Feb. 26, 2009

Philadelphia, PA – Scholar and author Dr. Richard E. Lapchick addressed La Salle student-athletes and coaches on Thursday, February 26, about equality and how sports can act as a tool for social change.

The founder and president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport, Lapchick is a pioneer for racial equality who has been tagged as “the racial conscience of sport”. He is the owner of eight honorary degrees and, for six years, has been named as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports.

Over the course of the presentation, Lapchick touched on violence, discrimination and sexual assault. He also went on to discuss that sports can act as a healing process for tragic incidents. For instance, following the shooting at Virginia Tech, the unity between the campus, family and friends took place at a Virginia Tech baseball game.

Lapchick closed by saying that everyone has the power to affect social change by the way he or she lives.

The National Consortium for Academics and Sport is made up of 225 colleges and universities. Two of the program’s many focuses have been on helping former student-athletes return to get their degrees and helping over 16.5 million people in the NCAS community service program.