Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / Sept. 5, 1996, edition 1 / Page 8
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Page 8 The Blue Banner Septembers, 1996 Equity confinued from page one rather than adding another female sport. “To add another team would require cutting every other team’s budget in order to obtain funding, thereby reducing every team’s ability to compete at a Division I level.” “We are committed to achieving (eq uity) within our current athletics bud get,” Reed said, insisting that the ath letics budget will not have to be in creased in order to be more equitable. “It is also important to realize that these reports are tools for reference. They are not decisions in and of them selves.” Concurrently with the OCR inves tigation, UNCA is undergoing a cer tification process with the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). As part of the process, UNCA assembled a faculty-staff com mittee that assessed four separate ar eas including equity, fiscal integrity, academic integrity, and governance and rules compliance. The subcommittee that dealt with gender equity issues within the athlet ics department also cited major prob lems that coincided with many of the comments in the Daniel report, in cluding variances among the scholar ships given to male and female ath letes, differences in the per diem and travel rates between male and female teams, and differences in the salaries of male and female coaches and their support services. “I don’t see it as necessarily negative that we have these two processes go ing on at the same time,” Reed said. “Both efforts are the same in terms of gender equity. I don’t see one hinder ing the other.” In the NCAA certification report, the equity subcommittee recom mended the creation of a new posi tion to advise the university on achiev ing and maintaining equity in athlet ics programs. The equity advisor will be independent of the athletics de partment and will report directly to the administration. The position is likely to be created this fall, after the NCAA certification process is completed in November. In an open meeting of the NCAA faculty-staff committee held last week. Dr. Keith Krumpe, chair of the equity subcommittee, pointed out that other universities are dealing with similar issues. “UNCA is not unique,” said Krumpe. “Most universities are strug gling with these issues.” Krumpe said equity problems are often misuilderstood because of the complexity of the Title IX statutes and the various court decisions that arose out of cases involving other universities. Krumpe emphasized that disparities at UNCA were “not done maliciously or malevolently.” Student Government Association (SGA) president Sergio Mariaca was impressed with the work of the NCAA committee. “I think they are taking a realistic approach that will make athletics a more efficient and better department,” Mariaca said. Tom Hunnicutt, director of athlet ics, also emphasized that his depart ment was working to achieve equity. Another change that has already oc curred is the separation of the athlet ics and recreation programs and bud- gets. This division makes it easier to as sess the actual costs of running athlet ics programs at UNCA. Reed added that she felt UNCA was within “striking distance” of meeting the requirements of Title IX laws. UNCA’s task is simplified by the fact that there is not a large football or hockey program to balance out, and that the expectations of alumni did not create extraordinary pressures on the athletics program, she said. Reed said that she could not safely predict the outcome of next week’s OCR investigation. “I have confidence that we have done a good job in assessing the situ ation,” Reed said. “We have commit ted ourselves to making UNCA a place where gender equity is real.” Photo by Del Delonn Steven Patch, associate professor of mathematics, presides over the open meeting of the NCAA certification. The ch{ from 3-^ Septem mcellor’s open i p.m. on the fo iber 18, Octobe] hours are llowing dates: r 3,16, and 30, Novem is in PI ber 6,20, and % lillips Hall, Roc 5. The office im 255. New rules proposed for student athletes (CPS)-A special NCAA com mittee proposed July 19 that student athletes be allowed to hold off-season jobs and that those with professional poten tial be allowed to borrow against their future earnings. The NCAA’s Special Com mittee on Agents and Amateur ism proposed the changes after studying “unscrupulous agents and their effects on students and the NCAA,” said William E. Kirwan, chair of the com mittee and president of the University of Maryland at Col lege Park. One of the more startling pro posals would allow student ath letes likely to be high-pick draft choices to borrow against their future salaries as professional athletes. The athletes would have “ac cess to money beyond what they have at the moment,” Kirwan said, mentioning figures in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. “We’re not looking at some thing that would replace the first year of contract with a professional team.” Another proposal would al low Division I student athletes to hold off-season jobs to pay for school-related expenses not covered by their scholarships. Under current rules, those ath letes may work only during summer and holiday breaks. Also, student athletes would have more flexibility when it comes to participating in ra dio, television or film projects. Kirwan said the committee also proposed that the NCAA and its member institutions invest more effort into educat ing student athletes on the “economics of sports [and] the complicated process of the transition from intercollegiate athletics to professional ath letes.” Student Court had a few problems! Let's work together to change for the better! Students, Faculty and Staff have already initiated a new venture based on the foundations of Student Court: a t All that's missing are the students! Apply today to be a Student Conduct Committee Member Complete the change EVERYONE wants. For more information, contact Brian Pittman or Bobby Metz at 251-6588, HC 48 Applications are available on the door of HC 48, or contact Sue Hintz in HC 34
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