GLIAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors approve Winter Requirements

GLIAC -- Last week, the league's Council of Presidents and Chancellors approved the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (GLIAC) return to play Protocols that were recommended by the GLIAC's COVID-19 Task Force. 

All GLIAC member schools conducting sports programs must employ and adhere to the protocols set forth by the GLIAC COVID-19 Task Force and approved by the GLIAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors. These protocols are based upon recommendations from the NCAA's Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Developing Standards for Practice and Competition document and subsequent updates. GLIAC protocols must be implemented for all athletically related activities beginning one week prior to GLIAC scheduled competition and maintained through the course of the season.

GLIAC Testing & Safety Protocols for Competition 

The NCAA Sport Science Institute emphasizes COVID-19 testing as a means to safely return to competition. Although testing only offers a snapshot in time, the GLIAC COVID-19 Task Force agrees that testing is vital to returning to competition. Testing should not be considered a mitigation strategy but rather a report card of how true mitigation strategies are being followed on your campus.

Regarding physical distancing and masking during travel, schools will follow institutional policy.

The GLIAC Task Force supports a hybrid testing/education/screening model developed by the GLIAC COVID-19 Task Force in cooperation with the U.S. Council for Athletes' Health (USCAH).

EDUCATION: The USCAH provides e-learning on the following topics: COVID-19 in Sport for Athletes; COVID-19 in Sport for Coaches and Support Staff; Return to Sport from COVID-19 for Administrators. All courses are online and require a minimal time commitment (8-10 minutes per course) from student-athletes, coaches, and staff.

SCREENING APP: The USCAH's Athletics Healthspace includes a real-time survey management system that tracks health screening reports for the GLIAC Office and/or institutions. 

Fans and Spectators

Based on the current COVID climate, and in order to best protect institutions' ability to compete safely in GLIAC contests, the GLIAC COPC has adopted the COVID-19 Task Force recommendation that events will be held without spectators, bands, mascots, cheer teams, and promotional activities. GLIAC administrators will continue to monitor and evaluate the COVID climate and will make future determinations for fans and spectators at a later date.