When Xavier Universityputs its athletic uniforms on this season, one of the most visible spots on them will carry a message that goes beyond sports.
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Xavier University Athletics announced a uniform patch sponsorship agreement with 1N5, one of the region's leading nonprofit organizations focused on preventing suicide and promoting mental health.
The multi-year agreement, announced during Suicide Prevention Awareness month, makes Xavier the first Big East school and first major Division I institution to have a uniform patch tied to an agreement with a nonprofit organization, according to a press release from the school.
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For Xavier, the decision was about more than finding a new revenue source after the NCAA approved the use of commercial uniform and jersey patches for Division I programs earlier this year.
"Certainly the fact that this was mission-based was important to us," Xavier Athletic Director Greg Christopher said. "One of Xavier's core values is Cura Personalis and caring for others. 1N5's mission is focused on that in the mental health space."
The partnership has the obvious business benefit for Xavier as it allows the school to grow revenue for all 19 teams. But unlike a traditional corporate sponsorship, the partnership also gives 1N5 a national platform to spread its message.
"There is nothing more visible than our team's uniform, both in the Cincinnati market and on national TV," Christopher said. "If we can aid in that visibility and awareness for 1N5, that's what this partnership is about."
For 1N5 Founder and Executive Director Nancy Eigel-Miller, the agreement carries a much more personal significance. Her father, Jim Eigel, attended Xavier and later established the school's Eigel Center for Community Engaged Learning. Eigel-Miller lost her husband, Jim, a former Xavier administrator, to suicide in 2008.
She founded the James W. Miller Memorial Fund in 2010. It is now known as 1N5, a name to reflect that one in five adults live with a mental health condition. The organization's mission has remained focused on stopping the stigma, increasing education and encouraging conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.
"It's extremely meaningful. It's very emotional," Eigel-Miller said. "It's a recognition that we've had that commitment to the university for a long time and just recognizing how important this conversation is."
Eigel-Miller believes an athletic uniform can be a powerful vehicle for her organization's message because of the visibility and influence athletes have.
"A lot of times, we idolize athletes and raise them to a higher level. For the university to add our patch to the uniform just speaks to the fact that they are elevating that conversation on campus," Eigel-Miler said.
The partnership will extend beyond a patch itself. Xavier and 1N5 plan to provide mental-wellness programing and education for student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff, while also bringing outreach to the broader student body, area youth and community.
"The thing that we're really concentrating on is not only is it the patch, but it's the education that goes beyond the patch," Eigel-Miller said. "Hopefully we get people talking and people get the help they need.
"This is the biggest awareness campaign that we could ever dream of."
The partnership will build on Xavier's foundation of student services that includes mental health treatment and crisis management, as well as a wellness coordinator, counseling and a helpline. In this year's Princeton Review Best Colleges rankings, Xavier was named No. 8 in the country for Best Student Support and Counseling Services and No. 10 for Best Health Services.
"They've made it a priority. They've taken a lot of action over the last 10-15 years to elevate the conversation," Eigel-Miller said. "I think it's a great partnership and we can just take it to a higher level."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Xavier pushes mental health message with 1N5 uniform patch partnership
