [an] understanding of key concepts and frequently used terms in our culture.” 

The ISSJ website also adds that “Black Lives Matter, racism, antiracism, systemic racism, and redlining are among the terms clarified.”

Meanwhile, Jen Fry, a social justice education consultant and owner of Jen Fry Talks, will work with Bowdoin’s student athletes. According to its website, her consultancy “uses conversation to educate and empower those within athletics through an anti-racist lens on issues of race, inclusion, intersectionality, diversity, and equity.”

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Fry’s clients include Harvard University, Yale University, and University of California Los Angeles. 

Her webinars include “Whiteness in Athletics” and “Whiteness in Higher Education.” Fry also sells a manual on creating an inclusive culture for $299.99. 

Campus Reform has reached out to Bowdoin College for comment; this article will be updating accordingly.