Brand alleviates athletics plan concerns

The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) invited President Miles Brand to speak Feb. 17 about his ideas and plans for NCAA athletics at IU. Varsity athletes and the committee were present with their questions and concerns. Some thought Brand had intentions of reducing the level of athletics here to more of a club sport.\n"That is the wrong picture," junior Nathan Purcell, member of the SAAC, said. "He wants IU to excel in both academics and athletics, and I believe he is behind IU athletics 100 percent."\nIn fact, Brand's intentions are not to downsize or change IU athletics but to use IU as a model for the nation. Assembly Hall has no advertisements for corporate sponsors. \nSponsorships create pressure for, and interfere with, collegiate athletics, Brand said. He would like to see other schools mimic the precedent that IU has set. This cleared up many issues and concerns that the athletes had.\n"I found the meeting to be very informative," said junior Nathan Gooden, a member of the track and field team. "It was an excellent opportunity to get to address these issues that concern us as student-athletes without having to filter through the media's viewpoints or opinions about Brand's ideas on intercollegiate athletics."\nAttendees said the meeting also gave the athletes more confidence in Brand and IU athletics in general.\n"The media often portrays him as a single-minded man who wishes to destroy college sports," Purcell said. "After hearing him speak, I believe he is only going to make NCAA sports stronger and more competitive." \nMany people were pleased with the quality of Brand's speech. After speaking for about an hour, he opened the floor up for questions. Many of the concerns athletes had were about Brand's "academics first" project. Athletes believed the project would bring a lot of changes to the athletics department.\nBrand also addressed issues pertaining to the academic policy and academic counseling. He said the ideas he has do not include changing IU athletics. \n"His ideas won't change the University athletics because we're good," junior Tom Burns said.\nBrand said he simply wants to show how supportive the athletics department can be and for other schools to follow this trend. He has a real desire to have IU be the "measuring stick" for a first class achievement in the class room and on the field, Burns said.\n"I was definitely pleased with the meeting," he said. "He won us over. He talked to us in the lobby like a normal guy. He wasn't like 'President Brand.' He seemed just like an interested fan."\nWith a renewed confidence in Brand and a good outlook for IU sports, the athletes are ready to set the example for the nation in collegiate sports.\n"He clearly conveyed to us that Indiana University will win with class, dignity and most importantly, with respect, to the letter and spirit of the rulebook," Gooden said.