CMS Athletics Purpose, Beliefs, and Values

Statement of Purpose

The CMS Department of Athletics and Physical Education endeavors to enhance the liberal arts missions of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps Colleges. By providing excellent educational, recreational, and competitive opportunities, CMS strives to build community, promotes lifelong health, fosters personal leadership and team growth, and upholds standards of responsibility, perseverance, character, integrity, and inclusion.

Core Beliefs 

Superb intercollegiate, intramural, club, physical education, and recreational athletics programs uniquely support the liberal arts missions of Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps College.

Pursuit of competitive achievement with passion and integrity by CMS intercollegiate athletics fosters teamwork, trust, self-discipline, perseverance, and community spirit.

By competing ethically, winning with grace, losing with dignity, and modeling hard work, fair play, resilience, and character, CMS athletes learn important lessons that will help them grow as responsible leaders.

Recreational programs and club and intramural sports enhance self-confidence and community as students, faculty, and staff engage in physical activity that emphasizes broad participation, sportsmanship, and sustained fitness.

Lifelong habits of health are cultivated through physical education courses that progressively develop students’ understanding of mental and physical wellness as being deeply correlated to personal productivity and the capacity to positively impact society.

Guiding Values

Character, Community, Courage, Determination, Excellence, Fairness, Fitness, Grace, Growth, Integrity, Leadership, Passion, Perseverance, Resilience, Responsibility, Spirit, Teamwork, Trust, and Wellness. 

Commitment to the Conference

As a member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges joins the California Lutheran University, California Institute of Technology, Chapman University, the University of La Verne, Occidental College, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, the University of Redlands and Whittier College in subscribing to the SCIAC Ethics and Conduct Statement as to the conduct of its athletic programs.

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges assume responsibility to ensure that:

  1. Conduct before, during and after competition of all those who represent the participating institutions exhibits the highest standards of behavior.
  2. Competition is conducted in a manner that encourages enthusiastic support within the confines of good sportsmanship, and fosters a positive attitude among spectators in support of their teams.
  3. Coaches and student-athletes abide by the letter and spirit of the playing rules and are responsible for conducting themselves in an honest and sportsmanlike fashion at all times.
  4. Coaches are encouraged to foster sportsmanlike behavior on the part of their student-athletes both in and out of season.