UMass has canceled our practices and games for the next two weeks because of rising covid cases in the regular student campus community. We are required to isolate ourselves from these students in order to have our seasons and are still being held accountable for their faults when the athletic teams have held up our end of responsibility.

UMass has given athletes separate requirements all year compared to the student population in terms of restricted buildings, testing, and zero-tolerance policies to compete in our season. We have, I believe, exceeded expectations in creating a minimal transmissible environment with having very few cases in order to play our respective sports. Thus have become a separate population to continue playing our sports and have been stripped of our ability to play because of actions not related to us as a student-athlete population.

Other schools' athletic teams have been considered separate populations because of our involvement and investment in our school. Numerous examples of this can be seen throughout Covid-19 where campuses were closed and student-athletes were on campus, practicing, and playing games, safely. 

Sign this petition so we can get it in front of UMass administration and Governor Charlie Baker to change their rules and lockdown as the athletic department is separate from the campus community and we should be treated as such.