The NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee recently voted to move forward with a study that will identify factors that affect the recruitment, advancement and retention of people of color in intercollegiate athletics.

The new study will be modeled after the “Perceived Barriers to Women in Intercollegiate Athletics Careers” survey, which originally was published in 1989. That study looked at the perceptions female athletics administrators, coaches, game officials and student-athletes had about their careers and aspirations and challenges they perceived in reaching their goals. A 2008 version of the study built on the initial survey.

Beyond revealing the factors that influence whether ethnic minorities enter, advance and stay in college athletics, the goal is to provide the committee with insight into the best way to attract, retain and promote talented individuals of color into coaching and intercollegiate athletics administration.

“We want to study this issue, see what’s happening and determine what we can do to encourage ethnic minorities to continue in athletics administration,” said Rudy Keeling, commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and MOIC chair. “The pool of ethnic minority candidates for NCAA committee service is so small that it threatens us not having any diversity or having too little diversity on our committees. We have to find a way to solve that.”

The research staff at the NCAA national office will spearhead the MOIC barriers study. No specific timetable has been assigned to the project.

Sickle cell education

The committee also agreed to partner with the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport in an educational campaign about the sickle cell trait. Because sickle cell anemia disproportionately affects African-Americans, the MOIC has identified this issue as one of its priorities.

As part of the campaign, an educational video is being developed about sickle cell trait that will focus primarily on the ways it affects football student-athletes. Sickle cell trait (exertional sickling) is the leading cause of death among football student-athletes. Since 2000, seven out of 19 non-traumatic deaths in college football have been attributed to the condition. Data also show that four of the 19 deaths were related to cardiac incidents.

In addition to agreeing to serve as part of a working group with CSMAS to develop strategies to reduce instances of sudden cardiac death among NCAA student-athletes, MOIC reaffirmed its pledge to back educational and legislative efforts related to the issue.

Committee meets with divisions

MOIC also received in-person presentations from the Divisions I, II and III governance staffs. In addition to hearing updates on diversity-related activities in each division, all three divisions solicited the committee’s input on creative strategies for addressing their specific diversity goals and initiatives.

Forming partnerships with the CSMAS, divisional governance staffs and various other NCAA committees and key governance groups that are actively promoting diversity and inclusion is a critical component of MOIC’s new strategic plan, which the group spent considerable time discussing during the meeting. The committee plans to focus its attention on three broad areas: governance and legislative issues, student-athlete well-being, and professional development.

Keeling said the committee wants to be active in meeting its charge of helping to foster diversity throughout the NCAA. One way to do that is by working with other pertinent groups within the Association.

“MOIC is one of the most relevant committees in the Association,” Keeling said. “When you partner will someone in a field in which they are strong, it’s legitimizes what you do and that’s what we’re trying to do. For instance, partnering with the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport on something like sudden cardiac death in student-athletes makes what we’re doing relevant.”

The MOIC met July 13-14 in Indianapolis.