Athletic Committee FY2023


Committee Details:

Committee: Athletic Committee
Committee Category: Standing Committees of the University Senate
Fiscal Year: FY2023
Fiscal Year: 2023

Members

  • Jordan Bass, Health Sport & Exercise Science, Faculty, 2023 (Chair)
  • Megan Greene, History, Faculty, 2024
  • Lisa Bergeron, Business, Faculty, 2023
  • Florence DiGennaro, ABSC, Faculty, 2023
  • Scott Harris, Communications, Faculty, 2024
  • Brett Bricker, Communication Studies, Faculty, 2024
  • Kelly Banks, Spencer Museum, Staff, 2023
  • Derek Kwan, Lied Center, Staff, 2025
  • Evan Riggs, Provost's Office, Staff, 2025
  • Sadie Williams, Student Body President or designee, Voting Student
  • Kirby Boehm, Voting Graduate Student
  • TBD, Student Senate University Affairs Committee, Voting Student
  • TBD, Voting Student
  • Susan Stagg-Williams, CPE, Faculty Representative, Ex-officio
  • Paul Buskirk, Assoc. AD, Student Athlete Support Services, Ex-officio

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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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. Monitor the continued impact of Name-Image-Likeness and the ways in which the university should be involved.
  2. Address mental health and well-being of student-athletes.
  3. Monitor the time commitments placed on student-athletes.
  4. Consider the future of college athletics – specifically the impact of being left out of a “super” conference or league would have on the university prestige and enrollment.
  5. Continued monitoring of the academic success of student-athletes – specifically as the transfer portal grows.
  6. Consider the impact of the 2022 Men’s Basketball National Championship on the university (enrollment, fundraising, etc.) and ways the university did use/or could use it to benefit the university community.
  7. Monitor any legislative action taken by the Kansas Legislature to discriminate against transgender athletes in college athletics.  Consider any necessary supportive measures.

Final Reports and Outcomes

Athletic Final Report FY2023 (pdf)

Athletic Committee FY2023