LATHAM, N.Y. - The United East and Gallaudet University Athletics is celebrating "Officials' Appreciation Week" along with all other Division III and Division II conferences throughout the 2024-25 academic year. This year marks the third year of this initiative adopted by the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) to recognize and thank conference officials across all sports.

Officials' Appreciation Week will be celebrated during the fall, winter and spring sport seasons. To kick off the year, the fall celebration took place from October 7-13 followed by January 27-February 2 for winter and April 7-13 for spring.

The commitment of United East officials and referees to provide safe, fair and competitive contests is a critical part of the student-athlete experience.

"Officiating at a high level is a difficult profession and we have the utmost respect for all of our officials," remarked Sam Carges, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications. "We also want to extend a big thanks to our Officials Coordinators who not only make sure our officials are scheduled and in the right place but also are continuously working to improve and develop their rosters."

Officials' Appreciation Week is one of numerous initiatives that are being implemented as part of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Strategic Plan for Collegiate Officiating that was created as a result of the DIIICA's Strategic Analysis of the State of Collegiate Officiating.

In conjunction with the NCAA and the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), there is an urgent need for sports officials, if interested please visit the NCAA's Say Yes to Officiating platform to learn more.