By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University men's basketball Head Coach Kip Ioane and men's basketball player Jordan Jenkins (Sr., F, Placentia, CA/Valencia HS) will be presenters on a panel at the 2019 NCAA Inclusion Forum on Friday, April 26 in Atlanta, Georgia. Ioane and Jenkins will be part of a panel discussion about "Detoxing Your Team:  Building a Culture of Healthy Masculinity."

Ioane and Jenkins will talk about the "Teams of Men" program that the Willamette men's basketball team has put into action in recent years. Willamette's program is designed to develop character among Bearcat basketball players. Ioane and Jenkins also will be involved in the overall discussion of developing a positive culture on athletic teams.

Another Willamette basketball player, Trent Callan (Sr., G, Portland, OR/Lincoln HS), will be attending the NCAA Inclusion Forum. Also participating and representing Willamette will be Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Jade Aguilar, Assistant Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Leslie Shevlin, and Head Women's Soccer Coach Hillary Arthur.

The chance for this opportunity began about six years ago when Ioane developed the "Teams of Men" program for his Willamette team.

"I launched the first iteration of the program in 2013 in response to my belief that it was not enough for me as a coach to simply state 'As long as it's not my guys, I don't need to have concern for sexual assault on campuses across the country,'" Ioane said. "I wanted to dive into the root causes of the issues, educate my young men about them, and hopefully lead to prevention of the actions.

"It has, with the help of numerous Willamette and Salem community members, grown over the past six years into something encompassing the entire notion of 'toxic masculinity," it's history, root causes, and steps we can take as a team of men to be part of the solution to the issue."

Members of the Willamette men's basketball team usually complete the capstone to the program by speaking to athletes at one of the Salem area high schools. It was a similar presentation that led directly to Ioane and Jenkins being selected for a panel at this year's NCAA Inclusion Forum.

"The genesis of the invite to present in Atlanta was co-captains Jordan Jenkins and Trent Callan giving their capstone presentation to Yannich Kluch from the NCAA Office of Inclusion," Ioane recalled. "Kluch was visiting our campus. While our seniors are typically required to give the #TeamsOfMen presentation to local high school boys' teams, we thought it was a great opportunity for a new audience and had them give it to Kluch. They did such a good job, he decided the program was deserving of being highlighted and showcased at the NCAA Inclusion Forum."

It has taken time for Jenkins and Callan to reach the point where they are ready to attend a national meeting that will include what they've learned through the "Teams of Men" program.

"I have been preparing for the capstone presentation since I walk on campus my freshman year," Jenkins commented. "'Teams of Men' is part of the three pillars of men's basketball:  men, family, legacy. Basically, what we focused on was an understanding of sexual assault, from perpetrators to statistics, and understanding toxic masculinity. Through classes, videos, readings and discussions, I was able to present to the NCAA what I have learned and how it has changed me as a man."

Callan agreed, saying "Our basketball team has been preparing since our freshman year. We have weekly character development meetings in the fall before the season begins. Coach Ioane will show us an informative video or some statistics, or give us a scenario, and then ask us to discuss in smaller groups. We then present what we found interesting about the topic to our whole team. One thing I find great about doing this on our team is the amount of diverse answers or insights we get. Since we are comfortable with each other it is easy for a player to ask questions without getting ridiculed because they do not know the answer. This fosters a great environment for learning. I'm glad I've been a part of it since my freshman year."

The program has created many learning situations for members of Ioane's team They have been able to grow a team with healthy masculinity.

"I think the biggest thing was understanding how to react and respond to those who have experienced some sort of sexual assault or any type of domestic and sexual violence," Jenkins said. "One in three women face some sort of sexual violence. That number is astonishingly large, and I want to be part of the process in decreasing such a figure. I know people first hand who have gone through these traumatic experiences. I want to be an outlet for them to know I am there and that they can lean on me for support."

"One of my favorite topics on toxic masculinity is the role society plays in perpetuating this idea," Callan noted. "In commercials, television and action movies, the main character, which is usually a man, is portrayed as tough and emotionless. He will solve all his problems with violence and is afraid to speak about his feelings. This promotes the idea of a man that society has defined. As a team, we try to define was really makes a man. Although this is hard to do, it does not embody anything that society defines as a man. Also, as a team we hold each other accountable and are there for each other. Since we have these tough and sometimes awkward conversations, we become a close-knit group who are able to actually talk to each other when we need to."

On Friday, the panel discussion featuring Ioane and Jenkins will focus on creating healthy masculinity on intercollegiate teams. "Jordan and I will be on a panel with Nico Darras, founder of AndMe Consulting. The moderator is Chris Mosier, an American transgender advocate and Team USA World Championship triathlete," Ioane said.

"I want people to see Willamette University as a school that is trying to create change on a larger scale that just their own campus," Jenkins said. "Everyone can learn a little about themselves and about how they can positively affect those around them."

According to Ioane, he has several reasons to attend the Inclusion Forum in Atlanta.

"While obviously the ability to share our story with Jordan to the country is the feature benefit of this experience, I'm also very excited to be able to attend the conference itself," Ioane said. "Our program has grown and developed through the help of so many people that I can only imagine what new things we can bring back from this."

Jenkins and Callan also said that they were looking forward to various aspects of the Inclusion Forum. Both players also thanked the NCAA and Willamette for providing them with the change to attend the meetings.

"I am going to learn as much as possible at the forum in Atlanta. There will be so many talks and discussions led by different people about varying topics." Callan said. I will listen and try to bring new ideas back to my teammates. I am looking forward to the new perspectives. I am excited to hear about new topics and different ways to think about them."

"I am most excited to learn from people who are smarter than me," Jenkins commented. "As someone who strives to be an advocate for people in my community, learning how to be the best person for those around me is a big step in the right direction."