REPORT
OF THE
NCAA
COMMITTEE ON WOMEN’S ATHLETICS (CWA)
ACTION ITEMS.
·
None
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
Association-wide.
1. Welcome
of new committee members. The committee formally welcomed, Joni
Comstock, senior vice president for championships and senior woman
administrator and Karen Morrison, director of education services.
2. Emerging
sports. The committee voted to move forward through the
governance structure and with staff in order to determine the most effective
process by which to appropriately apply the “sunset clause” of
emerging sports legislation per Bylaw 20.02.5.2. The CWA seeks to raise awareness about
current emerging sports that have not demonstrated growth during the permitted
10-year period. Yet, the committee
maintains support for the increase of participation opportunities for women and
further encourages emerging sport national governing bodies to continue efforts
toward growth of institutional sponsorship.
3. Male
practice players. The committee reviewed the current
status of male practice player discussions in each division. The
committee continues to be concerned that the use of male undergraduate students
in practice activities with women’s teams is in conflict with the mission
of this committee to promote opportunities for women and thus violates the
spirit of gender equity and Title IX.
The committee acknowledges that some coaches are using male practice players
to augment the competitive ability of women student-athletes. Yet, the committee is concerned that
some women student-athletes are losing opportunities to develop their own
skills because of male practice players.
The
committee supports Division III’s initiative to propose legislation for
the 2007 NCAA Convention because it places restrictions on the use of male practice
players.
4. Education
Services update. The committee discussed a group of
topics to be considered for an Association-wide educational session at the 2007
Convention: male practice players, education regarding the inherit issue of
understanding the gay male student-athlete perspective and environment,
outcomes of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual think tank, and the current landscape
of and further education about the pregnancy waiver policy. Staff also provided an update about the
2007 Gender Equity and Issues Forum, April 30 through May 2 in
5. NCAA Athletics
Certification Third Cycle Preparation. Staff provided the committee with an
update about the third-cycle certification process set to begin in the fall of 2008. Staff invited the committee to offer
feedback about increased accountability in the areas of compliance, academic
integrity, racial/ethnic diversity and gender equity. The committee supports the appointment
of a staff liaison to ensure accountability in the certification process.
6. CWA
appointments. The committee continues to be concerned about the need
for racial/ethnic diversity among the divisional appointees to the committee.
Additionally, the committee placed members on several programmatic committees
shared with the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and selected its
replacement on the Woman of the Year Committee.
7.
Woman of the Year (WOTY) update. Staff
provided the committee with an update about the 2006 WOTY nominations and
selections, including a comparison of diversity demographics with those of
previous years and a review of feedback received from the membership about the
inaugural conference-based recognition process. The committee requests that staff develop
an online
process to permit conference offices greater ease of reporting nominations to
the national office.
8.
Hiring report card for women in athletics. The
committee remains concerned about declining numbers of women in collegiate
coaching ranks and the limited number of female athletic directors. The
committee is supportive of the potential to partner with the Black Coaches
Association in order to track the hiring of female athletics directors and head
coaches. Staff will respond to the
stated interest of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport to
also be involved with these efforts.
9.
Membership database reporting update. The
committee received an update about the low response by institutions to the
membership database request for institutional Title IX coordinator information. Staff will communicate with the
presidents and chancellors of non-reporting institutions in order to obtain
this information.
10. Postseason WNIT
expansion. The committee appreciates the increased participation
opportunities for women student-athletes provided by the WNIT postseason
expansion. However, concern remains about
the quality of the student-athlete experience. The committee discussed the need to ensure that the WNIT provide equitable
opportunities for women in the wake of the NCAA control of the Men’s
National Invitation Tournament.
Additionally, the committee remains concerned about the number of
postseason opportunities for women compared to those provided to Division I
football bowl game participants.
11. Role of the Senior Woman
Administrator. The committee
discussed the need to continue educating the membership about the use of the
“fifth person” designee as an opportunity to include more women and
individuals of racial/ethnic diversity in the governance structure.
12.
Life/Work Balance Task Force. The committee reviewed the status of the Life/Work
Balance Task Force’s August meeting summary, and will continue to support
efforts to improve the professional experience of women in athletics.
13.
CWA Strategic Plan. The committee formed a subcommittee to analyze its strategic plan and
intends to review the forthcoming Diversity Leadership Strategic Plan
initiatives for incorporation into its own plan.
Committee Chair:
Staff Liaisons: Karen
Morrison, Education Services
Kimberly
Ford, Diversity and Inclusion
Matthew
Stach, Education Services