Athletics reform proposal passed at council meeting

Things are beginning to change for the IU athletics department. \nThe Bloomington Faculty Council passed a proposal Tuesday by The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics that outlines academic recommendations to NCAA bylaws and a proposal by the Budgetary Affairs Committee to mandate the participation of the athletics department in the annual budgeting process.\nWhile not directly linked or proposed, the two topics go hand in hand -- the proposal by the COIA calls for more campus involvement with athletics, which the BAC proposal begins to accomplish. \nThe COIA proposal has been on the table for the BFC since Feb. 2 but was passed unanimously Tuesday. The proposal, "Academic Integrity in Intercollegiate Athletics: Principles, Proposed Rules, and Guidelines," outlines recommended changes to NCAA bylaws in five areas: admission of athletes, awarding of scholarships, curricular integrity, time commitments of athletes and academic advising for players. The COIA, an alliance of 45 faculty representatives from Division I-A schools, drafted the proposal in January. IU professor Bob Eno is the co-chair of the committee. Amelia Noel-Elkins, IU associate athletics director for student services, also worked on the proposal.\nThe COIA proposal makes considerable strides in the form of academic support for athletes, which Eno said directs campuses to solutions to adopt appropriate practices for academic advising and to avoid NCAA sanctions. \n"This is really important stuff that has an effect on every campus if it's put in place," Eno said. "If we adopt (the proposal) campus by campus the news will be good."\nThe BAC proposal calls for the athletics department to begin to participate in the annual budgetary process. The department receives up to an estimated $1.8 million from the IU-Bloomington budget for the athletics advising program and utilities, use of campus athletic facilities and a waiver of administrative charge. \nBFC member Theodore Miller, a professor of public and environmental affairs, lobbied for more campus involvement with athletics. The new proposal taking affect will inevitably change how academic advising works for athletes.\n"In the face of these changes it just seems reasonable to me for the campus to have more oversight then they have had in the past," Miller said. "In the end I think we've made a step forward if (the BAC proposal adoption) happens."\nBFC President David Daleke said the COIA will continue to collect e-mail votes until April from faculty councils at other NCAA colleges in favor or against the proposal. If passed it will be proposed to the NCAA.\n"The key players now will be the NCAA, university presidents and faculty senates; people will be making big decisions." Daleke said. "The point is to have the consensus of the whole."\n-- Contact Senior Writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.