Director of Athletics Peter Casey stated, “At UMass Lowell, we continue to try to make all of our student-athletes and staff feel seen, heard, respected, and protected. I am so proud that we continue to be among the nation’s leaders for diversity, equity, and inclusion, helping to set a standard in college athletics, but I know that there is always more work that can be done, and we must continue to push ourselves in this area every day”. The AEI seeks to create a benchmark for athletic departments’ creation of diversity policies and procedures.