Executive Committee Meeting

Monday, August 30, 2004

Guest:  Ron Stump, Vice Chancellor for Students Affairs

The report written in spring of 2004 by the BFA’s Special Committee on Athletic Reform and adopted by the administration was the basis for sweeping changes to the athletic department.  An Academic Policy Board has been created and reports directly to Provost Phil DiStefano.  Chair Bintliff  noted the magnitude of changes in athletics particularly in reporting structure; in general, campus faculty and staff do not yet understand the magnitude of the changes the athletic department has undergone.  

Bintliff wanted to address and challenge the perception that CU is not “academically rigorous” and suggested that the BFA lead the faculty in open discussion of this topic and offered suggestions for dispelling this myth:

• Consider holding classes on Fridays and before holidays
• Make classes held during the first weeks of the semester “real,” with substantive assignments, tests, etc.
• Cancel Fall Break
• Reinstate reading days before final exams
• Create rigorous reading and writing requirements throughout the semester

Vice Chancellor Stump outlined the educational programming and response protocols for sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, and he announced the arrival of  national educational speaker  Jackson Katz, renowned speaker on positive gender behavior, who will conduct special presentations the week of September 21-24.   The education task force will continue to work in a coordinated way to ensure all the programs that need to be in place on campus are in place.   Bintliff urged that there be clear statements as to what persons are in charge of the different components of the policies on campus.  Stump offered to return later in the semester to discuss changes to the current policy.