When Marlon LeBlanc arrived at WVU in August 2006 as WVU s mens soccer coach�€and the Universitys first African American head coach�€the New Jersey native and former Penn State assistant coach admits to bringing some biases with him.During a trip to WVU s Human Resources department to fill out his employee paperwork, he noticed that a man in the waiting area was staring at him.That stare brought his concerns and preconceived notions bubbling to the surface.
I was thinking, �€~Here we go,LeBlanc admits.
Then, the staring man smiled, welcomed him to WVU and wished him luck in his new role.
It was a defining moment,LeBlanc said.Any hesitation I felt about coming to Morgantown evaporated. I realized that this is a community that embraces people, and since then Ive felt very welcome.
LeBlanc, with his newfound love for West Virginia and WVU , went on to lead the Mountaineers to their first undefeated season in the Big East, and to earn the Soccer America National Coach of the Year award.
But despite his teams success and WVU s welcoming environment, he learned that his players werent immune from the biases of others. One of his soccer players, black student-athlete, told him that two men in a passing car had called him a derogatory name�€a racial slur.
The incident troubled LeBlanc, but it also suggested a plan. LeBlanc decided that the WVU communitys love for its sports teams could be a powerful force for breaking down prejudices.
The thought process was those guys were probably fans of WVU football or basketball or baseball or soccer,said LeBlanc.Theyre probably the same people who are out in the stands cheering every time theres a touchdown, or a goal scored. So I wanted to use athletics as our vehicle to make a difference.
He looked for a common denominator, a way to take WVU s strong sense of community and weave it into the fabric of inclusion and tolerance.
LeBlanc realized thatThe common thread is that we are one WVU ,said LeBlanc.Gold and blue�€those are the colors that define us,
Stand Up Speak Up, a European anti-racism campaign sponsored by Nike and featuring several prominent soccer players, helped to inspire LeBlanc.The multinational campaign inspired people around the world to unite around the power and promise of athletics.
LeBlanc wanted to transfer that message to WVU .He met with Jennifer McIntosh, WVU executive officer for social justice, and Mike Parsons, deputy director of athletics, to discuss the idea, and then worked with Mountaineer Sports Network and University Advancement and Marketing to produce a 30-second public service announcement to air on the scoreboard during Mountaineer sporting events. Called oneWVU, the video featured WVU student athletes from various backgrounds proclaiming their Mountaineer unity.
The University has also raised awareness of the campaign in several ways, including airing the video on state television stations, placing ads in newspapers and magazines, producing a Web site feature and sending post cards across the country. President Mike Garrison recently introduced the oneWVU campaign at the February Capital Classic in Charleston.
This campaign captures an important part of who we are as Mountaineers,Garrison said.WVU pulls people together. We are a family. We stand up for one another.
Future plans for oneWVU include integrating it into the curriculum for University 101 orientation courses and incorporating it into New Student Orientation, student mentoring programs, residence hall programming, and faculty and staff training. Collaborations are being planned with the School of Physical Education, Center for Black Culture, WVU Extension Service, and the Office of Student Affairs.
Finding a home at WVU
LeBlanc may be particularly sensitive to diversity issues because his team members come from such widely varied backgrounds. The current roster includes student athletes from Finland, Trinidad, England, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand, as well as students from 12 American states.
Like LeBlanc, some his of his team members had to discover the true West Virginia in the heart of the Morgantown community.
Prior to coming to WVU , I had never been to West Virginia before,said defender/forward Reed Cooper, a history senior.Being from Wisconsin, I knew very little about the state: no more than some stereotypes. What I found was that the people and community are nothing but kind to everyone who comes here.West Virginians are welcoming people who love their state.
Coming from Trinidad, Donald LaGuerre, a junior midfielder/defender majoring in exercise physiology, left his home and culture behind for a place he knew little about.I had no idea what to expect at WVU or from WVU . But I have no regrets about coming to Morgantown. I enjoy the education system, the social life, the different teams (especially soccer), and the people I have met here.It is a place where I fit.
During the recruiting process, LeBlanc tries to get recruits from across the country and around the world to visit.He knows if they meet the people, they will find a home.
Getting them here to see the community for themselves is the biggest challenge,he claims.Once they see WVU and Morgantown, they fall in love with the community very quickly.
Once they become Mountaineers, the next challenge his players must overcome is homesickness, which is especially acute for international students who cant return to their own homes for holidays and breaks.
Donald LaGuerre agreed that being away from home and family can be difficult.
My only concerns here are the winters since I came from the warm Caribbean climate, and the fact that I do not get to see my mother very often,he said.
LeBlanc believes that coaches have the responsibility to make their student athletes feel at home, and he and his wife Jennifer work to foster a family feeling by inviting students to Thanksgiving dinner and other events at their home. Players from around the world also quickly bond with each other through their shared love of soccer. Teammates and friends support each other through homesickness.
Soon, they embrace WVU a tightly as it embraces them.
LaGuerre knew it had happened for him when he started to call his Morgantown apartmenthome.
I love my country, Trinidad and Tobago,he said.I am what we refer to back home as a �€~Trini to d Bone,meaning that I am happy with my home and proud of it. At first it was difficult to say to my teammates and friends that I wasgoing homein reference to my apartment in downtown Morgantown. But this quickly changed, and going to my apartment was going home. WVU is my second home.
Like LeBlanc, LaGuerre and Cooper have found a good fit in what began as an unfamiliar place.Most of the people here are intrigued by my culture and country,LaGuerre said.
I found the WVU community very welcoming coming in my freshmen year, and that support only seemed to grow as the years went on,Cooper agreed.Once you are in the WVU community, it’s like youre part of a new larger family.
oneWVU
Both LaGuerre and Cooper are very supportive of the oneWVU project, though neither appeared in the initial video because LeBlanc wanted to shield his players from the spotlight during the soccer season. Now that the season is over�€the Mountaineers finished the regular season ranked third in the Big East, and reached the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament and the NCAA Sweet 16�€LeBlanc will continue efforts to promote respect for diversity at WVU .
Cultural diversity is more than just the color of your skin. Its more than just where youre from. I think to understand cultural diversity, you have to immerse yourself in what makes you, you, and in what makes another person who they are.
His goals for the project are ambitious.
I hope we can build the sense of inclusion and true community in everyone,he added.If people are willing to look beyond their biases, their preconceived notions, and say, �€~Ok. These guys are a part of me, and this girl plays for WVU then maybe that would eliminate racism, even underlying racism that people dont know they have. We all need to look at what it is that binds us rather than what it makes us different.
According to LeBlanc, what binds Mountaineers is a pride in the Universitys life-changing work, a lifelong devotion to the friends made here, and a sense that the WVU community will always welcome its Mountaineers home�€where ever they come from and where ever they go.If pride in our teams, and pride in this place can be harnessed to build unity, we will do everything we can to promote that pride,said LeBlanc.
His players are the first to agree.
I think my teammates from around the world, and those from across the US, will feel they have found a home here at WVU , and that this is a place we all will consider our second homes for our entire lives,Cooper said.Once youre a part of the WVU community family, youre always a part of it.
We are all oneWVU.
The video can be viewed atwww.youtube.com/wvuvideos.
For more features from the WVU Alumni Magazine, visithttp://alumni.wvu.edu/publications/alumni_magazine