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University of Amherst Faculty Senate Athletic Council Meeting Minutes of October 27, 2017 Recreation Center Conference Room 117

MEMBERS PRESENT: Ryan Bamford, Diane Barstow, John Blihar, Nancy Buffone, Tim Conceison, Sid Ferreira, Sam Hazen, Scott Hovey, David Morin, JC Schnabl, Libby Sharrow, Pat Vittum, Marinos Vouvakis, Ed Ward, Rod Warnick, Russell Wells

VISITORS: Matt McCall, Ariel Pesante

CALL TO ORDER: Co-Chair Pat Vittum called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Secretary David Morin presented the Minutes of the October 6, 2017 Athletic Council meeting. Rebecca Spencer made a motion to approve the Minutes. The motion was seconded by Rod Warnick and adopted.

MEET THE COACH: Co-Chairs Hazen and Vittum welcomed Matt McCall, Coach of the Men’s Basketball team to the meeting and invited him to give a report to the Council on the Men’s Basketball program. McCall introduced himself and thanked the Council for the opportunity to discuss the program. It is an exciting time for winter sports but the Men’s Basketball team has faced some adversity, he said. Guard Jaylen Brantley had been recently diagnosed with a heart condition that will end his basketball playing career; the Springfield, Massachusetts native had just arrived from the University of Maryland as a graduate transfer. McCall was thankful that the condition had been detected when it was. The team has been stretched, though, following the departure of several players. McCall said that the Minutemen are at a foundational period but that they will prepare and play to win every game. McCall addressed some strengths and weaknesses of the Men’s Basketball team, the team’s upcoming schedule, training, recruitment, scholarships, mid-year transfer possibilities, graduate transfer possibilities, the fan experience, the new scoreboard in the , ticket sales, and advertising. Having been at UMass for only five or six months, McCall said that he was very impressed by the level of passion and pride for UMass that he has witnessed. The Coach said that he will stay connected with the Council and that he looked forward to winning games and building the team. There was a broad-ranging discussion of several aspects of the Men’s Basketball program.

MEET THE ADMINISTRATOR: Co-Chairs Hazen and Vittum welcomed Ariel Pesante, Associate Athletic Director for Governance and Compliance, and invited him to give a report on his activities. Pesante is from The Bronx, New York and was at Hofstra University for three and a half years before coming to UMass in July, 2017; before his time at Hofstra, Pesante was a graduate assistant at Delaware State University, spent three years at Manhattan College, and was at the University of Hartford briefly. Pesante said that he considers himself lucky to have worked with some great administrators and athletic directors throughout his career. Pesante discussed his general responsibilities and his philosophy of communication, documentation, and education. With respect to communication, Pesante said that it is important to ask the right questions which can sometimes be tough questions. He is aware, alert, and awake with regard to his compliance responsibilities and believes in not only checking but double-checking and triple-checking to stay abreast of goings-on in the Department. Pesante described the importance of good record-

2 keeping and documentation as well as the implementation of new forms. With regard to education, Pesante discussed the need to keep coaches informed about rules and regulations. Coaches should not just be told about violations but should be educated, Pesante said; he is working for them and not against them. Pesante said that he is not the police; he does not have a gun or badge or anything like that and he hopes to overcome the typical negative perceptions of compliance. He maintains an open-door policy. There are several layers of oversight, Pesante said. He is the liaison between the University and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the (A10). In some complex cases, he may work with the University General Counsel. Also part of the structure of checks and balances are the Faculty Senate, its Athletic Council, the Faculty Athletic Representative, and an external review process. Pesante and the Compliance Office are also charged with protecting the integrity of the University. He also deals with academic eligibility, recruiting, financial aid, admissions, student athlete employment, limitations on playing and practice seasons, camps, clinics, extra benefit legislation, booster activities, medical hardship waivers, and a variety of other things. The Academic Progress Rate (APR) report is due on October 31, Pesante said, and severe penalties could be imposed if certain benchmarks are not met. Rebecca Spencer briefly discussed her role as Faculty Athletic Representative in relation to compliance; when Pesante files violations and waivers, she must also sign off on those documents. Ed Ward asked if high schools have become better educated about how student athletes should meet eligibility requirements. Pesante said that 2.3 is the new baseline and college preparatory courses are also considered important. Co-Chair Hazen asked about the size of Pesante’s office considering the various responsibilities involved. Pesante said that he has a staff of three, including himself. Ward asked if the University is responsible for enforcing the limit of five official visits per student. Pesante said that that is the case. Marinos Vouvakis asked what sort of violation, in Pesante’s experience, is the most common, and what was the most severe violation Pesante had dealt with. Pesante said that Bylaw 13 is very nuanced and full of technicalities which make violations of that bylaw more common. As far as severe violations are concerned, Pesante said that he had to deal with some coaches going over practice hours and inappropriate booster activities in his career. In many cases, these violations sound a lot worse than they really are. Libby Sharrow asked about the Compliance Office’s role in regard to gender equity and walk-on athletes. Pesante said that the Office works diligently on gender equity and that the Athletic program must be gender-proportional to the general student body. Women’s Rowing, in particular, has a large roster. Darrice Griffin oversees women’s sports as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and works closely with Pesante on gender equity. In regard to walk-ons, Pesante described the tryout process, a form that needs to be filled out, and walk-ons being subject to the same benchmarks as other athletes. Rod Warnick asked about the Power Five conferences’ autonomous relationships with the NCAA and whether UMass would follow those institutions. Pesante said that UMass can opt in or opt out of that NCAA legislation; UMass provides cost of attendance. JC Schnabl asked about Title IX and how it relates to facilities. Pesante said that the Compliance Office is working diligently in that regard, as well.

UPDATE ON UMASS ATHLETICS: Ryan Bamford, Director of Athletics, gave an update on UMass Athletics including team records, achievements, and goals for Athletics. He first thanked Matt McCall and Ariel Pesante for their hard work and dedication in their new positions. Bamford expressed relief that Jaylen Brantley’s condition was discovered when it was. The Cross Country teams are on their way to Virginia, Bamford said, to compete in the A10 championships. The Field Hockey team would be facing off against Richmond at noon, Bamford said. Men’s Soccer has been an incredible success story; the team is under-resourced in terms of

3 scholarships but have a record of 11-2-3 and are 5-0 against teams in the A10. Winter sports such as Hockey and Basketball are also ramping up, Bamford said. In regard to facilities, Bamford discussed the upcoming completion of a new Hockey Strength and Conditioning Facility, which also be available to the Women’s Tennis and Baseball teams. The tennis courts were resurfaced recently and new windscreens were installed in the spring. The Women’s Soccer and Lacrosse locker rooms were also renovated. Bamford said that there had been some cosmetic improvements in Boyden Gymnasium including enhanced academic spaces and offices. Co- Chair Hazen asked Bamford about Football. Bamford said that the team had had a great win in their game against Georgia Southern on Homecoming Day. The team had been very competitive in every game and that, unfortunately, was not well-reflected in their record of 1-6; some of those games were very close and should have been wins rather than losses, Bamford said. The team is looking forward to their game against Appalachian State, which will be a challenge and a good test for them. After that, they will travel to Mississippi State and then return to face Maine at . On the finance end of things, Bamford expected to receive audit results within the next five to seven weeks; that information will be compiled and then submitted to the Athletic Council and eventually the Faculty Senate. Ed Ward asked Bamford if he had any timeframe or updates in regard to the construction of an indoor athletic facility. Bamford said that he is moving forward on that project and that Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy had asked that the Department raise $5 million to $7 million to offset construction costs. Although it is undoubtedly a worthwhile project, Bamford said that academic buildings are a top campus priority; he should have a better sense of the timeline in six months. Sid Ferreira asked about tailgating before football games; these events seem to get out of control and many people who tailgate do not even attend the games. Bamford said that the problem is by no means unique to UMass. While no one wants to dampen the spirit and excitement for UMass Athletics, a large percentage of the tailgaters at Homecoming did not attend the game, which is concerning. One possible solution is to condense the tailgating timeframe; 11:30 AM is probably too early to start tailgating as there ends up being a gap of time before kick-off when people leave. Day-drinking and particularly excessive alcohol consumption are problematic for obvious reasons. One improvement to the tailgating situation was the redefinition of the tailgating zones. Although there are generally issues with garbage not being disposed of in the proper receptacles at these events, it does seem that attendees are properly disposing of glass bottles more often than not, which is encouraging. Rebecca Spencer asked about the new security arrangement at the Mullins Center. Bamford said that a lot of feedback had come in since the first hockey game of the season, at which the new measures were implemented. The precautions are well-intended but could have been communicated better beforehand. The goal is that no weapons or explosive devices be taken into the facility. Bags are being checked and metal detectors will be installed soon, Bamford said. There was a discussion.

ADJOURNMENT: Co-Chair Vittum made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Co-Chair Hazen and adopted. The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

David Morin