Athletic Committee FY2021


Committee Details:

Committee: Athletic Committee
Committee Category: Standing Committees of the University Senate
Fiscal Year: FY2021
Fiscal Year: 2021

Members

  • Chair: Susan Twombly, Education (2021)
  • Faculty: Derek Reed, ABS, (2021)
  • Faculty: Jordan Bass (2022)
  • Faculty: Jerry Crawford, Journalism (2022)
  • Faculty: Lisa Bergeron, Business (2023)
  • Faculty: Florence DiGennaro, ABSC (2023)
  • Staff: Heather Abernathy, Engineering Administration (2022)
  • Staff: Liz Phillips, Office Public Safety (2021)
  • Staff: Kelly Banks, Spencer Museum , (2023)
  • Student: Apramay Mishra  
  • Graduate Student: Maggie Mayer
  • Student: Student Senate University Affairs Committee: Drew Durham  
  • Student: Appointed by Student Athlete Advisory Committee:
  • Ex-Officio (non-voting): Susan Stagg-Williams, Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, Faculty Representative
  • Ex-Officio (non-voting): Paul Buskirk, Assoc. AD, Student Athlete Support Services

Charges

Standing Charges

  1. To the extent possible the committee is encouraged to start each year with a joint meeting of the KAI Staff and the Athletic committee.
    1. KAI would outline the things that are on their agenda that the committee could work on to help KAI and student athletes. The Senate Athletic Committee could do the same.
    2. From this meeting, the agenda for the rest of the year could be built.

       
  2. Review KU and Kansas Athletics Inc. (KAI) efforts to promote and maintain academic excellence for the student athletes.
    1. Identify potential academic barriers and recommend mechanisms to overcome such barriers including collaboration with the student athlete academic support services.
    2. Review current-year data on missed class days due to competition and travel.
    3. Review the following KAI academic reports: Spring and Fall Student-Athlete Grade Summary, NCAA Academic Progress Rate Institutional Report, Graduation Rates and the KAI report on academic majors for student-athletes and non-athletes.
    4. Review the effects of university changes regarding core requirements, majors, minors, certificates or other curricular issues.
  1. Review KU and KAI efforts to provide a premier student athlete experience.
    1. Review programs designed to ensure the personal development and personal welfare of student athletes including: nutrition and physical health, mental health, and safety.
    2. Review reports from KAI exit-interviews and KAI survey questions regarding participation in the broader campus community.
    3. Review Student Athlete Advisory Committee programs and recommend opportunities to improve student athlete involvement in extracurricular campus and community activities.

       
  2. Help ensure KU maintains athletic compliance with University, Big XII and NCAA rules and Federal law.
    1. Review educational programs and communication strategies to ensure the KU community better understands the combined responsibility for compliance.
    2. Review and summarize KAI reports identifying athletic compliance parameters including but not limited to recruiting practices and university admissions.
    3. Review KU and KAI policies and procedures on drug testing, diversity and sexual harassment including Title IX compliance, and alcohol use in matters of sexual assault reporting.

       
  3. Help ensure KU meets its strategic goals pertaining to athletics.
    1. Recommend educational programs and communication strategies to enhance the balance between academics and athletics, as well as to promote a broad understanding of the goals and priorities of each. 
    2. Recommend mechanisms for improved communication between KAI coaches and staff and KU faculty, staff and students.
    3. Maintain regular communications with the NCAA/Big XII Faculty Representative, the Athletics Advisory Committee(AAC), KAI and University Governance to ensure the needs of each are being served.

Specific Charges

  1. Consider the COVID-19 emergency response by KU and KAI, how it affected student-athletes, and make recommendations for future emergencies.

     
  2. Specific issues from this year’s meeting that merit follow up by next year’s committee:
    1. The number of and concentration of student-athletes in the BGS in LAS degree.
    2. The status of the proposed class absence policy.
    3. The mental health and general well-being status of student-athletes.
    4. Follow up of the proposed NCAA financial awards to conferences based on measures of academic performance. Perhaps Kansas Athletics will have more details about how this money will be spent and potential ramifications of such an “award.”

Final Reports and Outcomes

Athletic Final Report FY2021 (pdf)

Athletic Committee FY2021