Appendix C
Statement of the Role of the
Faculty Athletics Representative
Introduction
This statement has been developed to emphasize the strategic role
that the faculty athletics representative (FAR) should play to
ensure academic integrity, facilitate institutional control of
intercollegiate athletics and enhance the student-athlete
experience. Although chief executive officer (CEO) control of the
intercollegiate athletics program is essential, this goal is more
likely to be attained through appropriate delegation of both
responsibility and authority on the campus. Of all of the major
participants in the administration of the intercollegiate athletics
program, those who represent the faculty are most likely to be
independent of the financial and other pressures that create
enormous incentives for competitive success in the
revenue-producing sports. Senior faculty members are able to
provide significant leadership in the governance of athletics
programs on their campuses if they are empowered by their CEOs and
their faculty governance structures to do so, and if they are
provided adequate institutional support to fully discharge their
responsibilities.
The common bond that links FARs across all NCAA member
institutions is a commitment to academic integrity. Beyond this
goal, FAR roles vary both among and within divisional
classifications.
The roles of the faculty-dominated athletics boards or committees
also may differ. In this statement, the “role of the
FAR” should be broadly interpreted to include the activities
of the athletics boards and committees that also are charged to
represent faculty perspectives in the governance of intercollegiate
athletics.
Obviously, this statement is not intended to be binding on either
individual FARs or member institution. It does contain, however,
guidelines that merit diligent consideration on the part of those
who select or appoint the FAR and on the part of the faculty
members who are asked to consider such appointments.
Academic
Integrity
The academic integrity of an intercollegiate athletics program may
be evaluated in a number of ways, including a review of: the
admissions profiles of recruited student-athletes vs. all students
who are admitted to the institution; courses and academic programs
selected by student-athletes; the semester and cumulative records
of academic performance of student-athletes and the rates at which
they graduate. The FAR periodically should review appropriate
records (for both individual student-athletes and for sport teams)
to ensure that decisions related to admissions, academic advising,
evaluation of academic performance and the extent of academic
support services are made in ways that are consistent with the
primary academic mission of the institution.
The FAR should ensure that the institution has in place effective
mechanisms for evaluating whether student-athletes have met all of
the academic eligibility requirements for practice, financial aid
and intercollegiate competition established by the NCAA, the
conference (if any) and the institution. The FAR need not perform
these certifications personally, but should ensure that all
certifications for both initial and continuing academic eligibility
have been performed correctly, and with adequate documentation.
The FAR should assume an advisory and reporting role with respect
to the academic preparation and performance of student-athletes.
The FAR may prepare (or requires on the basis of FAR
specifications) periodic reports on the academic preparation and
performance of student-athletes. Such reports should be carefully
reviewed by the FAR and discussed with the CEO, the faculty and the
athletics department.
Compliance
Institutional control of intercollegiate athletics is a
campus-wide responsibility. Unless the institution has designated
an athletics compliance coordinator who reports directly to the CEO
(or another senior-level administrator outside the athletics
department), the FAR and the director of athletics should assume
joint responsibility for ensuring compliance with all NCAA,
conference (if any) and institutional rules. Consistent with the
guidelines provided by the NCAA’s principles of institutional
control discussion document, FAR responsibilities should include
oversight of compliance-related activities undertaken within the
athletics department and coordination of the compliance-related
activities of the campus units located outside the athletics
department. Such efforts could focus on academic-eligibility
certifications (noted above), rules education and staff training,
rules interpretations, and periodic spot-checks of records to
ensure that all institutional compliance systems are engaged and
functioning. Even if the institution has appointed a compliance
coordinator who reports directly to the CEO, the FAR should retain
significant responsibilities for institutional-control structures
and activities.
The FAR should play a central role in any major institutional
inquiry into alleged or suspected rules violations and in the
preparation of any infractions reports submitted to the conference
(if any) or the NCAA.
The FAR should receive the results of any periodic audits of the
athletics department that may be conducted.
The FAR should play a major role in any NCAA athletics
certification program reviews.
Intercollegiate athletics programs offer privileges that include
financial assistance, team membership, competitive opportunities
and numerous additional support services. Such privileges create a
heightened visibility of student-athletes both on and beyond the
campus. Hence, student-athletes must accept some additional
responsibilities for their behavior that are not imposed on
students generally. The FAR, together with the athletics
administration, should ensure that appropriate standards of
student-athlete conduct are established (for both on- and
off-campus behavior), clearly communicated and consistently
enforced.
Student-Athlete
Experience
The FAR should promote a balance between academics, athletics and
the social lives of student-athletes, which affords them
opportunities to enjoy the full range of collegiate experiences
available to students generally. Examples of such activities
include a review of travel and competition schedules (to minimize
missed class time), reviews of athletics scholarship cancellations
or reductions (which might inappropriately limit opportunities for
student-athletes to complete their degrees), periodic review of the
mechanisms used to monitor the hourly and weekly limitations on
athletically related activities, and the actions to encourage the
availability of post eligibility financial support for
student-athletes. The FAR should participate in student-athlete
exit interviews, facilitate student-athlete participation on
athletics boards and committees, and inform student-athletes about
the FAR role as an independent source of counsel, assistance and
information.
The FAR should encourage and facilitate interactions between
student-athletes and mainstream institutional activities. At the
beginning of each academic year, the FAR should address
student-athletes as a group, or in individual team meetings, to
emphasize the primacy of the academic mission of the institution
and the responsibilities of student-athletes within that setting.
Further, the FAR should utilize every opportunity to reinforce the
principle that student-athletes are students who are to be afforded
opportunities to participate in a variety of institutional
experiences.
The FAR should encourage student-athletes to prepare for careers
outside (or in some instances, associate with) their experiences as
intercollegiate athletes. To this end, the FAR should ensure that
testing, counseling, evaluation and other career-planning services
are made available to student-athletes.
Communication/Administration
The FAR should play a central role in discussions of matters
related to intercollegiate athletics at athletics board or
committee meetings and at faculty or institutional senate meetings.
At these meetings, the FAR should provide periodic reports related
to matters of academic integrity, academic preparation and
performance of student-athletes, rules compliance or violations,
and other matters related to the intercollegiate athletics program.
Faculty and other members of the institutional community should
have an opportunity to learn about the work of the FAR and to raise
relevant questions or concerns with the FAR. The FAR should serve
as a member, or as chair, of the institution’s athletics
board or committee.
The FAR should have access to complete budgetary information about
the athletics department.
The FAR should play an important role in the shaping of
institutional voting decisions on conference and NCAA
legislation.
The FAR, as an appointee of the CEO, must have access to the CEO
and must be recognized as a key advisor on athletics-related
matters by the CEO and others involved in the administration of
intercollegiate athletics. The FAR also must have access to a
working relationship with the director of athletics and his or her
staff. The FAR should have a major role in the institutional
searches for key athletics department personnel.
Institutional
Resources/Compensation
The CEO must ensure that the FAR and the faculty members who share
the responsibilities identified above are allocated the time and
institutional resources consistent with their duties. This support
could include clerical staff, release time from teaching or other
duties, and additional compensation during the academic or fiscal
year. In addition, deans, department chairs and other institutional
administrators should acknowledge that the FAR’s activities
described above require a significant commitment of time and
energy. No faculty member should accept appointment to the position
of FAR without a commitment of institutional resources consistent
with these responsibilities and a pledge of institutional
recognition of the time and energies required for these duties to
be effectively discharged.
Athletically related perquisites (team travel, tickets, etc.)
provided to the FAR should be subject to annual approval by the
CEO. Where possible, it would be desirable to have the expenses
associated with such perquisites paid through the office of the
CEO, not the athletics department.