Unprecedented changes in the way athletics are administered and run at the University of Colorado were announced today by University President Elizabeth Hoffman and Boulder Chancellor Richard L. Byyny.
聯Make no mistake, the organizational and structural actions we are announcing today are serious, sweeping and will dramatically alter the relationship between the Athletics Department and the rest of the University,聰 said President Hoffman. 聯We believe the new structure and procedures are unprecedented among major universities.聰
The actions come after months of investigation into allegations that alcohol and sex were used to recruit football players, and sexual assault allegations by nine women against football players since 1997.
Hoffman said various investigations made it clear that coaches and administrators did not knowingly use or condone sex, alcohol or drugs as recruiting tools. It was also clear, she said, that in a few isolated incidences recruits did attend parties where they consumed alcohol and had sexual encounters. 聯That is utterly unacceptable, and we are taking steps to see that this kind of behavior does not occur again,聰 said Hoffman.
She also said there had been 聯breakdowns聰 in the areas of oversight, accountability and internal communication about potential problems as they arose.
聯I take responsibility for my share of those problems, as do Chancellor Byyny, Athletics Director Tharp and Coach Barnett,聰 Hoffman said. 聯I have spoken with each person individually and in-depth about the problems that occurred and the corrections that must be instituted going forward. These were candid, forceful and clear discussions.聰
Among the many changes announced were:
The reporting structure will be changed to reduce the autonomy with which the Athletics Department has been able to operate and to integrate it with the other academic departments. The Athletics Director no longer will report directly to the Chancellor, but to the Provost, the chief academic officer to whom deans and other academic officials report. The Provost reports to the Chancellor.
For the first time, an Academic Policy Board on Athletics will be created, with strong faculty representation, to advise on academic and other issues in athletics.
The Provost will develop and oversee Athletics Department policies guiding academic decisions, such as admissions, financial aid, eligibility, progress toward graduation and academic support, with the advice and counsel of the Academic Policy Board for Athletics.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs will assume new oversight duties for helping to integrate the Athletics Department into campus life, and will work on-site within the Athletics Department.
The Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs also will oversee the development and adjudication of athletics team disciplinary rules, to ensure fair and equal treatment and consistency with campus disciplinary practices.
For the next five years, CU will conduct annual performance and financial evaluations of the Athletics Department to aid in accountability and to help assess progress in meeting goals.
The changes reflect a large majority of those recommended by the Boulder Faculty Assembly and the Independent Investigative Commission and are consistent with those of outside consultant Dr. John DiBiaggio.
聯I take responsibility for implementing our action plan and for holding accountable those individuals who have administrative oversight of the department聮s activities,聰 said Chancellor Byyny. 聯The message we are sending should be clear: We will take action, and we will be accountable.聰
The changes come on top of CU聮s announcement earlier this year that it was instituting the most stringent athletic recruiting guidelines of any major university in the nation and tighter alcohol abuse penalties. It also is aggressively expanding its alcohol, drug, sex, sexual assault and sexual harassment educational and support services.
Hoffman also announced she was returning Head Football Coach Gary Barnett to active status. Barnett had been on paid administrative leave since February, pending the outcomes of the investigations.
聯Did Coach Barnett say things that I and others have found offensive? The answer is yes, and for that he has paid a price,聰 said Hoffman. 聯Coach Barnett has his shortcomings. But there is an overwhelming sense from a broad group, both male and female, that he has been a great mentor, that he is a tough disciplinarian, a developer of behavioral guidelines for his athletes and a man who believes that a coach聮s job is to prepare young men and women for their life ahead, not simply to excel in athletics.聰
Hoffman also left in place, under the new dramatically restructured plan, Athletics Director Dick Tharp.
Regarding Tharp, Hoffman said, 聯Could he, in some instances, have performed better regarding administration of policies and procedures? Yes. When considered with the many innovations and reforms he has helped institute, were his errors so egregious that they should result in his immediate dismissal? I think not. Dick fully supports the new plan and wishes to help implement it.聰
Hoffman cautioned that there were still ongoing investigative processes, notably a special prosecutor and grand jury looking into any possible criminal wrongdoing. She said if new information emerges to cause her to review today聮s decisions, she would do so.
In portions of her speech, Hoffman spoke directly to CU women, the football players, the Athletics Department, the university community and the media.
She empathized with CU women, especially those who have been victims of sexual misconduct. She said, 聯I want to state categorically that violence against women is abhorrent to the values of this University. Period.聰
Addressing both male and female students, she said the University聮s responsibility extends only so far. 聯A facet of the university experience is to learn how best to manage your freedom, and to take responsibility for your decisions and actions.聰
She thanked the football players and their families for believing that the University supported them through the recent ordeal. She also said they have a special responsibility to their teammates and school. 聯It is not acceptable to shield your teammates if they are engaging in behavior detrimental to themselves, other students, their team or this school . . . We cannot be lax in this area.聰
Addressing the Athletics Department and its supporters, she said, 聯The notion that a university聮s athletic teams cannot simultaneously be academically and athletically successful is just plain wrong.聰 She said CU聮s athletic culture must be consistent with that of the University and must be supportive of women. 聯To the degree a 聭good old boys club聮 still exists within the Athletics Department, those days are over,聰 she said.
She thanked the CU faculty, staff, students and supporters for helping to move CU forward 聯to a higher, better place.聰
But Hoffman had strong words regarding some of the criticism that has been leveled at individuals at CU. 聯Personnel decisions, such as those we are addressing today, should not be regarded as a blood sport. This is not a soap opera, or a cartoon, or a caricature . . . They are extremely serious matters that deeply affect the people involved and their families,聰 she said.
Hoffman said she and Chancellor Byyny would present a more detailed version of the Action Plan to the CU Board of Regents at their meeting in late June.
Read the Action Plan and remarks from the news conference.