Minutes of the Presidential Committee on Athletics
Big Ten/Iowa Room, Carver-Hawkeye Arena
March 8, 2016
Members Present: Bowden, Chung, Cox, Dillavou, Drake, Grosland, Herman, Hollingworth, O’Hara, Snow (represented by Mazur), Walizer, and Westefeld.
Members Absent: Bruhn, Rhodes, Seubert, Sharp,Weinstein, and Zaharis.
Also Present: Barta (Athletics Director), Clerry (Associate Athletics Director), Curtis (Associate Athletics Director), Dodge (Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President), Henderson (*Associate Athletics Director), Jantz (*Associate Athletics Director), Jennings (Associate Athletics Director), Lynch (Chair, NCAA Certification Self-Study Committee), Modestou (Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity), Moeller (Associate Provost), Redington (Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students), Taylor (Deputy Director, Athletics), and Tovar (Associate Athletics Director).
Guests Present: Student-athletes Travis Perry (football) and Samantha Wagner (swimming and diving); MeganMenzel (Head Women's Golf Coach)
The meeting was called to order at 4:04 p.m. by Chair Cox.
I. Introductions and Agenda - Jeff Cox
Chair Cox welcomed Head Women’s Golf Coach MeganMenzel and student-athletes TravisPerry (football) and SamanthaWagner (swimming and diving).
II. Approval of Minutes
O’Hara moved to approve the February 4, 2016, minutes. Westefeld seconded. Unanimous approval was recorded from Committee members.
III. Report from PCA Chair on Executive Committee Meeting - Jeff Cox
A. Master agendas for the three subcommittees are to be presented today to Committee members. Once approved, the agendas will be included in the PCA operations manual to serve as a guide for future subcommittees.
B. On behalf of the Committee, Chair Cox congratulated Barta on being named the 2015-16 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year (press release attached).
C. Chair Cox encouraged PCA members to keep an open mind while reading the press coverage regarding litigation involving the Athletics Department and wait until both sides have had the opportunity to share pertinent information.
IV. Introduction of Travis Perry (Football) and Samantha Wagner (Women's Swimming), Recipients of this Year's Robert Ray Faculty Athletic Representative Award - Liz Tovar
Tovar announced the recipients of the 2016 Robert Ray Faculty Athletic Representative Awards were TravisPerry (football) and SamanthaWagner (women’s swimming and diving). This award is given to one male student-athlete and one female student-athlete who are both seniors, have completed eligibility, have demonstrated academic and athletic excellence, and have displayed outstanding leadership. Tovar introduced Perry and Wagner to PCA members and gave each an opportunity to share his/her plans for the future.
Committee members applauded the student-athletes’ accomplishments.
V. Report from the Iowa Student Athlete Advisory Committee (ISAAC) - SarahMazur
Mazur is a senior soccer player and the ISAAC Chair. She reported the following:
A. ISAAC has finished an “I Have a Dream” video which they made to honor MartinLuther King Jr. and highlight ISAAC’s efforts to promote social awareness. It will be shared with PCA members, Iowa coaches, etc.
B. An NCAA Time Demand survey was sent to all student-athletes. Iowa’s Faculty Athletics Representatives will attend the next ISAAC meeting to discuss the importance of student-athletes completing the survey.
C. The Golden Herky Awards will be held on May 4, 2016, at the Englert Theatre. Awards will be given to student-athletes who have excelled in one or more of the following categories: academics, athletics, service. Lip sync videos done by Iowa sports teams will be incorporated into the event.
D. Approximately 300 student-athletes will work on various community service projects during the Annual Student-Athlete Day of Caring on April 24, 2016.
E. The “Gold Game”, an ISAAC initiative, will have a new look next year. Two teams will be matched together to build camaraderie. The paired teams will be given the opportunity to train at each other’s facilities, exchange workout routines, support each other during competitions, etc.
F. The “ISAAC Weekly” is a new publication designed to provide updates to ISAAC members.
Chair Cox thanked Mazur for the ISAAC report.
VI. Introduction of Megan Menzel, Head Women’s Golf Coach
Menzel thanked Chair Cox for the opportunity to serve as Head Coach Representative. She shared details of the golf team’s exciting, record-breaking start and broke down the composition of the team. Menzel attributed the student-athletes’ recent success to their commitment to excellence on and off the field and the ability to train at the James M. Hoak Family Golf Complex, Iowa’s state-of-the-art golf facility. She is very appreciative of the Complex as it provides a place to hold camps and train the next generation of Iowa golfers, gives her current student-athletes the necessary tools to be competitive, and affords Menzel a recruiting advantage.
Questions regarding walk-ons, facilities, number of scholarships, current needs of the team, and recruiting pools were answered by CoachMenzel. She concluded by thanking the grounds crew at Finkbine and described them as the best in the region.
VII. Academic Achievement Subcommittee - Mike O’Hara
O’Hara summarized the “Academic Achievement Subcommittee: Yearly Calendar and Responsibilities” document (attached). His agenda highlights included reporting on NCAA measurable standards and reviewing competition schedules.
O’Hara praised the work of Tovar and her staff and the support they give to the Academic Achievement Subcommittee.
VIII. Equity Subcommittee - Liz Hollingworth
Hollingworth outlined the attached “PCA Equity Subcommittee Activity Alignment: Title IX and Strategic Plan” document. The agenda doesn’t provide a work timeline for the subcommittee due to the open-ended review process. The report focuses on how the subcommittee aligns activities to respond to the PCA Handbook’s timeline and the Athletics Department’s Strategic Plan directives. Her overview of activities included interviewing head coaches and evaluating roster management numbers.
She thanked Clerry, Tovar, and their staffs for the support given to the subcommittee and thanked Modestou for her hiring presentation. Discussion ensued regarding the search process for athletics hires. Hollingworth noted that a PCA member must serve on search committees for athletic positions such as coaches, trainers, administration, academic services, etc.
IX. Student Athlete Well-Being Subcommittee - John Westefeld
Westefeld gave Tovar and her staff high accolades for the incredible work done in the Student-Athlete Academic Services office.
Westefeld reviewed the attached “Well-Being Sub-Committees—Summary of Yearly Activities” document, which covers a wide range of anticipated and ad hoc agenda items. He discussed the subcommittee’s ongoing work on the pregnancy policy, thanked Dodge for her work on the policy, and praised the ISAAC presentation regarding the Life Skills programs for student-athletes.
X. Report on NCAA Certification - Chuck Lynch
No report.
XI. NCAA Report - Ellie Herman, David Drake, Gary Barta, and Paula Jantz
All Big Ten student-athletes received an NCAA Time Demands survey earlier this year. Feedback from this survey will be central to legislation going before the NCAA membership in January 2017. Drake emphasized the importance of Iowa student-athletes’ voices being heard through the completion of their surveys. The Faculty Athletics Representatives will be attending team meetings in each sport with possible discussion items including:
A. Whether travel days should be counted as a day off for student-athletes from athletically related activities.
B. Whether NCAA Countable Athletically Related Activities (CARA) hour limits for participation in intercollegiate athletics require modification? Or would it be beneficial if adjustments to CARA hours be sport-specific?
C. The benefits and restrictions student-athletes would face if a dead period was instituted at the end of their season.
Barta affirmed the Big Ten’s commitment to collecting data from the survey. Results from the survey will be thoroughly analyzed during May’s Big Ten meetings in preparation for the January 2017 NCAA Convention.
XII. Athletics Director’s Report - Gary Barta
A. Attached are the March sports report and schedules. The following sports highlights were mentioned:
1. AllyDisterhoft (women’s basketball) and JarrodUthoff (men’s basketball) were selected to the 2015-16 Academic All-America Division I women’s and men’s basketball first teams. It is the first year student-athletes from the same university have garnered the prestigious award.
2. Iowa hosted the Big Ten Wrestling Championships March 5-6. The Hawkeyes took second place and crowned two champions. Nine Iowa wrestlers head to Madison Square Garden to compete in the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 17-19.
Barta congratulated Jantz and her event management staff for their tireless efforts to successfully organize and run a premier Championship event.
3. Postseason play for the women’s basketball team will be determined on Monday, March 14, 2016.
4. With a Big Ten record of 12-6, the men’s basketball team travels to Indianapolis to compete in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, March 10, 2016.
5. The number18-ranked Hawkeye women’s gymnastics team is undefeated in Big Ten Conference competition. Iowa will host an NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Regional on April 2, 2016.
6. The track and field team earned four Big Ten titles at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ohio, February 26-27. The winners have qualified to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama, March 11-12.
B. There is presently no update on the status of Drew Ott’s (football) appeal. It currently rests with the NCAA appeals process.
C. *Paula Jantz and Matt Henderson have been promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Directors.
D. During the April Board of Regents meeting proposed updates to the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center and other athletics facilities will be reviewed.
E. The United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is coming to campus. The Athletics Department and the university have been working with the OCR to provide information for an ongoing investigation. The OCR will tour facilities and interview head coaches, student-athletes, and other UI personnel while on campus.
F. Barta addressed the recent news coverage of the lawsuit filed by former Iowa field hockey coach Tracy Griesbaum. He prefaced his comments by stating he is limited as to what he can say due to ongoing litigation. He explained that Griesbaum was not fired as a result of her gender, but after consulting with others on campus (President, General Counsel, Human Resources, etc.), he made a decision to make a leadership change without cause, and the terms of her coaching contract were fulfilled.
XIII. Adjourn
Chair Cox adjourned the meeting at 5:10 p.m.
______
Marj Meisner
Recording Secretary