Regents propose new panel to oversee UNLV athletics

Jennifer Knight

Wednesday, July 16, 2003 | 9:51 a.m.

Several regents are exploring the formation of a committee that would exercise tighter control over sports programs within the state university system.

The objective of the committee would be to review the budget of athletic programs throughout the university system and ensure compliance with NCAA rules.

While the intent of those trying to form the committee ostensibly is to bring UNLV to the level of prominence it enjoyed during the 1990s, other key members of the board have not bought into the idea.

And some are nervous that such a committee would create too much oversight.

"Any (school) president is gun-shy and they are understandably nervous that we are taking over their athletic program," said Regent Jack Lund Schofield, who is pushing the idea. "We have to let presidents know that we are not trying to micromanage them, but we are trying to support their worthy decisions."

UNLV President Carol Harter declined to comment for this story.

Jerry Koloskie, UNLV's senior associate athletic director, said he is waiting to see how the committee's proposal would differ from the athletic advisory council that is already in place to review the budget and go over NCAA compliance reports.

But unlike the existing athletic advisory council, the committee under consideration would have the power to make policy.

"What we need to do is set policy," Regent Mark Alden said. "It's up to the university to follow that policy."

Alden said that if the committee is formed, it would look at problems such as the unauthorized use of phone cards by student athletes, gender equity compliance and how the department is spending its self-supporting -- that is, non-state funded -- budget.

By delving into such areas, Schofield said, he hopes the committee will clean up any existing problems and elevate UNLV's reputation to that of a world-class athletic program.

Schofield says he and other regents are looking to pattern the committee after those at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

But such committees don't always guarantee a university is trouble free.

"You can't just say, we're going to put a board together and that's going to keep us out of trouble," said Vince Sweeney, senior associate athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "It's going to help and I think it will lessen the chances of getting in trouble, but it's not going to prevent it."

Sweeney said such committees can slow decision-making, but can also help navigate difficult issues and prevent problems through good policy-making.

Still, the formation of an athletics committee in Nevada is far from a slam dunk. Newly elected Board of Regents Chairman Stavros Anthony said he wasn't convinced of its necessity.

"I'm not going to bring that committee to the board," Anthony said. "I don't know what this committee would do. I don't know what its mission would be. I don't know what its charge would be. Basically, what I am going to propose is that our system staff do some research on what other boards are doing.

"We'll do some research and see what we come up with."