REPORT OF THE

NCAA MINORITY OPPORTUNITIES AND INTERESTS COMMITTEE (MOIC)

 

 

INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

 

Association-wide.

 

a.                  The Black Coaches Association (BCA) Hiring Report Card.  The committee reviewed the 2004-05 Black Coaches Association (BCA) Hiring Report Card published in October 2005.  The report card uses official NCAA data; however, the conclusions and grades were determined by the BCA and the Paul Robeson Research Center for Academic and Athletic Prowess.  The committee requested a response to the report card, which should be published in The NCAA News. [Subsequent to this report, it was noted that Robert Vowels, MOIC chair, published a response to the BCA report card in The NCAA News.]

 

b.         MOIC strategic plan.  The committee reviewed each objective of the 2003-05 MOIC strategic plan.  It discussed the relevance of each objective and whether the objectives were met during the prescribed time period.  The committee recommended several changes for the 2006-08 MOIC strategic plan and noted that the 2006-08 MOIC strategic plan will be finalized at the next committee meeting in June 2006.  Dr. Bernard Franklin, senior vice president for governance and membership, suggested researching recruitment and retention of coaches, administrators and officials at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to improve opportunities for people of color.  The committee also discussed ways to address the challenges faced by people of color in officiating and noted that there was an inaccurate perception of the quality of officials from HBCU conferences.  The committee requested that the NCAA Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) staff continue working with the Division I athletics certification program and the Divisions II and III self-study programs to enhance those programs with a diversity and inclusion plan that will ensure that institutions are being held accountable in this area. 

 

c.         NCAA Centennial Convention review.  The staff provided the committee with an overview of the 2006 NCAA Convention and noted the success of the ODI reception and screening of the motion picture “Glory Road.”  The staff noted that the ODI will conduct a session at each Convention.  The committee expressed its support of the work/life balance initiative and requested that staff continue to explore this area.

 

d.         Native American mascot issue.  Dr. Franklin provided the committee with a detailed review of the issues surrounding American Indian mascots, imagery or nicknames in intercollegiate athletics and provided an update on the appeals process.  He noted that the NCAA Executive Committee policy on the use of Native American mascots, nicknames and references at NCAA Championship events is effective February 1, 2006. 

 

e.         American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)/Black Coaches Association (BCA) survey.  Staff provided the committee with the survey results from the AFCA survey conducted during the BCA session in January 2006.  The purpose of the survey was to solicit views on the perception of the NCAA Men’s Coaches Academy and the participants’ preparedness for upper athletics coaching positions upon completion of the academy.  The committee pointed out that the survey was a useful tool to address the disparate views between the actual purpose and the respondents’ view of the academy.  Also, the committee discussed ways to enhance the program and suggested that athletics directors and presidents complete the same survey in order to compare the results.  Staff noted that the ODI is working on a new NCAA Coaches Academy initiative for all entry-level coaches.

 

f.          NCAA Internship Program.  Staff provided an update on the selection process and demographic breakdown of the 2006-07 NCAA Internship Program and noted that interns would be chosen by February 21, 2006.

 

g.         New MOIC members.  The committee welcomed three new MOIC committee members.

 

Division I only.

 

h.         Diversity in Athletics Award.  The committee was provided with a brief report on the Diversity in Athletics Award presented by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University, which recognizes the NCAA Division I-A athletics departments that excel in the area of diversity.  Staff noted that the NCAA ODI will issue a letter from Charlotte Westerhaus, vice president of the ODI, to the top 10 institutions that excelled in overall diversity.

 

i.          Academic Progress Rates (APR) on student-athletes of color.  The committee discussed the impact of the APR on student-athletes of color and requested more information from the NCAA Division I Academic/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the NCAA Division I Committee on Academic Performance. The committee noted the importance of having representation on both committees in order to increase awareness of legislation that may affect the progress of student-athletes of color.

 

 

 

Committee Chair:       Robert C. Vowels, Southwestern Athletic Conference

Staff Liaisons:             Charlotte Westerhaus, Office for Diversity and Inclusion;

Corey Jackson, Office for Diversity and Inclusion; Curtis Hollomon,

Education Services and Dea Shipps, Enforcement Services.