The University Senate Consultative Committee’s report released Thursday makes proposals similar to those in a 1992 report. But the earlier recommendations were never implemented.
Burt Shapiro, chair of the 1992 ad hoc committee on intercollegiate athletics, told the current committee Thursday about the earlier report’s recommendations.
“I have no idea if it would have made a difference,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro said the 1992 committee looked at all of the University’s options, including doing away with the University’s Division-I athletics and making all University athletes professionals.
But the committee’s recommendations instead focused on the Assembly Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics, a Twin Cities Assembly subcommittee created to deal with concerns that “faculty governance of athletics was not functioning well,” according to the 1992 report.
The ad hoc committee’s 1992 recommendations included:
ù Setting clear boundaries regarding the ACIA’s responsibilities;
ù Making sure the ACIA selects, directs and evaluates its faculty representatives;
ù Continuing providing incentives to athletic directors and head coaches to improve academic performance;
ù Directing intercollegiate athletics programs to report to the University administration but not the president;
ù Ensuring all athletics-academic counseling staff and tutors are hired by and responsible to the Athletic Academic Counseling Office;
ù Developing clear sanctions levied against athletics teams not meeting academic standards; and
ù Ceasing the practice of providing season tickets to ACIA members.
But the 1992 recommendations never passed the Twin Cities Assembly, the governing body of students and faculty members, because not enough members were present.
Even though the report’s recommendations were never passed, several changes in the relationship between the athletics department and academics have been made since the report was written.
For example, the vice president for student development and athletics was established in 1996, creating a central administrative figure responsible for athletics departments.
In Thursday’s report, the Special Committee on Student Academic Integrity said that position should be changed to focus only on student development.

Erin Ghere covers faculty and state government and welcomes comments at [email protected]. She can also be reached at (612) 627-4070 x3217.