INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
Association-wide.
a. Employment
Database. The committee received a verbal report
from the staff regarding the status of a web-based system to match employers
with prospective ethnic-minority and woman employees when intercollegiate
athletics vacancies occur. The
committee noted that the employment database should be operational by the end
of June 2004. The committee noted
that access to the database will be limited to the NCAA membership. The committee also recognized the
importance of maintaining accurate records within the database. The committee directed the staff to
continue their work and look forward to
receiving an update in June.
b. 2004-05
and 2005-06 MOIC Budget Requests. The
committee reviewed the joint MOIC and Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA)
budget request for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 academic years. The committee noted that the budget
reflects requests related to the professional development of coaches, the
addition of a national office intern and educational materials to promote
careers in athletics to student-athletes.
c. NCAA Strategic Plan. The committee reviewed the NCAA’s Strategic Plan. The committee noted that the plan is virtually complete and will be finalized during the Executive Committee’s April 2004 meeting. The committee appreciates that inclusiveness is mentioned in the plan as a core value of the NCAA. However, the committee did not believe that the plan, as currently written, addressed issues of diversity within the membership and the national office. In light of the various data compiled by the NCAA Research Staff that indicates that minorities and women are underrepresented in many aspects of the intercollegiate athletics enterprise, the committee believes that diversity should be an initiative that is supported by, and clearly visible in, all aspects of the plan. The committee encourages the Executive Committee to revise the plan to ensure that it includes many action steps and initiatives to address issues of diversity at all levels of intercollegiate athletics.
d. Promotion of Diversity
Initiatives. The
committee
discussed additional methods to promote its diversity programs. The committee noted that on several
occasions the Fox Sports Net Show, “NCAA on Campus”, has carried
segments that highlight a particular MOIC program. The committee believes that additional
promotional opportunities may be available through the NCAA corporate partner
program. Specifically, the NCAA
could promote its diversity programs during commercial or advertising spots
that promote the diversity efforts of a particular corporate partner. The committee believes that this
cross-promotion will benefit all parties, but will particularly help to raise
awareness regarding diversity issues.
e. Review
of MOIC Officiating Program. The committee received a
presentation from Emi Vishoot (Ohio Valley Region of USA Volleyball) and Mary
Struckhoff (National High School Federation) outlining strategies for
increasing the number of ethnic-minority and women officials in high school and
intercollegiate athletics. Both
agreed that there is a need to diversify the profession, and an effective
method to do that is to increase interest in officiating at the grass roots
level. The committee discussed
potential strategies for increasing the number of women and ethnic minorities
in officiating, including providing grants for interested individuals to attend
officiating clinics. The committee
agreed to continue to review this issue during future meetings.
f.
g. Leadership
Institute for Ethnic-Minority Males.
The committee discussed the MOIC’s Leadership Institute for
Ethnic-Minority Males. The
committee noted that the format for the institute has received high praise from
the participants. Several committee
members stated that an institute such as this could provide similar benefits
for women of color. The committee
determined that it will explore the feasibility of operating a Leadership
Institute for Ethnic-Minority Females in the fall of 2005.
h. Subcommittee
Assignments. The committee reviewed its
current subcommittee membership and made the following modifications: (1) added Jon Oliver, Valerie Richardson
and Roy Saigo to Long-Range Planning and Budget Issues; (2) added Marius Dan,
Adam Mohr and Roy Saigo to American Indian Mascot; (3) added Gwen Reeves to the
Summit on Athletics Opportunities for Minority Women; (4) added Jon Oliver,
Gwen Reeves and Valerie Richardson to Football Issues; and (5) added Jon Oliver
and Robert Vowels to Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males.
i. Review
of Senior Minority Administrator. The committee tabled its discussion regarding the
feasibility and necessity of creating a senior-minority administrator position.
Division I only.
j. Academic
Reform. The committee discussed
the Division I Board of Directors' decision to increase from 14 to 16 the required
number of core courses to meet initial-eligibility requirements effective
August 2008. The committee
continues to believe that the data generated by the increase from 13 to 14 core
courses (effective August 2004) should be evaluated to determine if there is a
disparate impact on any particular group before an additional increase in core
courses occurs. The committee will
appoint a subcommittee to review the data generated by the initial modification
to core course requirements. If the
data reveal that these changes have adversely impacted a particular population
of prospective students, the committee will request that the Board of Directors
reconsider the legislation.
k. Proposal 2003-50. The committee reviewed
Proposal No. 2003-50, which would create legislation to require that the CWA
membership would always include a member of the Division I Management
Council. The MOIC noted that
several years ago it was encouraged not to pursue similar legislation because
if other committees took similar action, the management council would be unable
to provide one of its members to participate on every Association-wide and Division
I committee. The legislation would
cause the Council to be stretched too thin and would limit its ability to focus
on its core responsibilities. The
MOIC continues to support the aforementioned rationale as to why this piece of
legislation should be withdrawn or defeated. In addition, the committee believes that
this legislation would limit access to committees because all committees would
have one of its positions occupied by a member of the management council. Fewer opportunities would remain for
individuals that are not on the management council to participate in the
governance structure. The MOIC does
not support this piece of legislation and requests that the Council defeat this
proposal.