REPORT OF THE

NCAA COMMITTEE ON WOMEN'S ATHLETICS (CWA)

 

 

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

 

Association-wide.

 

a.                              Office for Diversity and Inclusion update.  The committee received an update from staff about the progress of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at the national office.  The committee reaffirmed its support for the office and requested continued information about the office’s formulation.

 

b.         NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum.  The committee requested the NCAA Title IX Seminar be renamed the NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum.  While Title IX will remain the centerpiece of the forum, the new name will reflect a focus on broader gender-equity issues including homophobia, hazing and compliance by single-gender institutions.  The agenda will include divisional breakout sessions intended to help attendees identify division-specific gender-equity issues and develop plans to address such issues.

 

c.         NCAA Coaches Academy update.  The committee noted the NCAA Minority Interests and Opportunities Committee’s delay of the inaugural Executive Coaching Program until January 2006 or until additional funds are secured.

 

d.         Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males/Females.  The committee received an update regarding the Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Females.  The institute will begin in June 2005 and will mirror the male institute.  Admission criteria are currently being developed.  Committee members will serve on the selection committee and help identify potential program facilitators.

 

e.                  NCAA Woman of the Year.  The committee will establish an ad hoc group to evaluate all components of the Woman of the Year Awards Program, including the nomination and selection criteria and processes, as well as the award dinner.  Any recommended changes will be implemented in 2006.

 

f.                 Male senior woman administrators.  According to the NCAA membership database, several institutions annually report a male as their respective senior woman administrator.  The committee requested staff implement an annual procedure to gauge the frequency of such occurrences, and educate the appropriate institutional staff about the roles and responsibilities of the senior woman administrator position.


g.                  Transgender issues in intercollegiate athletics.  The committee will obtain and review U.S. Olympic Committee guidelines regarding transgender athletes and consider the need for NCAA guidelines governing the same.

 

h.                  Subcommittee structure review.  The committee reorganized its subcommittee assignments and responsibilities in order to improve oversight of existing programs and issues central to its mission statement.

 

i.          National task force appointments and ad hoc groups.  The committee supports efforts to address select issues facing intercollegiate athletics through the formation of national task forces and ad hoc groups.  Still, the committee is concerned about the scarcity of female representation, particularly on the Sports Wagering Task Force.  In order to involve the essential contributions of the underrepresented, the committee would willingly provide assistance with the identification of female and minority candidates who possess the appropriate expertise for future task force appointments.

 

Division I Only.

 

j.          NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification gender plan.  The committee reviewed drafts of the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification’s Gender and Minority-Issues Plans.  The committee endorsed the plan drafts, designed to help an institution move into, or remain in, conformity with Operating Principles 4.1 and 4.2 (NCAA Bylaw 22.2.4.1 and 22.2.4.2).  The committee applauds the work of the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification to help institutions achieve greater specificity when defining gender-equity plans.

 

 

 

Committee Chair:  Darlene Bailey, Southwest Missouri State University.

 

Staff Liaison(s):  Rosie Stallman, education services; Laurie Kerns, administrative services;

                           and Anne Little, education services.