Comprehensive Plan Report 3.2 Diversity Issues
Plan Date Range: 2011-12 through 2015-16
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Diversity Statement
The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics fully embraces The University of Montana (UM) Diversity Plan and the following UM diversity statement:
The University of Montana seeks to enhance diversity by recognizing and embracing the differences in age, ideas and perspectives, disabilities, creed, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression,
veteran status, national origin, race, religious and spiritual beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, and the socioeconomic and geographic composition of its faculty, administrative professionals, staff, and
students.
In its effort to enhance diversity, The University of Montana recognizes that particular focused effort must be placed on including members of groups who have historically been subject to
discrimination and are still underrepresented in the campus community.
As one of the most culturally diverse units on the UM campus, Intercollegiate Athletics places great value on the backgrounds and perspectives of all of our student-athletes and employees. In its
efforts to recruit, support, and promote diversity, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics:
• Fosters an environment of respect for people of diverse backgrounds amongst its student-athletes and employees
• Assures equitable opportunities for all student-athletes and employees while being proactive in recruiting minority student-athletes and employees
• Enhances the understanding and sensitivity of IA members in working with various diverse groups within the department
• Assures that student-athletes and employees are respected and have the opportunity to learn, work, and develop in an environment that is free from discrimination
• Assures that the needs and issues affecting student-athletes from diverse backgrounds are addressed through University and departmental programming
Elements
Program Area
Goals
Issue
Measurable goals
Steps to achieve goals
Steps
Individuals or Officers
Responsible for
Implementation
Specific timetable for
completing
Statement developed and
included in referenced
Include University and Departmental
Develop a diversity statement for the Athletic
documents (3/2011)
diversity statement in the Student-Athlete
Department, include it in the strategic plan and
Athletic Director; SAAD Continue to distribute to
Handbook and the IA Departmental Policy
disseminate it.
staff and student-athletes
and Procedures Manual
annually 2011-2016
Institutional and
Athletics
Department
Commitment and
Organization
Athletic Department lacks a
diversity statement in its five-year
strategic plan.
Modify the Athletic Department mission
statement to include a statement on diversity.
The following statement will be included
in the Athletic Department mission
statement: "Accordingly, the Athletics
Department will create an environment
wherein all student-athletes regardless of
SAAD
gender, ethnicity, race, national origin,
color, creed, sexual orientation, age,
disability, or religion are given the
opportunity to participate and succeed
both academically and athletically."
IA Diversity Plan FY 2012-16 - 110331
Statement included in IA
Mission Statement
(3/2011)
Continue to distribute to
staff and student-athletes
annually 2011-2016
Elements
Program Area
Assessment
Goals
Issue
Measurable goals
UM IA Department does not have
an assessment mechanism to
Monitor the IA Department's activities related
effectively use diversity data that to its commitment to diversity.
are collected.
Steps to achieve goals
Steps
Individuals or Officers
Responsible for
Implementation
Annually report student-athlete exit
interview results to the University Athletic
SAAD; UAC
Committee (UAC). If issues arise in the
diversity area, UAC will develop
stratetigies to address deficiences.
As is required by all campus units, IA
Department will provide to the EO/AA
Director its diversity report annually.
Specific timetable for
completing
Fall 2011 initially; annually
thereafter 2012-15 in the
Fall
Athletic Director; SAAD Annually 2011-2016
Advertise job vacancies with the Black
SAAD; Campus Human
Target minority populations when recruiting for
Coaches Association (BCA); the NCAA; the Resource Services
Ongoing 2011-2016
vacant coach and administrator positions.
Chronicle of Higher Education
Office
Recruitment
Athletic Department lacks specific Annually compare enrollment numbers of
initiatives to recruit minority staff, minority students versus minority studentathletes.
coaches, administrators, and
student-athletes.
Continue to utilize geographical areas each
year where programs will recruit diverse
student-athletes.
Hiring Practices
Continue to utilize regular campus
hiring practices for all open
Utilize affirmative action data provided by HRS
department positions in order to during recruitment process regarding
increase minority representation department and campus minority numbers.
in candidate pools.
Review academic success of minority studentathletes through the Federal Graduation Rates
Report and the NCAA Graduation Success Rate
(GSR) report
University Athletic Committee annually
compares the number of minority
students versus the number of minority
University Athletic
student-athletes. If significant
Committee; SAAD
discrepencies found, suggest recruitment
strategies to IA Department.
Annually, 2011-2016
AD will continue to encourage and
support broad-based student-athlete
recruitment practices and adequately
fund all sport recruiting budgets to
achieve goal.
AD; Assistant AD for
Fiscal Operations
Ongoing, 2011-2016
SAAD serves as liasion to HRS for all
departmental hires to ensure proper
recruitment and hiring practices are
followed.
SAAD; Campus Human
Resource Services
Ongoing 2011-2016
Office
University Athletic Committee annually
reviews reports and compares graduation
success of minority student-athletes to
University Athletic
campus peers. If significant discrepencies Committee; SAAD
found, suggest programmatic changes to
IA Department.
IA Diversity Plan FY 2012-16 - 110331
Annually 2011-2016
Elements
Program Area
Retention
Partnerships
Goals
Issue
Measurable goals
Specific timetable for
completing
Communicate information regarding campus
and departmental resources for minority
student-athletes and staff
Include information about the minority
mentoring program in the student-athlete
handbook; include information on
campus resources for minority staff in the SAAD
IA Departmental Policy and Procedures
Manual and for minority student-athletes
in the Student-Athlete Handbook
Continue to mentor and foster skill
development in assistant coaches
Athletic Director will encourage head
coaches to build skills of current assistant
AD
coaches to prepare them for head
coaching positions
Collect data from IA staff and coaches on a biannually basis regarding workplace climate.
Develop a survey to administer to all IA
staff every other year to collect
information regarding workplace climate
SAAD; EO/AA Director; Spring 2012 initially;
in regard to diversity; report results to the
UAC
biannually thereafter
UAC; UAC will suggest strategies to
address workplace climate deficiencies if
applicable
No specific initiatives to retain
student-athletes, coaches and staff
from underrepresented
populations
Lack of communication with
student-athletes, IA staff and
coaches regarding campus
diversity resources
Steps to achieve goals
Steps
Individuals or Officers
Responsible for
Implementation
Include links to diversity resources on
Athletic Department webpage; include
information about diversity resources in
the Student-Athlete Handbook and
Athletic Departmental Policy and
Enhance communication of diversity resources Procedures Manual
for student-athletes, coaches, and staff
SAAD; webmaster
Continue to refer minority studentathletes to campus support services such Athletic Academic
as American Indian Support Services and Services
the Minority Mentoring Program
IA Diversity Plan FY 2012-16 - 110331
Information included in
documents (3/2011)
Continue to distribute to
staff and student-athletes
annually 2011-16
Ongoing 2011-2016
Information included in
documents (3/2011)
Continue to distribute to
staff and student-athletes
annually 2011-16
Ongoing 2011-2016
Elements
Program Area
Programs and
Activities
Goals
Issue
Effectiveness of current diversity
programming and resources is not
measured
Measurable goals
Steps to achieve goals
Evaluation of Plan
Specific timetable for
completing
Measure via survey the effectiveness of
diversity programming to student-athletes
During the freshmen student-athlete
class, during one of the last class periods,
administer a diversity culture survey to
SAAD; Athletic
assess current diversity programming and Academic Services;
resources, and gather ideas for future
UAC
development; report findings to UAC
annually
Beginning Fall 2011;
annually in the fall 20122015
During bi-annual staff workplace climate
survey, include opportunity to assess current
pogramming/resrouces, and provide
opportunity to provide ideas for programming
and activities
Include questions on survey that measure
staff member's current knowledge of
programming and rating of the
SAAD; EO/AA Director
programming; include open-ended
questions for personnel to provide ideas
Spring 2012 initially;
biannually thereafter
Include IA staff member (Coordinator of
Vice President for Student Affairs
Athletic Academic Services) on Day of Dialogue
appoints committee members
planning committee.
Participation in
Governance and
Decision Making
Steps
Individuals or Officers
Responsible for
Implementation
Continue to provide minority
Include IA staff member (Athletic Academic
student-athletes, coaches and
Advisor) on Diversity Advisory Committee.
other staff opportunities to
participate in decision-making and
Encourage minority student-athletes to serve
governance
on SAAC, search committees and other
committees, either one-time or permanent,
within IA Department
No formal mechanism to annually Establish a formal mechanism for reviewing,
review the IA Department
assessing and reporting of the department's
Diversity Plan
diversity plan on an annual basis
President appoints committee members
Vice President for
Student Affairs; SAAD
Done (1/31/11)
EO/AA Director; SAAD
Done (1/31/11)
As vacancies or opportunities arise, send
out an email to all student-athletes,
SAAD; Athletic
Athletic Academic Services inform student- Academic Services
athletes of opportunities via flyers
Ongoing 2011-2016
The UAC Chair will add this item to the
UAC's permanent list of annual agenda
items; the UAC will measure progress on
the diversity plan goals, revise action
items as needed, and provide the
University President a yearly report
Annually 2011-2016
IA Diversity Plan FY 2012-16 - 110331
SAAD; UAC Chair