Advisory Council Meeting
Minutes
March 23, 2010 5:15 PM
I.
II.
Minutes-The minutes from January 26 were provided and approved by the Council.
New Business-At the end of the meeting, Anne Bogey “Fisher” suggested that CRW
purchase and install a digital clock for the pool. Her idea was to place the clock on
the wall backing up to the locker rooms to allow swimmers a better view of the
time. The angle of view from the water and the protective mesh cage with regard to
the current clocks make them awkward to view. In addition, Anne suggested that we
market the share a work-out better.
A. Advisory Council Open Positions-Applications
At-Large Graham Brown-Graham’s application for Advisory Council Status was
provided. Graham provided some insight as to why he would like to serve on the
Council. A motion was made and approved by the Council to accept Graham as a
Council Member with active status for the remainder of the meeting. The candidate
for College Hill representative, Patricia Tapper, removed herself from consideration
citing a conflict with meeting times with respect to the Residence Hall Association
meetings.
B. Disciplinary Process Review-A presentation was made by departmental staff seeking
input and endorsement of a disciplinary process/minimum sanctions proposal. CRW
staff members have been working to develop disciplinary guidelines describing
disciplinary related actions that would be placed in categories. These categories
would coincide with specific minimum sanctions which would be levied by the
program staff dealing with an issue. These categories and sanctions were intended
to apply to all CRW programs in a similar fashion, with the understanding that the
primary CRW programs dealing with issues of this nature are Club Sports, Intramural
Sports and Informal Recreation Facility Use. The proposal presented by the staff
represented some significant reductions in minimum sanctions as suggested by the
disciplinary body that met on February 18.
In so far as an appeals process, the Council Staff hearing the appeal would first
decide whether or not the program manager’s decision was supported by the
evidence. The appeal’s body would have the right to alter the program manager’s
decision if, in their opinion, the decision was not supported by the evidence. In this
instance, the appeal s body could elect to eliminate all sanctions or impose new
sanctions. Secondly the appeal’s body would determine if the program manager’s
decision was too harsh in excess of the stated minimum for the infraction. The
appeals body would have the right to alter the program manager’s decision if, in
their opinion, the action did not merit additional sanction in excess of the minimum.
In this instance, the appeal’s body would be expected to limit the sanction to the
minimum.
A motion was made “to accept the recommendations provided by the CRW staff as
they relate to the disciplinary process review with regard to implementation for the
2010-2011 school year”. The motion passed unanimously.
The full proposal is attached below.
III.
The meeting adjourned at 6:25 pm. The next meeting is planned for Tuesday, April
27 at 5:15 pm in the classroom at the SRC.
Campus Recreation and Wellness Disciplinary Process Review
Campus Recreation and Wellness hosts a variety of programs including intramural sports, club sports,
informal recreation, adventure, fitness, wellness etc. CRW expects its participants to represent the
university and the department by displaying good conduct and sportsmanship before, during, and after
any university sponsored event and to conduct themselves at all times in a socially acceptable manner
compatible with the college/university’s function as an educational institution. While most programs
operate with little or no conflict, several programs experience some degree of conflict largely resulting
from the nature of competitive sports or the failure to use good judgment in unusual situations. The
programs which lend themselves to conflict and resulting disciplinary action with some frequency are
primarily intramural sports, club sports and informal recreation. Historically, each department has dealt
independently with disciplinary issues without collective thought. Similar incidents may have been dealt
with in dissimilar fashion in so far as the sanctions handed out.
CRW has developed policies and procedures for dealing with a variety of disciplinary issues. In order to
provide some consistency and to assertively state CRW’s philosophy, minimum disciplinary sanctions
have been developed to apply to certain categories of violations. CRW wishes to further refine its
disciplinary process through Advisory Council input and endorsement.
The purpose of this process is to:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
Define common disciplinary related issues that may occur with regard to a variety of
programs.
Establish minimum sanctions to be imposed for violations of these issues.
Review the Advisory Council appeals process with respect to minimum sanctions.
Receive endorsement of Advisory Council for implementation in 2010-2011.
Campus Recreation and Wellness Guidelines
Philosophy
Dealing with issues and making decisions related to discipline are part of the educational mission of
the university. Campus Recreation & Wellness (CRW) oversees the conduct of its participants in a
similar fashion and in conjunction with the policies set forth by the East Carolina University Office of
Rights and Responsibilities. Campus Recreation & Wellness strives to deal with issues involving
student, member and guest participants as expeditiously and fairly as possible. Department
personnel will deal directly with unsatisfactory conduct as this conduct affects departmental
personnel, programs and services; however the incident description and resolution of all
departmental issues will be forwarded to the Office of Student’s Rights and Responsibilities as a
matter of record. Certain issues, dealt with on the department level, may also be forwarded to the
Office of Student’s Rights and Responsibilities with a recommendation for further action. These
issues would primarily relate to conduct/actions impacting departmental personnel, programs and
services as well as the greater university community.
Preliminary Procedures
In many instances, discipline-related issues are directly related to infractions of policy, procedure,
rules or regulations routinely covered in departmental standards. Minimum penalties for such
infractions are clearly spelled out in departmental literature. Staff representing the particular program
or service area affected by the infraction, will deal with such issues. The staff will endeavor to obtain
written accounts and interview all parties involved as they deem necessary for the particular incident.
The typical time period employed to resolve the issue depends upon the communication between
the department and the individual(s) involved but it is usually within 3-4 working days following the
incident. The staff will discuss the incident with the individual(s) or groups involved and provide
notice of the penalties/sanctions at the meeting between the two groups. The individual(s) or group
involved will then be sent written communication of the penalty. The cases that fall under these
procedures are as follows:
Extreme Disciplinary Cases
Extreme disciplinary cases will be ruled upon by the proper CRW staff member. The following
guidelines represent the minimum penalties in relation to the specific CRW program for the
corresponding actions. In some instances, the conduct of participants or the nature of certain
discipline related issues will be of such a severe nature that the impact of such actions relates not
only to CRW personnel, programs, and services but to other aspects of campus life as well. In such
instances, the department representative will forward the details of the incident to the Office of
Student’s Rights and Responsibilities with a specific request to review the incident for appropriate
action, possibly in addition to any action taken by CRW. Such actions may include but are not limited
to the following:
1. Destruction of Property – (payment for or reimbursement for damages) Any damages to
equipment, fields, facilities, and/or other property while participating at or representing ECU that
have not occurred within the framework of a CRW event will be charged to the offending
person(s) and/or team. The responsible individual(s) records will be tagged until payment is
rendered.
2. Fighting (suspension from specific program participation for a minimum of the next 50
consecutive enrolled academic class days) – Fighting consists of any attempt to initiate
physical contact (whether or not contact is made), spitting or other combative actions unrelated
to the activity or sport involved (includes but is not limited to: striking with the arm(s), hand(s),
leg(s), or foot (feet); charging into with the body; etc.) by fans, players, coaches, captains, or
teammates. These acts include retaliatory actions including but not limited to offensively
charging another participant. However, actions related to self-defense will be considered as
mitigating circumstances.
3. Disorderly Conduct/Verbal Abuse/Threatening Behavior (suspension from specific
program participation for a minimum of the next 50 consecutive enrolled academic class
days) – Disruptive behavior such as using abusive, obscene, vulgar, loud, or disruptive
language or conduct directed and deemed offensive toward a CRW staff member or any other
individual. Other situations involving threatening behavior (verbal or physical) directed towards a
Campus Recreation & Wellness employee or any other individual will be considered under this
policy. In addition, a participant who refuses to leave the game site and/or facility after being
asked to do so resulting in police intervention will fall under this policy.
4. Assault on a CRW employee (suspension from specific program participation for a
minimum of one calendar year) – Any participant, coach, or spectator that shoves, pushes,
bumps, brushes, punches, spits at or attacks (this also includes any attempt to initiate these
actions, even though there may not be contact) a Campus Recreation & Wellness employee,
game official, etc. in any manner will be suspended from participation in the related program for
a minimum of one calendar year.
5. Alcohol and/or Drugs (suspension from specific program participation for a minimum of
the next 75 consecutive enrolled academic class days) – No individual will be allowed to
participate in any activity if it is suspected that he/she is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Spectators and players/teams are also prohibited from bringing to and/or consuming alcohol at
an activity site. Individuals violating this rule shall be removed immediately.
6. Reckless Driving (suspension of the next 75 consecutive enrolled academic class days
from driving in support of any departmental program) – Any CRW participant who is found to
have been driving recklessly while representing the university or department shall be suspended
under the reckless driving policy. Examples of reckless driving include but are not limited to
speeding, swerving in and out of lanes, tailgating, Driving While Under the Influence etc.
7. Hazing (suspension of the next 75 consecutive enrolled academic class days) – Hazing
has been defined as generally including, among other things:
a. Any action or situation which recklessly or intentionally endangers mental or physical health
or involves the forced consumption of liquor or drugs for the purpose of initiation into or
affiliation with any organization.
b. Any other act or series of acts which cause or are likely to cause mental or physical harm or
danger.
c. Mistreatment by playing stunts or practicing abusive, humiliating or abusive tricks that
subject an individual to personal indignity, humiliation or ridicule.
d. Harassment by enacting unnecessary, disagreeable or difficult work by banter, ridicule or
criticism. Some examples of such activities include:

Abnormal or unusual dress holding the wearer to ridicule, e.g. extraordinary
headgear, costumes, underwear, body painting.

Performing unusual or abnormal acts e.g., dancing on tables, standing at attention,
standing on window sills, etc.

Excessive or unusual physical exercise, e.g., crawling, duckwalk, pushups, situps,
skipping, hopping, squatting, etc.

Verbal harassment or abuse, e.g. yelling, making demeaning remarks, etc.
With regard to items #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7, following the completion of the assigned sanction,
the offender(s) will be placed on probation for one-year. Any participant that commits one of the
above infractions during the probationary period will be subject to a suspension that is equal to or
greater than the initial suspension dependent upon a review of both incidents by the proper Campus
Recreation and Wellness staff member(s).
Appeal Procedures
In the above situations, an appeal may be made as long as it meets the following criteria:
 Decision not supported by the evidence
 Sanction too harsh above the stated minimum for the infraction
A written notice of appeal must be presented to the Advisory Council facilitator within two weeks (10
class days) following the date of the initial decision. Requests for appeals after the two week time
limit will not be considered. All legitimate appeals will be taken before the Campus Recreation &
Wellness Advisory Council. In the event of an appeal, any disciplinary penalties imposed by the
Campus Recreation and Wellness staff shall be in effect until a decision is made by the Campus
Recreation & Wellness Advisory Council. At this point a special meeting will be convened for the
purpose of placing the appeal before the Advisory Council representatives. This meeting will be held
within two weeks of the date of receipt of the official appeal notice/written request or as soon
thereafter as possible. A minimum of three Advisory Council representatives must be present at the
appeal review meeting. In the event of an appeal being requested during a time frame when the
Advisory Council is not active (i.e., summer), the Advisory Council Facilitator will enlist the
assistance of the previous term Advisory Council representatives or representatives who have been
appointed to serve during the upcoming term to address the appeal. The Council, after listening to
and reviewing the pertinent information, will make a decision with regard to the issue(s). This
decision will contain appropriate penalties and/or sanctions to be imposed on the individual(s)
involved.) This decision will be forwarded to the Advisory Council Facilitator who will forward notice
of the decision to the participant or group involved within three (3) class days after the appeal
meeting. The initial decision will remain in effect until all appeals are exhausted. The appeals
decision will indicate appropriate dates that will apply to either newly established penalties/sanctions
or to the upheld and currently existing penalties/sanctions.
Process Outline
I.
II.
Introductions, statement of purpose, explanation of hearing procedures by Advisory
Council facilitator (facilitator will remain available to the AC throughout the proceedings.
Procedure
a. Staff presentation of issue and actions to include presentation of written reports,
video and/or verbal accounts presented by first hand witnesses or other directly
involved parties.
b. Question and answer session for Advisory Council
c. Sanctioned participant presentation to include presentation of written reports and/or
verbal accounts presented by first hand witnesses or other directly involved parties.
d. Question and answer session for Advisory Council.
e. Dismissal of all parties involved.
f. Committee member discussion.
g. All decision(s) will be determined by a simple majority vote of members present.
h. Written summary provided to facilitator.
i. Facilitator contacts participant/person representing the group involved and advises
her/him of the Advisory Council decision.
Final Authority
The final authority on decisions affecting the various personnel, programs and services provided by
Campus Recreation & Wellness rests with the Director of CRW. If an individual or group desires to
appeal the decision developed through the Advisory Council appeals process, the individual or
representative of the group may make an appointment to discuss the issue with the Director
provided that the appeal is based upon the following factors:
 Decision not supported by the evidence
 Sanction too harsh above the stated minimum for the infraction
 Proper hearing procedure not followed
In such an instance, the individual or group representative must provide a written request for a
process review addressed to the Director of Campus Recreation & Wellness. This process review
request must be presented within two weeks (10 class days) following the date of notification
regarding the final decision of the Advisory Council review. Failure to seek a review within this time
frame will indicate acceptance of the penalties/sanctions. Requests for process review after the two
week time limit will not be considered.
Intramural Sport Specific Guidelines
Sportsmanship
Good sportsmanship is vital to the conduct of each contest in every activity. The spirit and intent of
the rules are self evident. Violations are most likely to occur when individuals and organizations
misapply the rules to gain an unfair advantage. If violations occur, the staff reserves the right to take
immediate corrective action. It should also be understood that all teams are responsible for the
conduct of their spectators.
Sportsmanship Rating System
The Sportsmanship Rating System has been implemented for all team sports to make the games
more enjoyable for opposing teams as well as employees. The system also provides accountability
measures which serve as a way to eliminate teams which fail to comply with sportsmanship
standards. In order to make for a more objective grading system, minimum standards have been
established for certain types of misconduct infractions in each sport. This system uses a simple
Likert scale with ratings ranging from 1 to 4:
4
=
Outstanding Sportsmanship – Players cooperate fully with game personnel and the other
team’s members. The captain provides necessary leadership and control of his/her players
and approaches any concerns or questions with the officials about rule interpretations and
calls with a calm demeanor. The captain also has full control of his/her team and spectators.
3
=
Acceptable Sportsmanship – Team members verbally complain about some decisions made
by the officials and/or show minor dissension which may or may not merit actions by the
intramural staff. Players generally display good sportsmanship towards game personnel and
opponents. There are no blatant displays of overall poor sportsmanship, however a member
of the team may have been penalized for a non-threatening unsportsmanlike act.
2
=
Unacceptable Sportsmanship – Team shows verbal dissent toward officials and/or opposing
team which may or may not merit being penalized for an unsportsmanlike act. Captain
exhibits minor control over his/her team, but is generally in control of him/herself. Teams
that are penalized for multiple unsportsmanlike acts or have at least one disqualification will
receive no higher than a “2” rating. Specific acts include, but are not limited to: abusive
language, profanity toward opponent or employee, profanity from the sidelines, excessive
arguing with an official’s decision, taunting an opponent, or obscene gestures.
Forfeiture – Team is completely uncooperative. Captain has no control over team and
him/herself. Any team causing a game to be forfeited due to a failure to appear, fighting,
blatant cheating, or unacceptable conduct such as a second ejection in a game or any
attempt or actual aggression toward an official/opponent, shall receive a “1” rating.
1
=

Two ratings of 2.0 or below constitute that team being eliminated from further competition in that
sport.

If a rating of 2.0 is received in a playoff game, the specific actions of the team as well as their
behavior during other games in the season will be reviewed. A team may be dropped from
playoff action if they receive a rating of 2.0 in a single playoff game. The Sports Manager and
Assistant Director will evaluate situations on a case-by-case basis and determine whether to
drop the team or allow them to continue play.

If a team is dropped from the playoffs due to an unacceptable sportsmanship rating, their
opponent (provided they receive an acceptable rating) will automatically be advanced regardless
of the game result. Sport-specific criteria for ratings will be available for each sport.

A team may be eliminated immediately if there is an incidence of serious discipline problems (i.e.
fighting) by the team in a single game. These situations will also be handled by the Intramural
Sports staff on a case-by-case basis.
Disciplinary Action Guidelines
Unsporting Behavior
Under no circumstances should student employees or participants feel either verbally or physically
threatened. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken by the Intramural Sports staff should any of
these situations occur. The following policies outline the basic sanctioning system that is
implemented when unsporting behavior occurs by a player, coach, and/or spectator(s):

Any player ejected from an Intramural Sports contest for unsporting behavior is automatically
ineligible for all Intramural Sports activities until he/she has met with the appropriate member of
the Intramural Sports staff. It is the responsibility of the ejected player involved to set up a
meeting with the appropriate sport manager in order to initiate the reinstatement process.
Following this meeting, the ejected player will be suspended from all Intramural participation
through their next game in the same activity unless their sport season is over. In these situations,
the ejected player will be suspended at least one game in the next sport in which they are
participating.

A team captain who uses a player under an assumed name will be suspended from participation
in a minimum of their next game and will be charged with a forfeit fee of $20. Fraudulent use of
an ID card shall also result in confiscation of the card and referral of the actual individual to the
Office of Students’ Rights and Responsibilities for further action. The actual person on the ID as
well as the person who used the ID will be suspended from participation for their next 50
consecutive enrolled class days.

Post-game incidents involving threatening behavior (verbal or physical) shall be dealt with as an
extension of the contest. The nature of these penalties shall be based upon the severity of the
actions.

If an individual is ejected from an Intramural Sports contest for a second time during a time
period of two consecutive semesters, they will be automatically suspended from participation in
Intramural Sports for their next 50 enrolled academic class days (approximately 10 weeks).

Limits for unsporting behavior are established for each activity. Once these limits are exceeded
(Example: Third technical foul charged to the same team in a basketball game), the game is
terminated and a victory is awarded to their opponent. In any case where a game is terminated
due to the unsporting behavior of a team, the team(s) involved will be suspended from
participation in their next scheduled game.

No team or individual shall be permitted to make a travesty of a contest. Those teams/players
that demonstrate actions considered to make a mockery of the game will be either suspended or
eliminated from further participation (purposely shooting at the wrong basket, running football
plays during basketball, etc.). The severity of this penalty shall be determined on a case-by-case
basis by the Sport Manager.

Any player or team that receives disciplinary action at an extramural tournament will be
sanctioned in a similar manner as if the incident had occurred on campus.
Code of Conduct
Club Sports Program
Campus Recreation and Wellness stresses the importance of individual and team responsibility
while participating in the club sport program. Participants are expected to represent the
university and the department by displaying sportsmanship like behavior before, during, and
after any club related event. In addition, participants are expected to conduct themselves at all
times in a socially acceptable manner compatible with the college/university’s function as an
educational institution.
Neither alcoholic beverages nor non-prescription drugs can be transported or consumed in state
vehicles. The use of alcohol/drugs is forbidden at practices and competitive events as well
during all aspects of sanctioned travel events. Club members are expected to represent East
Carolina University in a way that does not detract from the reputation of the institution.
Guidelines of conduct include, but are not limited to, the examples outlined below.
PARTICIPANTS SHALL NOT:




Consume alcohol/drugs while traveling, competing, practicing or spectating
Strike or attempt to strike or otherwise physically abuse any individual
Violate any rules or policies of hotels when engaging in overnight travel
Behave in an abusive or violent conduct in regard to officials, spectators, team
members, CRW staff, etc
Campus Recreation and Wellness maintains a zero tolerance in regard to use of
alcohol/drugs. VIOALTION OF THE CODE OF CONDUCT MAY RESULT IN:





Club suspension from the club sport program
Individual suspension from the club sport program
Referral to the Office of Student’s Rights and Responsibilities
Responsible for hotel charges, fines, penalties and monetary damages in regard to
damages due to irresponsible behavior
Other disciplinary action deemed appropriate by Campus Recreation and Wellness
Signed By:
This statement must be signed in order for an individual to be added to the club roster. This
statement is signed in agreement with and support of the department's zero tolerance against
the use of alcohol/drugs during club sport activities.