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Athletic Council Meeting

Meeting scheduled on October 12, 2020 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location: Team’s Meeting

Those in attendance: President Evans, Robert Spina, Moses Dupre, Helene Thill, Karla Lopez, Trina Nolen, Golden Wright, Jill E. Killough, John D. McCollough, Tyler Martin, Amy M. Troha, PJ Couch, Andrew McMahan, Dan French, Jeffrey T. Spoeri, Berna E. Tokgoz, Eric Shannon, Liv Haselbach, Ginger Gummelt, John Bello-Ogunu, Stefany Rico, Bradley Mayer, Joe Nordgren.

Dr. Spina:

• Welcome

President Evans:

• Explained Conference related games
• Talked about COVID cases and how the Health Center and counseling services are being used during this time.
• Offered his availability to this council.
• Concerned overall mental health challenges for all students during this time.
• Explained how classes are held.

Marco:

• Allowed everyone to introduce themselves.
• Timeline review from March
  • March 11^th Katy (SLC meetings/ SLC tournament cancellation)
  • Cancellation of all NCAA March Madness ($700 million impact)
  • Cancellation of all NCAA spring championships
  • Cancellation of all SLC events
  • Recruiting dead period extended until January 1^st (at least)
  • NCAA vote:
    • Season of competition waivers – Spring Sports/Fall/maybe winter
    • Extension of five-year period of eligibility – Spring Sports/Fall/maybe winter
    • Waiver of financial aid limitations – Spring Sports/Fall/maybe winter
    • Opt-Out (explained what that means) – 25 student athletes have opted out
    • Legal Rights
    • Medical Expenses
      • 3-pong
    • Financial Impact
  • Athletic Staff worked remotely in the beginning
    • Bi-weekly calls with Head Coaches, staff, etc.
      • Now weekly
    • Proud of our staff, coaches, student athletes
    • Return campus committee
  • Academic Success
    • 50 students with a 4.0 GPA
    • 120 students with a 3.5+ GPA
    • 196 students with a 3.0+ GPA
    • Department GPA 3.02
  • Financial impact of COVID-19
    • Reminder: we are funded majority from 2-3 sources
      • Student fees/institution support
      • NCAA/SLC
      • Own revenue (donations, tickets, corporate sponsorships) - smallest
    • NCAA distribution reduced by 70% (1-2 FY impacts)
    • Opportunity for us to become more efficient and to look at our business model quite differently
      • Nothing will ever be the same
      • Opportunity vs. Fear
      • Diversity
    • Looking where to cut expenses and how to generate additional revenue
      • Cost containment measures
      • M&O and travel cuts
      • Expenses
        • Travel size
        • Flight vs. Bus – if trip within 3 hours = one day trip
        • Equipment
        • Summer School ($600,000+)
        • Cost of attendance ($500,000+)
        • SLC cost cutting
        • Cardinal Club Meals
          • Eliminate FB meals (except 1)
          • Increase level for BKB ($500 level)
        • Football Hotels
        • Recruiting budgets
          • Zoom/virtual
        • Printing/mobile
        • Cell phones
        • Open positions
        • Elimination of complimentary tickets
      • Facilities are still a priority
        • Turf, etc.
      • Hall of Honor
        • Announced class this week
        • Chu
      • Be creative
        • Fly with LU campaign
          • Giving Day
        • E-Sports on ESPN
        • Podcasts
        • Virtual 5K
        • Virtual Fishing Tournament
      • Fall
        • Limited competition
        • Practice
      • Spring Season
        • All sports
        • BKB Kick off November 25^th
          • Setup of arena
          • Capacity
        • Tickets/Revenue
          • All Sports Pass
          • 2021 Tickets
        • Testing
          • Level Risk: High/Medium/Low
          • Testing intervals – High Risk tested weekly/medium and low bi-weekly. Once basketball starts 3X weekly
          • Cost of testing - $50-$100
        • Diversity/Inclusion
          • Internal committee
          • March for Equality

Additional Notes:

• NCAA Grant renewed
• Sponsorships are up
• Laura evacuation/community service (students/staff)
• NIL
• Transfer legislation
• Election day off
• Spina FAR
  • FAR 101
• Staff training
  • Suicide Prevention (Mental Health)
  • CPR Certification
• Goals/Expectation for this committee
  • Advocates
  • Accountability

Questions asked by members:

• What does it mean to get a year back and how does it affect scholarships?
  • The scholarship of the student getting the year back will not count towards the scholarship limit of each team.
• Group testing?
  • NCAA requires PCR testing
• Helene received an invitation to attend the Chair Meeting in the spring
• Gratitude to Marco and Dallas for allowing the band to use the stadium to record videos that will be released to the public before Thanksgiving. The money that was not spend on traveling this year was used to buy band uniforms. Will the band be allowed on the field during football and basketball games?
  • Basketball – band will be in a different location
  • Football – hard to answer now, will know in a few months

End of Meeting

• Spina
  • Thanks to Marco, Helene, Moses for the updates
  • Expressed the importance of academic integrity
  • People do not understand the intensity and complexity of the athletics department
  • Asked for suggestions on how the members would like this committee to work/interact
• Marco
  • Helene’s staff is short. We are in the process of hiring a staff member
  • APR
• Spina will send an email to the committee with time options to meet.