Clapacs named athletic director

The Hoosiers' troubles with the athletic department began to improve yesterday when newly minted Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Terry Clapacs was given permanence to his position. Clapacs assumed the role of interim athletic director on Nov. 8, taking the reigns from former director Michael McNeely. \nDuring a press conference in Assembly Hall, IU Interim President Gerald Bepko introduced Clapacs in front of a room full of supporters and cameras. \n"This is the right recipe for this time, this place," Bepko said.\nAs Clapacs walked to the podium amidst applause from the audience, his crimson and cream striped tie framed the 36-year veteran of IU. \nIn his remarks, Clapacs outlined his agenda for his coming tenure, listing improving current athletic facilities and managing the budget as his two top concerns. \nThroughout his speech, Clapacs returned to his goal of making the athletic department more harmonious on all levels, emphasizing improving "teamwork, camaraderie and mutual support."\nImportant challenges Clapacs said were to continue the budget control effort, revenue enhancement, increase diversity in the athletic department, build team spirit as well as evaluate performance. \nIn a discussion with the board of trustees that has been ongoing since mid-December, Clapacs said that by finally having the position solidified he can feel better about making decisions.\n"There are some important decisions to be made," Clapacs said. "And it's a lot easier without the interim title."\nAn agreement that was made in conjunction with his promotion was that his position as athletic director can be re-visited in a year. Hopefully, Bepko said, when a new, permanent president is in place. \nOn top of his athletic duties, Clapacs will continue in his role as vice president for administration and chief administrative officer of IU with deputy vice president for administration Paul Sullivan overtaking most of Clapacs' day-to-day operations. \nThe majority of Clapacs' time will be spent in athletics. \nTaking over as the first official athletic director since McNeely, Clapacs will have an entire athletic department to reconcile. \nOne of his major focuses will be the improvement of the football program. Besides the venue additions, Clapacs is optimistic about a successful season, he said.\n"Attendance will go up when we begin to win," he said. "And we will win under coach DiNardo." \nAs part of the advancement of the athletic department, Clapacs wants to make additions and renovations to a majority of the venues, he said.\nHis ideas consisted of enclosing the north end zone, making a concentrated area for coaches and student-athletes beside Assembly Hall, adding a weight room and an area for sports medicine as well as bringing the coaches whose offices aren't in Assembly Hall closer together.\nBut the biggest improvement comes in the form of an addition to Assembly Hall. \n"Every venue needs to be done," Clapacs said. \nMany of these idea's resemble those of McNeely's, whose micromanagement of the athletic department help caused a $3.2 million debt that is still being absorbed.\n"I credit McNeely with getting the ball rolling," Clapacs said of his predecessor. \nOne of the reasons why Clapacs is taking on both roles as athletic director and vice president is because of the financial trouble the department is in.\n"We will end the year in the red a little, but nothing like it was," he said.\nOn top of a base salary of $250,000, Clapacs will receive $40,000 a year as long as he takes on both jobs.\nFor a man who grew up admiring IU athletes and said he knew this is where he would end up, Clapacs is in a situation where he can impact the future of IU athletics for as long as it has impacted him.\n"Athletics plays a strange but important role in people's lives," he said.