ACADEMIC, APPELLATE, AND
SENATE COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT
2007-2008 Academic Year
COMMITTEE: University Athletics Committee
1.
Membership (include ex-officio members).
|
Elected Members (Presence determines quorum; also
comprises the Academic Integrity Subcommittee) |
|
|
Robert
Kulesher Vice Chair Cal
Christian Secretary Mike
Felts Chair Sunday Ajose |
Rosina Chia Art Rodriquez Mark Moore Scott Below |
|
Ex-Officio
Members with vote |
|
|
Chris
Riley-Tillman David Dosser |
Brenda Myrick Grant Jarman |
|
Ex-Officio
Members without vote |
|
|
Austin Bunch Nancy Mize Nick Floyd Nita Boyce Rosie Thompson |
William Thomas Brad Congleton Tim Metcalf |
2. Meeting
Dates (include members present*).
September 20, 2007
R. Kulesher, C. Christian, M.
Felts, S. Ajose, A. Rodriquez, M. Moore,
D. Dosser, B. Myrick, A. Bunch,
N. Mize, N. Floyd, N. Boyce, R. Thompson,
G. Overton, T. Metcalf, T. Holland
October 18, 2007
R. Kulesher, C. Christian, M.
Felts, S. Ajose, A. Rodriquez, M. Moore,
D. Dosser, B. Myrick, N. Boyce,
R. Thompson, G. Overton, B. Congleton (SGA), T. Holland, C. Riley-Tillman
November 15, 2007
C. Christian, M. Felts, A.
Rodriquez, M. Moore, S. Below, C. Riley-Tillman, D. Dosser, N. Boyce, N. Mize,
N. Floyd, B Congleton, J Newby, T Metcalf, G. Overton
January 17, 2008
M. Felts, A. Rodriquez, M.
Moore, S. Ajose, R. Kulsher, Stacy Altman, D. Dosser, N. Boyce, N. Mize, N.
Floyd, R. Thompson, T Metcalf, G. Overton,
Keri Brockett (for B Congleton), Jennifer Bonner
April 3, 2008
C. Christian, M. Felts, M.
Moore, S. Ajose, R. Chia, C. Riley-Tillman, D. Dosser, N. Boyce, N. Floyd, T.
Metcalf, G. Overton, S. Below, S. Altman, R. Thompson
April 29, 2008
M.
Moore, S. Below, S. Altman, R. Thompson, N. Boyce, N. Mize, A. Bunch, N. Floyd,
D. Dosser, T. Holland, T. Metcalf, G. Overton
3. Subcommittees established during the year
(include progress and/or completion of work).
Established the Gender Equity Subcommittee charged with reviewing
the University’s 2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan for Athletics and writing a new
five-year plan. The composition of the
subcommittee was a follows: Stacey
Altman (EXSS), Rosina Chia (PSYC), Cal Christian (ACCT), Mike Felts (HEP) David
Dosser (FAR), Nancy Mize (Student Life), Tracey Kee (ATHL) Nick Floyd (ATHL),
Rosie Thompson (ATHL), Gary Overton (ATHL), Alex Smith (Student-Athlete).
The
two work products of this committee are contained in Appendices 1 and 2 of this
report.
4. Accomplishments during the year, especially
as addressed through committee goals.
Please include recommendations made to any University agency other than
the
Committee goals and related committee
efforts were as follows:
A. monitor
the academic progress of all intercollegiate athletic teams – the Academic Integrity Subcommittee met in
following the September and January to review the academic progress of student
athletes for the Spring 2008 and Fall 2008 semesters respectively. The January review revealed concerns
regarding the grades earned by freshmen on the football and women’s track and
field teams during the fall semester.
Nita Boyce followed up in April with a report to the entire committee
regarding special efforts to identify problems and remediate them. Interim grade reports for the spring semester
suggested progress was being made.
APR
difficulties experienced by the men’s basketball program remain a concern of
the committee. These penalties result
largely from player attrition resulting from the prior coaching staffs. The circumstances make it difficult to remedy
the situation. It was noted that the GPA
for the current team is much improved thanks to efforts of the current coaching
staff. The committee will continue to
monitor this situation closely.
At
it’s January meeting the committee received a report from Jennifer Bonner, the
coordinator of the tutoring program. Ms Bonner reported that all tutors go
through training that includes material on academic integrity. She also pointed out that the contract
tutor’s sign include stipulations regarding academic integrity. She also pointed out that all tutors are good
students (a 3.0 GPA is required but most are much higher) and that they would
be risking their own student status if they were involved in any form of
cheating. The job descriptions tutors
receive are very specific about appropriate aid they can provide. Tutors are not permitted to be present if
students are working on online quizzes.
Tutors are also networked with faculty members who provide guidance
regarding the appropriate role for tutors in aiding students when writing
projects or doing computer-programming projects. Policies also exist that preclude students
who have personal relationships with a student-athlete to serve as his/her
tutor.
Two
specific challenges the tutoring program faces are facilities and
staffing. There can be a need to find
space for between 150-300 tutors and student athletes during a single study
hall period. A number of facilities are
used including several rooms in Ward and the press box at the baseball
stadium. Pay for tutors is $7/hour for
undergrads and $10/hour for grad students.
The fact that there is not consistent schedule or hours is a
disincentive to some potentials tutors.
B. when
deemed appropriate, consult with appropriate athletic department personnel
regarding academic issues for specific teams – see A above.
C. work with student development personnel to
improve faculty response in the reporting of student-athlete grades - at the
committees suggestion the program used to query faculty regarding
student-athlete grades was modified so that grades previously reported would
not need to be re-entered.
D. continue to work with the athletic
administration to alleviate the burden on student athletes associated with
travel to competitions - the circumstances surrounding this issue are
largely a result of the university’s membership in Conference
E. review
the gender equity plan associated with the NCAA certification process and makes
recommendations in regards to assuring compliance – See item 3 above and the associated Appendices.
F. review the process for awarding ‘special
talent’ waivers for admission to the university – the committee chair and the FAR met with athletics
and admissions personnel during the spring semester to look at this
process. Recommendations were outlined
but the status of this effort has not been finalized.
G. review the current organization of the
compliance and student development offices exploring the possibility of moving
these activities to Academic Affairs –
no formal review was accomplished.
H. continue to work with student development
personnel to identify appropriate facilities for tutoring and other development
activities – No new facilities were
identified and this remains an issue. It
appears that this need will be addressed in stadium expansion plans but those
plans have not presented to the committee.
5.
Reports to the
None, however the Gender Equity Plan filed with this report is,
effectively and report to Senate as the UAC has oversight of University efforts
as specified in the 2002 NCAA Certification Report.
6.
Business carried over to next year (list in priority order).
a. Continue to monitor the APR situation
with regard to men’s basketball as the potential associated penalties could
significantly impact the university.
b. Provide oversight regarding the 2008-2013
Gender Equity Plan.
c. Through the Academic Integrity
Subcommittee, monitor the progress of those teams identified as having problems
in the Spring 2008 review.
d. Review the status of efforts to formalize
the processes involved in granting so-called “special talent waivers”.
e. Explore the pros and cons of moving the
compliance and student development functions currently house in athletics to
Academic Affairs.
7. Evaluation of the committee (include anything
that hindered or assisted the committee's work during the year).
The committee did excellent work this year. The members were consistently present and
interested. The only issue that hinders
this committee is the complexity of its charge.
Understanding college athletics requires a great deal of
investment.
8. Suggestion(s) to the Chair of the Faculty
and/or
None except to have as much continuity of membership as practical
(see seven above).
9. Does the Committee’s organizational meeting
next year need to be earlier than the date set this year? No
Chairperson, Michael Felts Secretary, Cal Christian
Appendix 1
Evaluation of the university’s response
to the 2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan
Memorandum
March 10, 2008
From: Michael Felts, Chair
To: Gender Equity Committee
Re: Evaluation of the university’s response to
the 2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan
Attached please find my
evaluation of the university’s response to the 2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan;
the most important database available in this area in is the website maintained
by the Department of Education. These
are data reported by each institution that receives federal funding. These data will be primary resources for any
external agency evaluating ECU’s Title IX compliance efforts. These data can be accessed at http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/.
The fact that
none of the head coaches who have returned surveys to this point (10/13) had
ever formally been made aware of the 2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan is disturbing
suggesting that these issues do not have much visibility within the athletics
department.
I welcome
response from both athletic department and faculty committee members. I would also think the athletic department
would want to study the Gender Equity Scorecard distributed to the committee
members at our first meeting. This
report is based purely on the objective data available from the DOE website. While some of the author’s methodology can be
questioned, the fact that ECU scored in amongst the ten worst institutions in
the country is not comforting.
|
ISSUES IN
THE SELF STUDY |
MEASURABLE
GOALS |
CURRENT
STATUS |
|
1. Increase scholarship opportunities in women’s sports. |
Increased scholarships in women’s sports to the NCAA maximum financial aid limit. |
Considerable progress has been made in this area. Scholarships were increased from 70 in 2002 to 93 in 2007. Approximately 4 scholarships are needed to reach the goal of full funding. |
|
2. Increase operating budgets for specific women’s sports. |
Provided additional operating funds for women’s sports. |
It is not possible to tell from data provided in the Gender Equity Report document (page 3) if any progress has been in funding relative to male sports. EADA data indicate that operating expenses for female sports are about 29% of the athletic total operating expenses. This is significantly below NCAA median of 38% and below the 40% participation level. |
|
3. Enhance locker room facilities for women’s sports. |
Provided separate locker rooms for women’s soccer, softball, tennis, and track and cross county. |
The locker room situation is poor and has not been improved in any measurable way this decade. There are serious inequities in this area and currently there is no documented timetable to correct the situation. |
|
4. Enhance softball field scoreboard. |
Installed new scoreboard at the softball field for the 2002 season. |
This was done. However, the softball field is inadequate
|
|
5. Enhance tennis court complex. |
Resurfaced tennis courts and installed new windscreens, nets, net posts, and lights. |
Courts have recently been resurfaced, however, this facility is marginal when compared to many campus tennis facilities. There is no accommodation for spectators and no on-sight storage for equipment. Neither tennis team has a locker room. |
|
6. Enhance monitoring of Department of Athletics gender equity planning. |
Established an Equity Agenda for the University Athletics Committee each semester. |
This was not done on a consistent basis during the period 2002-2007. |
|
7. Increase the participation proportion of women’s student-athletes compared to men’s student-athletes. |
Increased proportion of women’s student-athletes to a minimum of 45% by FY 2007. |
This was not accomplished. The Gender Equity Report presented to the UAC contains a good deal of documentation regarding participation. These data seem to indicate a 40% participation rate while the latest federal data indicate a 37.5% female participation. |
|
8. Increase the comparability of male/female coaches salaries where merited. |
Increased salaries of some female coaches in comparison to male increases. |
This goal lacks specific benchmarks. The data provided for this item in the Gender Equity Report are difficult to interpret and incomplete. They deal only with head coaches’ salaries and are difficult to compare. Federal data indicate that female coaches salaries (both head and assistant) are 31% of their male counterparts. |
|
9. Monitor the effective accommodation of the athletic interest of the university’s women’s population. |
Effectively accommodate the athletics interests of the women’s population on campus. |
This monitoring appears to have occurred. |
Appendix 2
Report of the Gender Equity Subcommittee including
the
ECU Athletics 2008-2013 Gender Equity Five-Year Plan
Report of the Gender Equity Subcommittee
Chair: Michael
Felts, Professor, HHP
2309 Belk
Committee Charge
The “University Athletics Committee” (UAC) is a standing
committee of the ECU
UAC Charge, FS Resolution #05-49, Dec. 2005)
The Gender Sub-Committee of the UAC is charged with
developing a new five-year Gender Equity Plan. The 2002 NCAA
Certification document mandates that such a plan be in place and states that
UAC has oversight responsibilities for the plan. The Gender Equity
Subcommittee will generate this plan and submit it to the UAC for approval. The
plan, as such, will not have to be approved by the ECU
Introduction
The NCAA Gender
Equity Task Force states“ an athletic
program is gender equitable when the men's sports program would be pleased to
accept for its own overall participation, opportunities and resources currently
allocated to the women's program and vice versa."
The Gender Equity
subcommittee of the university met six times during
the Spring 2008 semester to assess
The basis for the analysis
and conclusions presented in this report were the:
o
2002-07 Gender
Equity Five-Year Plan (2002 NCAA Recertification Self-Study)
o
2007 Equity
Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) Report (actual 2006 participation, revenues
& expenses
o
Salary and budget
data provided by the department of athletics
o
Data collected
from a survey of the 13 head coaches
o
Data collected
from a survey of female athletes (110 of 166 eligible student-athletes
responded)
o
Data from a tour
of the athletic facilities
o
Review of the
organizational chart provided by the department of athletics
o
Other information
provided by athletic department administrators
The 2008 Gender Equity
Subcommittee consisted of Stacey Altman (EXSS), Rosina Chia (PSYC), Cal
Christian (ACCT), Mike Felts (HEP) David Dosser (FAR), Nancy Mize (Student
Life), Tracey Kee (ATHL) Nick Floyd (ATHL), Rosie Thompson (ATHL), Gary Overton
(ATHL), Alex Smith (Student-Athlete).
Compliance with Title IX
The NCAA measures three specific
areas to assess an educational institution’s compliance with Title IX: Athletic
Financial Assistance, Accommodation of Athletic Interests and Abilities, and
eleven Other Program Areas.
I.
Athletic
Financial Assistance
Description:
The
Office of Civil Rights “will measure compliance with this standard by dividing
the amounts of aid available for the members of each sex by the numbers of male
or female participants in the athletic program and comparing the results.
Institutions may be found in compliance if this comparison results in
substantially equal amounts or if a resulting disparity can be explained by
adjustments to take into account legitimate, nondiscriminatory factors” (34
C.F.R. §106.37(c)).
Participants
are defined as athletes that are receiving the institutionally-sponsored
support normally provided to athletes competing at the institution involved on
regular basis during a sport’s season, athletes participating in organized
practice sessions and other team meetings and activities, athletes who are
listed on the eligibility/squad lists, and those athletes, who because of
injury, cannot meet the above listed criteria but continue to receive financial
aid on the basis of athletic ability.
Findings:
The
2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan Report notes the following increases: $87,500
(2003), $81,250 (2004), $55,250 (2005), $50,000 (2006), and $25,000 (2007).
Scholarship
expenses FY 2007-08:
Men’s Sports: $2,686,473.00
Women’s Sports: $1,551,981.00
$4,238,454.00
Female
participants account for 38% of the total participants and receive 37% of the
financial assistance. Male participants account for 62% of the total
participants and receive 63% of the financial assistance.
In
terms of scholarship equivalencies, 3.66 additional scholarships for women and
2.2 scholarships for men are needed in order for the respective programs to be
considered fully funded (at the NCAA maximum award limit).
The
athletic department reports effective May 1, 2008 all existing men’s and
women’s programs will be fully funded.
II. Accommodation
of Athletic Interests and Abilities
Description:
OCR’s
Policy Interpretation outlines three factors that may be considered
consecutively to assess the opportunity for individuals of both sexes to compete
in athletics programs (34 C.F.R. §106.4(c)(1)). Those three factors are:
1.
Whether
intercollegiate level participation opportunities for male and female students
are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to the respective
enrollments.
2.
Where the members
of one sex have been and are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes,
whether the institution can show a history and continuing practice of
program expansion, which is demonstrably responsive to the developing
interests and abilities of that sex.
3.
Where the members
of one sex are underrepresented among intercollegiate athletes, and the
institution cannot show a continuing practice of program expansion such as that
cited above, whether it can demonstrated that the interests and abilities
of the members of that sex have been fully and effectively accommodated
by the present program.
Furthermore,
this is the area in which assessment of whether the quality of competition
provided to male and female athletes equally reflects their abilities (i.e. Are
male and female teams allowed to schedule in such a way that reflect their
abilities? If it takes travel to certain locations to play certain teams for
the purpose of strength of schedule ratings, etc., are teams permitted to do so
on an equal basis?). Compliance requires that the institution “demonstrate a
history and continuing practice of upgrading the competitive opportunities
available to the historically disadvantaged sex as warranted by developing
abilities among the athletes of that sex” (34 C.F.R. §106.4(c)(1)).
Findings
ECU:
According
to the data provided to the Office of Postsecondary Education (pursuant to the
Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA)), In the 2006-2007 reporting year,
Findings
related to ECU’s potential compliance under each factor are listed below:
Factor 1 (proportionality): According to the EADA data, during
the reporting year 2006-2007, ECU reported 15,832 full-time undergraduate
students. Male students comprised 41% of the total enrollment while female
students accounted for 59% of the total enrollment.
Females: 59% of enrollment / 38% of total
athletic participants
Males: 41% of enrollment / 62% of total
athletic participants
It
is not clear what impact the elimination of men’s soccer had on total
participant numbers.[1]
Since
ECU cannot demonstrate equity via the enrollment proportionality, consideration
of factor 2 is appropriate. (ECU is at >20% difference and 2-5% is the
percent of difference usually the leeway allowed for being deemed in compliance
via proportionality. Note the 2-5% figure is based on a review of case law –
the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) maintains that there is no set ratio that
constitutes what ‘substantially
proportionate’ is.)
Factor 2 (expansion for underrepresented sex)
The
OCR explains that compliance via this factor would require noting when each
men’s and women’s team began intercollegiate competition and the origin of the
sport. If any men’s and women’s sports have been eliminated or added, the
reasons for elimination or addition should be recorded. The percentage of loss
or gain to each program should then be figured. In addition, attempts to add
teams should be addressed (if those attempts failed, reasons should be given).
If there is a plan to add teams, that, as well as written policies and
procedures for determining whether sports will be added should be documented.
ECU
eliminated men’s soccer after the Fall 2005 season.
Factor 3 (meeting interest and abilities)
Determining
whether an institution is in compliance via Factor 3 requires the most complex
considerations and procedures. When making that determination, OCR would
consider “whether the institution failed to accommodate ‘expressed interest,’
(for example athletes of the underrepresented sex participating in a club sport
express interest in intercollegiate competition (must have sufficient number).”
OCR would also consider programs indicative of interest.
The
2002-2007 Gender Equity Plan for ECU Athletics notes that monitoring of
interests is occurring in the following ways:
A.
The annual review of:
1.
Sports offered by
2.
Requests by ECU
students for additional sports programs,
3.
Participation
rates of women’s sports in the State of
4.
Participation in
club sports and intramural program.
B. The conducting of an annual survey of the women’s
undergraduate population to determine the interest levels in particular sports.
Due
to considerable controversy surrounding the effectiveness of surveying the
undergraduate population with regard to program interests the committee does
not endorse the administration of such a survey.
It
is unclear whether any such requests have been made at ECU.
Recommendations
Continue to monitor yearly.
If a survey is completed it
should be administered with caution. See:
III. Other
Program Areas NCAA Standard: Equity in
all areas.
1. Equipment and Supplies
While some student athletes reported that they felt slighted compared
to men’s teams, coaches did not report problems in this area. The institution recently initiated an
agreement with Nike for outfitting its’ teams.
The provision of apparel and other supplies related to this contract is
being phased in. There are some
difficulties with sizing and apparel color related to the contract. These difficulties may impact women’s teams disproportionately. Both coaches and athletes in several sports
reported issues related to equipment storage (either it being inadequate or
altogether absent). The burden here does
appear to fall primarily on the Olympic sports and, therefore, disproportionately
impacts female student-athletes.
2. Scheduling of Games and Practice Times
A gender-neutral policy appears to be in place and effective in this
area. Coaches reported some limitations
in practice times related to facility demands.
The lack of gymnasium space was reported as a constraint by the
volleyball and basketball coaches. The
track and soccer coaches reported some problems related to proximity of the
practice areas. Student-athletes in
these sports also reported these limitations.
These problems, however, did not appear to be gender-specific. The lack of lighting on the soccer field is
gender-specific and does impact scheduling.
3. Travel and Per Diem Allowance
The
gender-neutral policy is appropriate and now in effect. Coaches’ surveys do not indicate any
gender-specific issues. Membership in
Conference
4. Tutors
Both coach and student-athlete surveys suggest that a gender-neutral
environment exists for student development activities. The department does face considerable
challenges because in inadequate space.
These concerns should be addressed in the current facilities initiative.
5. Coaches
This
item rises from Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that prohibits gender
inequity in salary given similar skills and job requirements. ECU has worked
towards providing competitive salaries among other teams in Conference
Within the women’s sports, salaries are comparable
(except for basketball). The head coach salaries range from $63,000 for
swimming to $46,000 for tennis, the other salaries are $62,000, $60,000,
$57,000, $55,000, $54,000, while the basketball salary is $142,000. The
salaries are less for women sports when compared to their counterpart (men vs.
women’s basketball, softball vs. baseball and men vs. women’s golf). The only women’s coach that is paid more than
the men’s coach is the tennis coach (who is a male). The assistant coaches in basketball and
softball are also paid less than their male counterparts.
The recommendation would be where possible to provide
annual raises for the women’s team head coaches and assistants that would move
them closer to their male coach counterparts.
Erskine Bowles (President, UNC
General Administration) has pledged to work to raise faculty salaries to the 80th
percentile of that University’s peer institutions. It would seem logical that this initiative
should also be guiding salaries of athletic department personnel in those
institutions.
Below is a listing of the coaches and their salary
ranks within Conference
Sport Title Sex CUSA Salary Rank
Basketball Head Coach Female 5th
out of 12 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 4th out of 12 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 7th out of 12 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 6th out of 12 teams
Golf Head Coach Male 1st
out of 9 teams
Soccer Head Coach Male 6th
out of 12 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 6th out of 12 teams
Asst.
Coach Male 3rd out of 5 teams with 2 Asst’s
Softball Head Coach Female 4th
out of 9 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 4th out of 9 teams
Swimming1 Head Coach Male N/A
Asst.
Coach Male N/A
Asst.
Coach Male N/A
Asst.
Coach Male N/A
Tennis Head Coach Male 4th
out of 8 teams
Track
& CC2 Head Coach Male 4th
out of 4 teams
Asst.
Coach Male 2nd out of 3 teams
Asst.
Coach Male 2nd out of 3 teams
Volleyball Head Coach Male 6th
out of 11 teams
Asst.
Coach Female 8th out of 11 teams
1 ECU is the only school in Conference
2 Coaches both Men
and Women
Women’s Team Head Coach Assistant Coach(es)
Basketball Female 3 Females
Golf Male
Soccer Male 1 Female, 1 Male
Softball Female 1 Female
*Swimming Male 3 Males
Tennis
Male
*Track & Field
Male 4 Males
Volleyball
Male 1 Female
*Denotes mixed-gender squads.
While there are many variables that go into hiring
coaching staffs it would seem appropriate for the athletic department to
develop a strong, proactive stance in advertising, recruiting, and hiring to
increase the percentage of female coaches coaching women's teams.
6. Locker Rooms, Practice
and Competitive Facilities
Significant
inequities currently exist in athletic facilities. These problems are most apparent in sports that
do not share competition venues with men’s teams. Softball is the most glaring example. Situated adjacent to one of the finest
baseball facilities in the eastern
Basketball
and volleyball share Minges Coliseum with men’s basketball. While time in these facilities appears to be
allocated in a gender-neutral manner the coaches of all three sports report
that lack of an auxiliary practice facility does create inconvenience. Competition venues are also shared for
swimming and track and field. The track
and field facility is problematic. Due
to a number of issues it is impossible to host home meets. While the tennis facility appears to be
utilized in a gender-neutral manner and has recently been resurfaced it can be
described as no better than adequate when compared to facilities at other CUSA
or
Inequities
exist in locker rooms. The overall
quality of the space provided male athletes clearly exceeds that provided for
female athletes. Male athletes are more
likely to have single-team locker rooms and those locker rooms are more likely
to have close proximity to practice and competition venues. The soccer and softball team share a room
with others, including the dance team.
The women’s tennis team has no locker room and little provision for
equipment storage. While gender equitable, neither the men’s nor women track
team have any locker room facilities and the swim team locker rooms are small
and dated. Locker room renovations were targeted in the prior gender equity
plan but were not accomplished.
Coaches’
offices for all women’s sports with the exception of basketball are not
commensurate with those provided for men’s football, basketball and
baseball. Scales Field House is an
antiquated and cramped facility.
The
athletics department recently secured a funding stream (continuation of a
student fee surcharge originally used to retire the debt incurred for the
Minges Coliseum expansion) that should allow for the mitigation of many of
these problems. A facilities plan is
currently being developed.
7. Medical and Training Facilities and
Services
No
gender equity issues were identified.
Both student athletes and coaches give these area high marks.
8. Housing and Dining Facilities and
Services
No
gender-specific problems identified.
9. Publicity
There
does appear to be dissatisfaction with the athletic department’s marketing
efforts for women’s teams. Coaches of
women’s teams tended to rate efforts in this area lower than coaches of men’s
teams. Results of the student-athlete
survey clearly indicate that female student-athletes perceive being slighted in
this area. Casual review of the athletics web page does not reveal any obvious
inequities. The committee recognizes
that though the press releases may be equitable, often the local media
emphasize men's football, basketball and baseball over other sports. That said, the fact that the perception of
inequities exists suggests that a review of current marketing efforts is
warranted.
10. Support Services
Support
services are an area difficult to assess when both facilities and support
staffs are shared to a significant degree.
It does appear that women’s sports (with the exception of basketball), as
well as most men’s sports, do not enjoy the same level of administrative
support as football, baseball and men’s basketball.
11. Recruitment of Student Athletes
The
total recruiting budget reported in the 2007 EADA report is $389,085. Thirty percent of the budget ($117,273) was
allocated to women’s teams. While this
number is below the 38% participation rate it appears to be in line with the
figures reported by many peer institutions.
One coach noted that he/she could always use more money to recruit but
there do not appear to be substantial inequities in this area.
ECU Athletics 2008-2013 Gender Equity Five-Year Plan
|
Issues in
the Self Study |
Measurable
Goals |
Steps to
Achieve Goals |
Individuals/Office
Responsible for Implementation |
Timetable
for Completing the Work |
|
1. Increase scholarships |
Fully fund all women’s
programs |
Add scholarship support to
move women’s soccer towards being fully funded |
Director of Athletics |
Maintain continuously |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2. Ongoing need to monitor participation data |
Maintain participation to
at least 2008 levels |
Implement fully funding of
all women’s programs |
Director of Athletics Coaches |
Continuously Monitor |
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3. Maintenance of proportional spending for
equipment and supplies |
All teams are equipped and
supplied in a equitable manner |
Maintain appropriate
budgets |
Business Manager, Coaches,
Sr. Assoc. A-D |
Annual Review |
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4. Coaches
and student surveys suggest some dissatisfaction with practice times in
shared facilities |
Provide for equitable
arrangements for scheduling of games and practice times |
Collaborative input from
coaches and student athletes Complete new facilities |
Director of Athletics, SWA,
facilities manager, coaches |
Quarterly review See facilities plan for
timetable |
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5. Continue gender equitable travel and per diem
regulations |
Team travel and per diem are
arranged according to policies that are gender neutral |
Ensure adequate budget to
meet travel needs Review schedules of all
sports to minimize travel |
Director of Athletics, Sr.
Assoc. Dir., Business Manager |
Annual Review |
|
Issues in
the Self Study |
Measurable
Goals |
Steps to
Achieve Goals |
Individuals/Office
Responsible for Implementation |
Timetable
for Completing the Work |
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6. Meet student need and demand for academic support
on gender neutral basis |
All athletes have open
access to needed academic assistance, resources and equipment |
Ensure adequate budget and
facilities to meet student demand |
Director of Athletics,
Assoc. Dir., SWA |
Annual Review |
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7. Lack of female proportional female presence in
both athletic administration and coaching staffs |
Increase the number of
female coaches and administrators Add a second full-time
assistant for softball Add one assistant track
coach Add an one assistant
swimming coach |
Actively recruit qualified
female candidates as vacancies are anticipated and occur. Meet with campus EEO
personnel to develop strategies to attract female applicants. |
Director of Athletics,
Affirmative Action Dir., SWA |
Have new coaches in place
for listed academic year: Track: 2008/09 Softball: 2009/10 Swimming: 2009/10 |
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8. Coaching salaries need to move toward a
proportionate spending basis |
Increase salaries for
coaches of women’s sports |
Increase salaries of
coaches in women’s sports at a minimum of 1.0% higher rate than coaches of
comparable men’s teams for each of the next five years |
Director of Athletics, SWA |
Annual Review |
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|
Issues in
the Self Study |
Measurable
Goals |
Steps to
Achieve Goals |
Individuals/Office
Responsible for Implementation |
Timetable
for Completing the Work |
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9. Lack of equity in locker rooms, playing
facilities and coaches’ offices. |
1. Create more locker space
for softball, soccer, track and tennis of the same quality available to men’s
football, baseball and basketball. 2. Construct a new softball
facility. 3. Construct a new track
for use by cross-country and indoor and outdoor track. 4. Construct a new soccer
facility. 5. Provide office space for
women’s team that is of equivalent quality to that provided to men’s
football, basketball and baseball. |
1. Secure funding stream
for capital projects. 2. Hire facilities consultant and develop construction
plan 3. Initiate construction
based on priorities |
Director of Athletics Director of Athletics,
Asst. AD for Development, Sr. Assoc. AD |
Projected project
completion dates: Softball (2010 or 11) Soccer (2011) Track (2011) Tennis (2011) |
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10. Maintain gender
equitable medical and training services |
Continue to provide high
quality services to all students, taking particular care student-athletes have
full access to gender specific medical services. |
Continue to assess
practices in this area. |
Director of Athletics, SWA,
Assoc. AD |
Annual Review |
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|
Issues in
the Self Study |
Measurable
Goals |
Steps to
Achieve Goals |
Individuals/Office
Responsible for Implementation |
Timetable
for Completing the Work |
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11. Continue gender equitable policies with regard
to housing and dining services |
Ensure that male and female
athletes receive comparable benefits |
Continue to assess
practices in this area. |
Director of Athletics, SWA,
Assoc. AD |
Annual Review |
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12. Female athletes and their coaches question
whether marketing efforts are gender equitable |
Publicity produced by the university
will be equitable in all respects—quality, size, quantity, etc. Educate all student
athletes in regard to marketing efforts in athletics. |
Conduct of review of
current practices in this area. Formalize a plan to inform
students about marketing efforts. |
Director of Athletics, SID,
Marketing Director, SWA |
Annual Review |
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13. Support services are not being provided on an
equitable basis |
There will be no gender differences
in terms of clerical support and office space. |
Conduct a review of current
staffing policies. Increase staffing for
understaffed sports as space becomes available. |
Director of Athletics |
Annual Review Add at least on full-time
clerical support person by 2011. |
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14. Recruiting expenditures continue to reflect
proportion of male to female student athletes |
Budgets and expenses for
recruiting will reflect proportionality |
Continue to assess practices
in this area. |
Director of Athletics, SWA,
Assoc. AD |
Annual Review |
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Issues in
the Self Study |
Measurable
Goals |
Steps to
Achieve Goals |
Individuals/Office
Responsible for Implementation |
Timetable for
Completing the Work |
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15. Consistent monitoring of gender equity plan |
To review gender equity
progress on an ongoing bases |
University Athletics
Committee will establish an advisory counsel to monitor |
Chairperson of the UAC in consultation
with the Director of Athletics |
Annually |
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This advisory group will
include but be limited to the following:
the FAR, three faculty members, one head coach, one female student
athlete, the senior women’s administrator, other members of the athletics
staff, representative of the Provost’s office. |
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[1] While the elimination of an opportunity for a male
athletes (i.e. discontinuing a team) has not helped with demonstrating
compliance via Factor 2 in litigation
(and logically, the “expansion” of athletic opportunities for women should not
be equated with the “elimination” of athletic opportunities for men), it should
have effected the total number of male participants, perhaps helping with
proportionality.