A campus of The California State University

Office of the Academic Senate • One Washington Square • San Jose, California 95192-0024 • 408-924-2440 • Fax: 408-924-2451

SM-S04-1

At its meeting of May 10, 2004, the Academic Senate passed the following Senate Management Recommendation presented by James Brent for the Executive Committee.

SENATE MANAGEMENT RESOLUTION
CREATING AN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS TASK FORCE

Whereas, The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (COIA) was formed in 2002 for the purpose of enabling a faculty group from Division 1A universities to work together for long-range, comprehensive reforms in intercollegiate athletics;

Whereas, The SJSU Senate Chair was asked by the leadership of the COIA to join in an effort to get all of the WAC schools involved;

Whereas, The COIA has a Framework for Comprehensive Athletics Reform described as follows:

”Reform of intercollegiate athletics is an urgent priority. Successful reform will require a broad consensus and a comprehensive approach.  Some issues may be resolved quickly, others may require much more time, but national agreement on a comprehensive plan in the near future is essential to accomplish meaningful reform; the piecemeal approach has not succeeded.  The COIA Framework, aimed at Division I-A, outlines essential features such a plan should include, and calls for the NCAA and national academic constituencies to develop detailed, appropriately flexible strategies for implementation.  The goal of reform is not negative; it is to bring out the positive aspects of intercollegiate athletics, which contribute to the personal development of athletes and enhance college life on campus and off.” [http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmc/COIA/Framework.html]

The framework focuses on 5 issues: 1) academic integrity, (2) athlete welfare, (3) governance of athletics at the school and conference level, (4) finances, and (5) commercialization.

Whereas, The COIA in conjunction with the NCAA and Association of Governing Boards (AGB) drafted “Principles, Proposed Rules, and Guidelines Concerning the Faculty Role in Campus Athletics Governance” in 2003;

Whereas, In 1993, a Senate task force conducted a review of the finances of the SJSU Athletics program and made a recommendation on the portion of the general fund that should be devoted to athletics, with such report not reviewed or updated again until 2004;

Whereas, SJSU has an Athletics Board which is a “special agency” of the Senate and serves to advise the President (see F79-4 as amended);

Whereas, At its April 19, 2004 meeting, the Academic Senate passed a sense-of-the-senate resolution calling upon the administration to reduce to 1.8% the amount of the General Fund going to Athletics by 2005/2006 with a stated assumption that it could only be done by leaving Division 1A and the WAC, with the resolution to go to the faculty electorate to see if it would be sustained;

Whereas, Regardless of what division SJSU Athletics is a member of in the future, it is presently a member of Division 1A and the COIA has been asking SJSU to join it since fall 2003 and parts of the framework are likely relevant to a university regardless of its divisional status and an analysis is needed to determine how the Senate can best advise the President on matters of athletics;

Resolved, That a task force be created to (1) review the COIA to create a list of pros and cons to help the Executive Committee determine if it should join, (2) determine whether (and if yes, to what extent) the five issues in the COIA framework are issues at SJSU, (3) whether a committee (or similar structure) is needed to enable the faculty (such as through the Senate) to have a stronger ongoing role in campus athletics governance and how that structure would function in light of the Athletics Board, and (4) whether any changes are warranted to the charge or role of the Athletics Board. The Task Force shall conduct research on the COIA, AAUP documents on athletics, the governance structure at comparable universities; and existing campus data on athletics as maintained by the FAR, Executive Assistant to the President, Athletics Division, NCAA, and other appropriate sources.

Resolved, That the Task Force consult with the Athletics Department and other appropriate constituencies across campus to gain an understanding of SJSU athletics in order to complete its work.

Resolved, That the following people be members of the Task Force with the members to select a chair for the task force:

Chair of the Academic Senate

Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR)

1 faculty member of the Athletics Board chosen by the Athletics Board

2 members of the Academic Senate selected by the Executive Committee

1 department chair selected by the UCCD

1 student member of the Athletics Board chosen by the Athletics Board

Resolved, That the Task Force issue a report to the Senate Executive Committee by the first Senate meeting in Spring 2005 and be dissolved upon issuance of the report.