INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC

COMMITTEE MEETING

February 19, 2008

ATTENDING: James Antes, Charlie Bridgeford, Judy DeMers, Jon Jackson, Sue Jeno, Susan Nelson, Glenn Olsen, Donna Pearson, Betty Ralston, Lowell Schweigert, Paul Todhunter

Guest: Alice Brekke

Recorder: Bev Hopman

Sue Jeno called the meeting to order at 4:33 p.m. in the Memorial Room of the Memorial Union.

Minutes: Jim Antes moved the minutes from the January 15, 2008, meeting be approved as submitted. Paul Todhunter seconded. Motion carried.

Budget Report: Alice Brekke, Assistant to the President and Director of the Budget Office, gave an update on the current Athletic Department Budget. She stated that the Athletic Budget is on track. Student fee money has been collected and is being allocated as needed. Betty Ralston gave examples of items that will draw from that fund such as furniture for the new Athletic Academic Services Office and improvements to the soccer field. Alice Brekke said the 2008-09 budgets are not finalized. Some decisions are being held until the new athletic director is named. Jim Antes asked if the new president was being consulted. Alice Brekke said he has shown a keen interest in Athletics and would be given an overview of the University budget at the president’s cabinet meeting scheduled for Feb. 20.

Parking at the Ralph: Donna Pearson raised the question of allowing limited faculty parking in the Barnes and Noble lot during athletic events. Jon Jackson said that is a coach’s club parking lot and has varying numbers of cars parked in the lot depending upon the game. Betty Ralston expressed concern that allowing faculty to park free would cause problems with Fighting Sioux Club members who pay a minimum of $1100 per year. Donna Pearson said she was looking at free parking as a way to entice more faculty to attend athletic events. Sue Jeno recommended that we compare the number of coaches parking permits given out to the number of spaces available and use the extra spaces for faculty. Donna Pearson recommended that information on tickets be included with new employee packets. Betty Ralston said the subject will be discussed at an athletic staff meeting.

Division I Transition Committee Report: Donna Pearson said a rough outline of the strategic plan was being developed and would be added to each year during the transition. Betty Ralston said a rough draft would be ready for the new athletic director to review and should be ready to send to the NCAA by the June 1 deadline. Donna Pearson stated that a copy of the report would be available to IAC members when it is completed.

Faculty Athletic Representative Report: Sue Jeno reported that the Scholar Athlete Recognition Program is scheduled for Feb. 26 at 3:15 p.m. in the multipurpose gym of the Hyslop. The North Central Conference will cease to exist in June of 2008. The NCC send off party is planned on June 21 in Sioux Falls.

Missed Class Time: Sue Jeno stated that a missed class time policy needs to be developed. 2008-09 will be an exception because of the DI transition scheduling, but in the future the IAC will need to review schedules and check for class days missed due to team travel. She asked for volunteers to serve on the committee. Susan Nelson volunteered. Ray Diez was recommended as a second member of the committee. Jon Jackson said the University Senate Executive Committee is examining this problem campus wide. Sue Jeno said small changes can be made that will help such as leaving at 2:00 p.m. rather than 10:00 a.m. Betty Ralston said IAC oversight will remind the coaches to look at class schedules when they plan team travel.

Athletic Director Search: Sue Jeno said the search committee will be completing reference checks the week of Feb. 26 on six (6) candidates. The plan is to host on campus interviews the week after spring break. Lowell Schweigert asked if applications had closed. Human Resources will stop accepting applications once on campus interviews begin.

Departmental Updates: Betty Ralston reported that Cory Hilliard, Assistant AD for Business and Finance has accepted a position at the University of Colorado. His last day will be March 11. When that position is filled, it will be titled Athletics Business Manager. The search for an Associate AD/CFO will start soon. The new athletic director will be involved in the hiring process. The Pro Forma also includes an account tech – insurance specialist position. The NCAA settled a lawsuit at the end of January which allows an institution to pay for student-athletes’ insurance. The account tech would be responsible for monitoring claims to keep costs down.

Kristen Gay has been hired as the new head women’s soccer coach. Dan Frei has been named to the new position of head men’s and women’s golf coach. Thanks to Glenn Olsen and Donna Pearson for serving on the search committees.

Steve Brekke was out of town developing impact scholarships. He will be at the Taste of UND scheduled in Minneapolis on March 19.

Susan Nelson inquired about the status of the athletic marketing position. Betty Ralston said no action was going to be taken until a new athletic director is hired. Marketing will continue to be handled by Ralph Engelstad Arena in the interim.

Betty Ralston distributed updates to the Athletic Policy and Procedures Manual. Bev Hopman said the first section included a summary of all the changes that were made.

The meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Memorial Room of the Student Union. The date and time may change if Athletic Director interviews are scheduled.