University Governance
FY 2011
FY-11 ATHLETIC COMMITTEE
Approved by SenEx: 05/04/10
Approved by University Senate: 9/9/10
- For further information or to schedule a meeting with SenEx to discuss charges or the committee’s work, contact SenEx chair Ben Eggleston at eggleston@ku.edu.
- Please send minutes of each meeting to University Governance, at govern@ku.edu, for posting to the Governance web site.
- Please send recommendations for changes to the University Senate Code, the University Senate Rules and Regulations, and the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations as early in the academic year as possible. Because of the waiting periods involved in changes to these documents, recommendations proposed after spring break may remain pending the following fall semester.
- Please send a report of the committee’s actions on each of the charges, as well as any recommendations the committee wishes to make concerning charges or membership for the following academic year, to University Governance, at govern@ku.edu. Please submit the report by April 1, 2011. If the committee still expects to conduct business after April 1, please submit a report by April 1 and later submit any addenda that may be appropriate.
Standing charges:
1. Review KU and Kansas Athletics Inc. (KAI) efforts to promote and maintain academic excellence, as they pertain to athletics. (ongoing)
a. Identify potential barriers to student athlete integration into curricular and extra-curricular activities, and recommend mechanisms to overcome such barriers.
b. Recommend campus initiatives to target academic success of student athletes, including collaboration with the on-going academic programs at the Hale Center for Academic Achievement.
c. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to increase community awareness of issues such as Academic Progress Rate (APR), progress towards degree and similar regulations as well as academic honors and awards to student-athletes.
d. Review current-year data on missed class days due to competition and travel.
e. Review the following KAI academic reports: Spring and Fall Student-Athlete Grade Summary, NCAA Academic Progress Rate Institutional Report, and Graduation Rates.
f. Review the KAI report on academic majors for student-athletes and non-athletes. (See p. 2 of the committee’s annual report for fiscal year 2010 for more information about the report on academic majors.)
2. Review KU and KAI efforts to provide a premiere student-athlete experience. (ongoing)
a. Recommend mechanisms to enable broader discussions of opportunities to improve the student-athlete experience.
b. Provide review of programs designed to ensure the academic success, personal development, and personal welfare of student athletes.
c. Review, summarize and disseminate KAI reports identifying student wellness parameters including but not limited to drug testing practices and policies, nutrition and physical health, psychological and emotional well being, and social integration.
d. Review data resulting from KAI exit-interview and KAI survey questions regarding participation in the broader campus community. (See pp. 3–4 of the committee’s final report for fiscal year 2010 for more information about exit interviews and surveys.)
3. Help to ensure that KU maintains athletic compliance with University, Big XII and NCAA rules. (ongoing)
a. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to ensure the KU community better understands our combined responsibility for compliance.
b. Review and summarize KAI reports identifying athletic compliance parameters including but not limited to ten-day absence policies, academic screening practices and recruiting practices.
4. Help to ensure that KU strategic goals pertaining to athletics are accomplished. (ongoing)
a. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to enhance the balance between academics and athletics, as well as to promulgate broad understanding of the goals and priorities of each.
b. Review KU and KAI practices and policies pertaining to diversity in athletics, including Title IX compliance.
5. Help to facilitate systematic dialog between KU and KAI regarding items of mutual interest. (ongoing)
a. Recommend mechanisms for improved communication between KAI and faculty, staff and students.
b. Work with KAI to avoid potentially divisive issues of interest to faculty, staff and students.
c. Maintain regular communications with the NCAA/Big XII Faculty Representative, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (CAC), KAI, and University Governance to ensure the needs of each are being served.
d. Ensure that at least one member continues to participate in the CAC, including subcommittees, such as those on athlete well being.
Specific charges:
1. Review updates in the areas of academic standards and student well being based on the outcomes of the NCAA recertification self study process. (ongoing)
2. Continue dialogue with KAI Compliance staff on strategies for disseminating information to faculty and appropriate staff regarding compliance issues and regulations that are impacted by academic actions and decisions. (See pp. 4–5 of the committee’s final report for fiscal year 2010 for more information about this charge.) (ongoing)
3. Continue to gather additional data on liability issues, medical coverage, travel arrangements, practice/training, “student-athlete life”, eligibility, retention and graduation relative to those clubs that represent KU in intercollegiate competition. (See pp. 10–11 of the committee’s final report for fiscal year 2010 for more information about this charge.) (ongoing)