MINUTES

University Athletics Committee Meeting

11 December 2006

Pat Draughan Room, WSM

 

1.                  Call to order at 12:05 PM.  Attending:  Steve Estes, Chair; Marty Schultz, Lessie Bass, Mike Felts, Rosina Chia, Mike Brown, Brenday Myrick, Don Joyner, Nick Floyd, Rosie Thompson, Tim Metcalf.

 

2.                  Approved of the Minutes of the 12 October 2006 meeting.

3.                  Reports

a.       FAR, Dr. David Dosser

Dr. Dosser reported on faculty activity levels in intercollegiate athletics.  Generally faculty are not as active as we could be, and this is a source of concern as problems with intercollegiate athletics are often the result of faculty being inattentive to - or unaware of - issues in intercollegiate athletics.  Discussion ensued.  The sense of the committee is that the UAC, as the “voice and conscience of the faculty, should be more active in reporting to the campus community on intercollegiate athletics.   It was noted that the FAR reports annually to the Faculty Senate.  The UAC agreed that we are not limited to this report, and the UAC agreed to use available media to report more frequently to raise faculty and administrative awareness of athletics issues.  Also the report should be short and to the point, no more than a page when possible.  A newsletter might be helpful. 

 

Action items: 

·         Dr. Dosser will send Dr. Estes a summary of recent actions in C-USA

·         Dr. Estes will submit this summary, along with UAC actions, to Announce, the East Carolinian, and other media.

 

Dr. Dosser reported on the draft resolution by C-USA FARs on missed class time.  This resolution will be reported on by the UAC (see above).  The University of Houston will vote on this resolution at its January meeting.  Also passed was a resolution on visiting student status – when students travel to other campuses for competitions they are extended student privileges at the away location throughout C-USA.  The sense of the committee was that these types of privileges support the traditional academic mission of the university and should therefore be encouraged.

 

Action item: 

·         Dr. Estes will submit this information as part of the UAC report to the university.

 

b.      Athletic Director’s Office – Nick Floyd.  Mr. Floyd reported that the football team achieved a 7-5 record in 2006, and will play in the Papajohn.com Bowl against the University of South Florida.  Expenses of participating in the bowl game were discussed.  Approximately 7,000 tickets were sold to ECU fans, a metric that indicates excellent fan support for the team.  Revenues and the bowl payout will generally match the cost of participating in the bowl.

 

Mr. Floyd reported on capital expenditures budget processes. The football stadium and the softball venue are top priorities, but all athletics facilities are slated for upgrade, repair, or maintenance.  The Student Development report will figure into the capital expenditures report to the extent that study facilities are expanded.

 

Women’s volleyball and women’s soccer performed well this Fall.  Men’s and women’s swimming and diving continue to perform well.  Men’s and women’s basketball are in “growing” phases. 

 

c.       Compliance, Pirate Club, Alumni Association, representatives of other offices as needed.  Tim Metcalf reported on eligibility and amateurism issues in NCAA reports.  International students often experience conflicts between the rules of international competition and national governing bodies and NCAA amateurism requirements.  Dr. Estes noted that there will continue to be problems with NCAA policies on amateurism as the concept of amateurism is inherently flawed.  Dr. Estes noted that the NCAA is the only large institutional sporting body to support the amateurism argument. The International Olympic Committee abandoned the concept in the 1990s, and the AAU is no longer a significant player in national or international athletics.  Mr. Metcalf noted that regardless of the merits or deficiencies of the concept of amateurism, ECU will conform to NCAA rules as best it can.  The UAC expressed best wishes to Mr. Metcalf as he negotiates with the NCAA.

 

d.      Ms. Brenda Myrick reported that there may be as many as 600 fans, many of them  alumni, at the bowl game on December 23.  Alumni support is excellent.

 

4.                  Old Business

a.       Report – Student Development Office – Academic Integrity Subcommittee

Postponed to January meeting.  The UAC will receive the Report as well as Spring 2006 and Fall 2006 APR and GPR data at the January meeting.

 

5.                  New Business – establish items that the UAC would like to work on this year.

a.       Admissions and Eligibility

b.      Gender Equity

c.       Issues related to class attendance

d.      Clarification on performance-based admission policy as it relates to students in competition

e.       Visiting Student Status

f.       Student Fees for Athletics

g.      Other new business from the committee

                                                              i.      Felts email on GSR

                                                            ii.      Article, Inside Higher Ed, Terry Holland comments

                                                          iii.      News for the good of the order

 

After some discussion it was noted that most of the above list was discussed at the meeting.

 

Regarding tuition/fees and athletics, Mr. Floyd volunteered to report on fee increases for athletics.  Dr. Estes noted that the UNC recommended a 6.5% annual increase in tuition for the next 4 years, and perhaps fees for athletics could parallel this fee increase.  Mr. Floyd’s report will summarize fee increases for athletics in recent history, will provide comparative data from other institutions (C-USA, UNC programs, other), and will discuss the process for setting athletics fees.  The UAC will receive the report and may have resulting recommendations on fees.

Action Item:

·         Mr. Floyd will report on athletics fees at the January meeting.

 

6.                  The UAC will receive the Fall and Spring Student Athlete Progress Report at the January meeting.  Voting members of the UAC will meet after the regular session of the January meeting to receive the Report.

 

7.                  The Gender Equity/Minority Student-Athlete Report will be received at one of the Spring UAC meetings.

 

8.                  Dr. Dosser raised the issue of ECU’s Excused Absence Policy for student-athletes.  The UAC agreed that faculty are bound by this policy as we are with any other policy articulated in The Faculty Manual.  If faculty working with athletes in their classes have an issue with the policy then faculty should bring the policy before the Faculty Senate or the appropriate committee for discussion with recommendations for improvement.  Otherwise, the policy is articulated in the Faculty Manual and should be followed.

 

9.                  Dr. Dosser will follow up with the links in the “Win-Win” article he distributed for discussion to the UAC.  Dr. Estes will make sure these links are in reports from the UAC.

 

10.              UAC members should send their Spring schedules to Dr. Estes so that meeting times and dates can be set for the Spring term.  Dr. Estes will follow up with the committee by email.

 

11.              The UAC adjourned at 1:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted,