AD Newsletter with Bryan Felt - September 2020 - Seton Hall University Athletics

September 2020

Dear Pirates Nation,

As the weather turns to the crisp fall, I want you to know that we are hard at work preparing for our men's and women's basketball seasons and getting ready for our fall sports to get back to competition in the spring semester. And all the while, we are doing everything with the safety of our student-athletes, staff and supporters in mind.

As I've mentioned in this space before, if you have any questions or need updates regarding Seton Hall's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I urge you to visit the University's website: https://www.shu.edu/health-intervention-communication/index.cfm

Basketball Begins Nov. 25!

Walsh Gymnasium Crowd During Wagner Game

On Sept. 16, we received great news that the NCAA Div. I Council approved a Nov. 25 start date for the men's and women's basketball seasons, which makes a lot of sense as campuses dismiss students and faculty for the semester, giving us the opportunity to host opponents with a less dense population around. While no decision has been made about fans in attendance, we are still very hopeful that we will be able to have fans in some capacity.

Please know that our season ticket holders will receive priority when it comes to the 2020-21 season, so if you have thought about purchasing season tickets or are still on the fence about renewing, I highly encourage you to connect with our ticket staff to discuss your options. Below are all the ways you can reach a ticket office representative:

Email: tickets@shu.edu
Phone: (973) 275-4255
Chat: http://alivech.at/v97x8l

Allow me to reiterate that the revenue generated from men's basketball season tickets and the Pirate Blue Seat Priority Seat Premium are critical towards supporting not only our basketball teams but all 14 of our programs. We hope we can count on your support as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters.

Fall Sports Update

On Sept. 16, we were also pleased to learn that the NCAA Div. I Council approved moving fall championships to the spring season. We are so eager to provide our teams the opportunity to compete for a championship, and we are glad that we will be able to provide that to our fall sports teams during the spring semester.

All of our programs are currently practicing, and now that they have schedule parameters in place, they will work towards being ready for their first date of competition. Stay tuned as we work with the BIG EAST to determine schedules for both the regular season and the conference tournaments.

Our Student-Athletes are Prepared to Exercise Their Right to Vote

One of the key elements of our #HALLin This TOGETHER initiative this semester has been educating our student-athletes about the importance of voting and civic engagement. I want to thank RISE for its RISE to Vote seminar that the group recently presented to our student-athletes. I think they got a lot of it, including how athletes use their voice and platform to inspire change, the importance of understanding that voting in local elections helps shape the policies and laws that we live by and a step-by-step demonstration of how to vote in this year's election.

I'm proud that our student-athletes are excited to share their voice this Election Day, and I hope that they all exercise their right to vote in November. As part of the NCAA's new legislation that was put forth by SAAC leadership, this Election Day and all going forward will be a mandatory day off for the student-athletes so that they can do their civic duty.

Please be sure to read the recap of our participation in the RISE to Vote seminar, which includes some words from our student-athletes about voting as well as a video.

Sign Up for Our Virtual Beefsteak Tip-Off Dinner

As I alluded to last month, Pirate Blue is committed to hosting the 12^th annual Beefsteak Tip-Off Dinner, and thanks to the creativity of our staff, we will be holding the event both in-person and virtually on Thursday, Oct. 29. The evening will celebrate the start of the men's and women's basketball seasons, it serves as a vital fundraiser for the programs.

An important element to the Beefsteak Dinner is of course the food! And even though we will be mostly virtual for this event, Pirate Blue has two terrific options. For those who live within an hour of our campus, our great partner Gourmet Dining Services can deliver a hot meal to your house on Oct. 29 to enjoy during our virtual program. For Pirate Blue Nation outside of the one-hour radius, you can sign up for our Omaha Steaks package.

And as always, we will hold a silent auction, this year to be held online and over a week leading up to and including the night of the Beefsteak. We'll have some terrific items and experiences up for bid.

Again, I cannot stress enough how important the Beefsteak Tip-Off Dinner is for our men's and women's basketball programs, so if you're a big fan of our teams, I hope we can count on your support.

You can register for the Beefsteak online today at http://SHU.edu/beefsteak.

Please Enjoy Our 2019-20 Annual Report

The 2019-20 year at Seton Hall Athletics will probably forever be known as bittersweet due to the way the COVID-19 pandemic ended our season in March. But nonetheless, we have so much to be proud of from the last year, which was my first since I returned to my alma mater as Director of Athletics.

We made many strides, from facility improvements to successful basketball seasons to another record-high department grade point average, and everything that we accomplished was with the goal of providing a meaningful student-athlete experience while preparing them to become leaders in our world after graduation.

You can read all about our department's accomplishments in 2019-20 in our annual report, which is now available online. I hope the achievements of the past year inspires you to continue your support of our student-athletes, coaches and staff in together building the premier NCAA Division I athletic program that continues to shine brilliantly on our campus and represents our Seton Hall community throughout the world.

Keep Hoisting the Colors on Social Media!

Thanks to all of our fans and supporters who have sent in photos as part of our Hoist the Colors campaign. Keep sending them to our @SHUAthletics Twitter account! Above are four more photos from great fans and I look forward to featuring four more next month!

STAY SAFE & GO PIRATES!