by Jessica Rodriguez
Staff Writer
Paul Alvarez, clinical supervisor for athletic training and professor of movement and sports science at the University, was recently named chairman of the Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee for the Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association.
This organization is specifically focusing on the reasons for the lack of diversity among athletic trainers.
“The ethnic minorities are only 3 percent of all athletic trainers,” Alvarez said.
“We want to find out why ethnics are so poorly represented.”
Minority representation in college athletics overall is about 50 percent, Alvarez said.
Athletic training does not accurately represent the population.
It just needs to be like any other profession; they need to explore the reasons for the low percentage of minorities in the field, he said.
The EDAC wants to make sure that there is nothing standing in the way of those minorities that want to become athletic trainers.
Alvarez said he wants to make sure that there is nothing holding these minorities back from entering his profession.
There are many of minorities in Southern California and they want to make sure that they are all given equal opportunities, Alvarez said.
Alvarez wants to be able to carter those who want to be in this field on the right approaches and tasks they need to accomplish to be successful.
The committee’s jurisdiction includes California, Nevada and Hawaii, which all need to increase the number of minorities in athletic training.
Alvarez is enthusiastic about his new position. Though he said he hasn’t been given a job description or instructions, per se.
It will be up to Alvarez to establish these guidelines for the committee.
“I do not believe in entitlement,” Alvarez said adding that people should not be given jobs just because they are from under-represented groups.
They will have to take the time and show their interest in the profession.
Although they are trying to have athletic training represent society accurately those who are interested are going to have to work for it.
Alvarez is going to create opportunities for the people interested.
Alvarez’ participation with this group is also a boon to ULV. There are various other California universities involved with the EDAC, including Cal State Northridge.
It is not the actual school involved with the committee but the professors at the Universities. Still Alvarez is a resource on campus for those interested in the work of this committee.
