NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ Recommendations for new principles and rules to
promote the academic integrity of college athletic programs will be
finalized by faculty senate representatives from 28 Division IA
colleges and universities during a Jan. 6-7 national meeting hosted by
Vanderbilt University.
The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics will debate and revise a
draft document dealing with five areas: admissions, scholarships,
curricular integrity, scheduling of competitions and academic advising.
The proposed document can be read at the COIA website, http://www.math.umd.edu/~jmc/COIA/. Revisions made at the meeting will be presented to the full 43-senate membership of COIA for a final vote by e-mail.
"None of the values ascribed to college sports can be realized if we
abandon the principle that personal development through athletics
participation and academic achievement are linked," COIA members say in
the draft of recommendations. "Yet experience suggests that in many
sports programs, academic goals are treated as subordinate, and in a
variety of ways students are encouraged or enabled to let their
athletics commitment undermine their academic work. To the degree that
athletics undermines academic integrity, it reflects a cynical attitude
toward the ideals of college sports and of higher education."
COIA was formed in 2002 as a coalition of faculty senates from
Division IA schools. It seeks to be a faculty voice in the national
debate over the future of college sports. The meeting is believed to be
the first time that representatives of elected faculty senates have
joined together on a national basis to act on an issue of pressing
concern.
Voting representatives
from the following institutions will attend: Alabama, Arkansas,
Arkansas State, Cal State Fresno, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Georgia,
Hawaii, Houston, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi State,
Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon,
Penn State, South Carolina, Texas Christian University, Tennessee,
Texas, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Washington State.
COIA members may propose that a small number of about 80 specific
recommendations be adapted as NCAA bylaws. The majority are offered as
"best practice" guidelines to be considered on a school-by-school basis.
Here is the agenda of public events for the first national meeting
of the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics. All events are in the
Sarratt Student Center on the Vanderbilt campus.
Thursday, Jan. 6
9 a.m. – 9:15 a.m., Welcome and introductions by Virginia Shepherd of Vanderbilt University and the COIA steering committee.
9:15 a.m. ñ 9:30 a.m., Overview of Coalition background and goals by
Bob Eno of Indiana University and the COIA steering committee.
9:30 a.m. ñ 11 a.m., Inventory of issues and identification of discussion priorities.
Friday, Jan. 7
9 a.m. ñ 10:30 a.m., presentation of revised recommendations and vote on amended sections.
1:30 p.m., Media availability to answer questions about the recommendations in Room 116.
Two COIA leaders are available for telephone interviews prior to the
national meeting. They are Robert Eno, associate professor of East
Asian Languages and Cultures at Indiana University, and Virginia
Shepherd, professor of pathology and medicine at Vanderbilt University
Medical Center.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
Jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu