Athletic Council Annual Report 2004-5

Athletic Council had another busy year in 2004-05. The Council met 10 times over the course of the academic year. In addition, the members of Athletic Council participated in the four open fora with the candidates for the position of athletic director.

Athletic Council’s conversations were dominated by:
• the need for more and better athletic facilities, particularly the plans for new soccer and softball turf fields at Denton Road in Greenfield;
• how to craft the NCAA Strategic Alliance grant proposal requesting over $100,000 to meet our need for more staff, particularly a full-time softball coach and an assistant athletic director to oversee the facilities, including building security;
• the search for a new athletic director; and
• the switch of the athletics program from the purview of the Dean of Faculty to that of the Dean of Student Affairs, its separation from Exercise Science, and its continuing responsibility for credit-bearing physical activity courses.
This switch necessitates yet another revision of the function statement that Athletic Council revised in 2003-04 but which CFG had not yet acted upon because it did not want to do so until it had completed the reorganization of the faculty governance system. Athletic Council has functioned according to the current revisions for the last two years. [See Appendix A at the end of this report for the revised function statement. One of the revisions to Athletic Council, one of which has already taken place as a result of the endorsement of CFG, the Dean, and the President is to add to the list of Council members the position of NCAA Faculty Representative, a position mandated by the NCAA. Kate Berheide, an elected member of the Council, currently serves in this position. The NCAA recommends that the Faculty Athletics Representative hold that position for longer than the normal faculty term on Athletic Council.]

Throughout the year, the Council received updates from AD Segrave and Dean Brueggemann regarding personnel and capital decisions made to address gender equity concerns and overall athletics issues. We are hiring, for example, a full-time softball coach and planning to build a softball field to meet NCAA standards. Athletic Council discussed the composition of search committees for head coaches, noting among other things that the NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative or another faculty member on Athletic Council should serve on search committees for head coaches to represent the faculty voice as required by the NCAA.

During the fall, Emily Martin provided regular reports from the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. In the spring, we met with SAAC representatives and their advisor, Women’s Lacrosse and Field Hockey Coach Beth Hallenbeck, to hear their concerns and learn what they had been working on. SAAC continues to request a sign on the loop road to announce upcoming games, physical activity credit for playing varsity sports, and a rollback in the prohibition of black as a color for uniforms. They arranged for student groups to perform at half-time for a few games during the year; for example the Sonneteers sang at a field hockey game in the fall and another group did a dance performance at a basketball game in the spring.

In fulfillment of a very pleasant duty, the Council received the nominations for the recipient of the Tim Brown Student Athlete award and made a determination of the student to be so honored.

Athletic Council has decided to institute as a regular policy the pattern followed this year of having the committee chaired by the faculty member who is in his or her second year on the committee. Therefore, Patricia Fehling will chair the Council in 2005-06. We are delighted that Steve Frey will be joining the Council in the fall.

Catherine White Berheide, SASW, Chair and NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
John Brueggemann, DOF rep
Patricia Fehling, EX
Don Hastings, DOSA rep
Jamie Hutson ’05, Men’s Lacrosse
Ela Lepkowska-White, M/B
Emily Martin ’06, Women’s Soccer
Jeff Segrave, AD

Catherine White Berheide, SASW, NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
Sarah Berheide ’06, Women’s Lacrosse
Gail Cummings-Danson, AD
Patricia Fehling, EX, Chair
Steve Frey, CH
Sarah Goodwin, DOF rep
Pat Oles, DOSA
Alexis Sherman ’06, Field Hockey

Note: Will need to be revised again in light of new administrative organizational structure.

To assist the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty in articulating and espousing the vision for athletics at Skidmore and in efforts to assure productive links between the athletic programs and all other academic programs, working in coordination with the Athletic Director, the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Student Affairs, and Advancement. To recommend to the VPAA/DOF policies regarding the Skidmore athletic program, including: the determination of the scope and level of competition in intercollegiate, club, and intramural sports; eligibility rules and relevant admissions processes; and establishment of priorities for the athletic program, including fitness/wellness and recreation. To monitor implementation of Skidmore’s policies for athletics, including gender equity, and to evaluate annual reports related to the athletic program, including those filed with external agencies. To assist in such other matters as may be brought to the Council’s attention by the Athletic Director or by any of the constituent groups of the college community. All meetings will be open and advertised in advance.

Membership: Three faculty members, each from a different department, elected to serve three-year terms; two students selected by SGA; the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty or his/her designee, the Dean of Student Affairs or his/her designee, the Athletic Director ex-officio (non-voting), and the NCAA Faculty representative ex-officio (voting and may be a member of the Committee as well).