Athletics Policy
Introduction
The Board of Governors for Higher Education recognizes and supports the notion that a successful program of intercollegiate athletics is an important ingredient to a high quality of campus life. The exact parameters of the athletics program will vary with the unique role and mission of the particular school.
There are, however, certain conditions which must be present in every program regardless of the level of competition or the number of sports offered.
Policy
- While having a “winning” program is certainly desirable, one can never sacrifice academic and fiscal integrity. Athletes are, after all, students first and everyone involved in an athletics program must do everything possible to ensure that men and women receive the highest quality education possible with graduation or transfer being the primary goal. The president is the chief executive officer of his/her institution and is ultimately responsible for maintaining the highest ethical standards. Therefore, consistent with the recommendations of the Knight Commission, the Board of Governors for Higher Education endorses the authoritative role of the president in the administration of the athletics programs at the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and the Community College of Rhode Island. The Board further proposes that the “one-plus-three” model be followed. We believe that academic and fiscal integrity must be at the core of any truly “successful” program. We further recommend that the three public institutions pursue programmatic certification by the appropriate governing body where available.
- The spirit of equal education opportunities is applicable to intercollegiate athletics including recreation and intramurals. No later than September 30, 1994, each institution shall have in place a program to provide equal and equitable opportunities for men and women which are consistent with Title IX. Such equity may be measured by, but not limited to, the quality of academic support services and the budgetary investment including scholarships allotted to men and women, the comparable salaries paid to male and female coaches, and both short- and long-range plans to establish and maintain equity within the institutions.
- The president shall report progress to the board at least once per year.
