The University of Memphis is undergoing a self-study that willdetermine whether the Athletics Department will receive renewedNCAA certification.
A previous self-study was completed in 1994, at which time TheUniversity received full NCAA certification.
Since that study, the number of minorities in athleticmanagement positions have decreased, while funding for women'sathletics has increased, the new study finds.
In 1994, a condition on which re-certification was contingentwas that the Athletics Department adopt a written policy regardingminority hiring.
According to the current report, The University "responded byadopting the Affirmative Action Plan and Guideline" in August 1995,to which the Athletics Department, along with the rest of TheUniversity, still adheres. The NCAA was satisfied with this actionand granted full certification.
The 2004 report, available online, states "Although theAthletics Department has followed University and Board of Regentsguidelines, policies and procedures, as well as court-orderedmandates, the number of minorities in Athletics Departmentmanagement-level positions and in coaching positions has decreasedsince the first-cycle visit."
Nick White, a member of the Equity, Welfare and Sportsmanshipsubcommittee, said there are no quotas of minority hirings thatmust be met, simply that it is important that minority candidatesare given every opportunity to compete for available jobs.
The Equity, Welfare and Sportsmanship Committee is a subgroup ofthe survey's Steering Committee and is responsible for reviewingminority equity issues.
"I think (minority hiring) will require some attention," hesaid, "and we'll have to take a look at it."
While The University complied with suggestions in the 1994study, White and David Cox, vice chair of the Steering Committee,acknowledge it is possible that further policy revisions on thematter will be added when the NCAA reviews the second-cyclereport.
Another section reviewed by the Equity, Welfare andSportsmanship subcommittee is gender equity on campus.
"The gender equity matter is probably the most prominent mattertoday (across the country)," White said. "What you have to look atis if progress is being made."
Since the first-cycle study in 1994, The U of M has madesignificant upgrades in women's athletics that include addingwomen's soccer in 1995, revamping the Elma Roane Field House forwomen's basketball and providing vehicles for women's assistantcoaches in various sports.
"We've added soccer," White said. "Really, the next big stepwill be adding fast-pitch softball."
Softball would bring the total number of women's sports oncampus to six, matching the number of men's sports. Both men andwomen can compete in a seventh sport: rifle.
The report states that The University committed to adding eitherwomen's swimming or softball by 1999, following the first cyclereport. Although that never occurred, plans are in the works forsoftball to begin competition in 2006.
Spending on women's athletics increased 320 percent between1993-2003. The percentage of dollars spent on women's programsincreased from 10.6 percent in 1993 to 23.7 percent in 2003.
In 2003, women's sports made up 23.7 percent of AthleticsDepartment expenses and contributed 2.1 percent of the revenue.
The findings came about in a process involving the 25-memberSteering Committee, responsible for conducting inquiries andreviews into existing policies that govern the AthleticsDepartment.
The larger committee is broken into three subcommittees, whichare responsible for a more specific area and are comprised ofstudent-athletes, graduate students, athletic departmentrepresentatives and U of M faculty from other disciplines. Thesesubcommittees include Governance and Commitment to RulesCompliance; Academic Integrity; and Equity, Welfare andSportsmanship.
The Athletics Department responds by assisting the committeeswith the proper reports, data and other background information.
The Steering Committee also received input from The Universitycommunity by welcoming e-mailed comments and holding an open forumfor those familiar with the report.
Cox said the open forum was designed to be "an opportunity toanyone who looked at the draft to come and ask questions."
The forum represented the last chance for public input on thesurvey. According to the NCAA Athletics Certification Self-Studywritten guidelines, a final draft of the study must be compiled andapproved by U of M President Shirley Raines and Athletics DirectorR.C. Johnson before July 15, at which point it will be submitted tothe NCAA for review.
In January 2005, the site committee and the NCAA will reporttheir recommendation to The University and recommend any newcorrective actions, conditions for certification or strategies forimprovement that might be necessary.
"That's why we do these things," Cox said, "to bring attentionto certain areas where improvement is needed."
