THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 24, 1996 TAG: 9602240524
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
A University of Virginia report says that members of the board of visitors have interfered in the running of the athletic department during the past three years, contrary to NCAA policy.
The report, released Thursday, cited instances in which one or more members called the dean of admissions concerning a prospective athlete, inquired to the president's office about the dismissal of a student-athlete from a summer program and met privately with a senior athletic department administrator to discuss his tenure.
The NCAA says that to ensure the integrity of the athletics department, a university president should have ultimate responsibility for decisions involving treatment of athletes and athletic department staff.
An 18-member committee of U.Va. faculty and administrators, including athletic director Terry Holland, compiled the report as part of a process required for reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and for NCAA certification.
The report said that because of the board members' involvement, ``the president's responsibility and authority for the actual operation of the athletics department can be, and is perceived to have been, seriously compromised.''
The report requested that the 17-member board of visitors take action ``to limit the involvement of individual members in decisions related to athletics.''
John T. Casteen III, the U.Va. president, and Hovey Dabney, the board's rector, defended the board in a letter dated Thursday. ``The self-study report does not suggest that the board of visitors has inappropriately influenced decisions,'' the letter said.
Dabney said none of the examples in the report occurred without Casteen's knowledge and consent. ``The president has it under control,'' he said.
The report recommended the board be cautioned on a periodic basis to avoid interfering with the operation of the athletic department. by CNB