Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ask The AD -- Sept. 4, 2008
September 04, 2008 | General
Sept. 4, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - Bowling Green State University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Greg Christopher answers a few of the many questions that have been submitted to BGSUFalcons.com. Here is the latest installment ...
Q: Are any more high school football games planned for The Doyt this fall? Will you get to host playoff games this year?
David in Bowling Green
A: After the Old News Boys Classic in mid-August, we also host St. John's and St. Francis at The Doyt on Oct. 24. Regarding the playoffs, we hope to host a game, but so much of those match-ups come from the geography of the two teams involved. We won't know anything until the playoffs start.
Q: Do we plan to continue having at least one doubleheader each year for men's and women's basketball?
Brandon in Bowling Green
A: Generally, the doubleheaders come about because of conference scheduling. The MAC sets both the WBB and MBB schedules based on the jigsaw puzzle of venue availability across the league. We have, on occasion, had non-conference doubleheaders, but generally try to avoid the date conflicts if possible.
Q: I wrote a while back asking why sports like football and hockey get special treatment over others sports that have had alot (sic) more success. I knew that you would not answer that. But here is another one for you that I am sure that you will not answer as well (at least not honestly). Why do football and hockey and basketball besides getting most of the money for thier (sic) events also get more money for school. I know that recently you guys gave a full 12 hours and paid for it during the summer to a football player to get eligiable (sic) and yet another athlete who is on full tuition had to pay over $900 for two summer classes. And also why do football and hockey players get more internships. You are a joke and so is the so called football team and BGSU is worst is the horrible coach who embarrassed the school on national TV and you gave him a raise for it. Way to go. I do not expect a response from you but I will be back to change you some more.
James
A: While there are some underlying issues in your remarks, let me get at the specific questions...
- Scholarships: our 18 sports allocate scholarship dollars based on NCAA limits. Each of our sports is at the maximum permitted, except men's soccer, men's cross country and men's golf. Over time and with budget changes, I hope we can add the equivalent of about three scholarships and be at the maximum available.
- Summer School: similar to other Div. I programs, summer school has become an important part of our student-athletes' academic planning and eventual success. While BCS schools generally provide funding for all student-athletes that want to attend summer classes, BGSU (like other MAC schools) must allocate its summer dollars based on a system that takes into account many factors - expected graduation, access to certain classes and eligibility are some of the factors. For planning purposes, we break the sports into two groups - Revenue and Olympic - and then allocate the summer aid dollars in an equitable fashion. Women's Soccer is also treated as a revenue sport for summer school purposes. We did not have any student-athlete take 12 hours of classes this summer at BGSU. In the past, we have had a few student-athletes get 12 or more class hours in the summer, thanks to credit for internships. Student-athletes sometimes take their internships during the summer because it's the only time they can fit the experience into their schedules to avoid sport conflicts.
- Internships: there is no correlation between internship access and a sport. Most internships are tied to a specific academic major with assistance in coordinating the internship coming from the academic department and the Career Center. Some internships, like summer jobs, are found by the student-athletes themselves. Finally, for student-athletes with exhausted eligibility, we have a "Falcon Intern" program within the department. In exchange for 15 hours of work per week in some area of BGSU Athletics (often event management), we provide funding to help finish their degree (usually only one semester). Any student-athlete can apply for this program.
The concept of "18 Sports, 1 Team" is a phrase you will see used throughout BGSU Athletics. The words aren't empty, although they present challenges for everyone. The fact is that across our department, we need to improve in many aspects. There is a department and university commitment to sustaining a broad-based athletics program. In the last two years, we have increased our sport operating budgets by $400,000 - a substantial portion of that increase going to our Olympic sports. Add to that the facility improvements for several of our Olympic sports and the impact of the Sebo Center for all student-athletes, and I feel that we're headed in the right direction in improving all sports across the board. We will always strive to be better and will continue to take steps that ensure the experience for all 425 of our student-athletes is similar and positive.
Q: How does the department handle discipline cases when players break the law?
Kristen in Pemberville
A: There are three layers of discipline or processes that need to be taken into account. The City of Bowling Green's legal system, the Student Code of Conduct, which is administered via the Dean of Students Office, and our own department discipline. As a first note, each situation needs to be handled individually. This may seem obvious, but while it's important to have policies and parameters, each discipline case has its own unique circumstances and needs to be judged accordingly. A few notes about various types of issues that often come up in questions...
- Drug Testing: BGSU Athletics has a drug testing policy for student-athletes with appropriate counseling and pre-established sanctions for those who test positive. Details can be found on our web site under the athletic training section. Testing is done randomly for all athletes or based on reasonable suspicion. The NCAA administers their own drug testing program (twice per year), also done randomly across all sports.
- Code of Conduct: all BGSU students are governed by the University's Code of Conduct system, which is the set of behavioral expectations that have been established for students. Incidents (on or off campus) are investigated by the Dean of Students Office, and the process includes the opportunity for students to tell their side of the story. If found responsible, student sanctions from the University could include a range of options such as service, probation, suspension or expulsion. Student-athletes are treated the same as any other BGSU student during this process.
- Legal System and Team Discipline: coaches supply their teams with rules and policies at the beginning of each season. For student-athletes that break a rule or law, coaches handle discipline in conjunction with their sport administrator. Coaches and administrators take into account past issues, consistency and any other factors. Depending on the issue, team penalties may consist of two parts - a competition penalty (missed games) and other team discipline (missed practice sessions, workouts, study table, etc.). If an incident involves a felony charge, administration of the issue comes to my office and we would suspend the student-athlete from competition until a final resolution.
Our student-athletes have heard me say many times they ultimately have three priorities: represent BGSU with class and character, work hard in the classroom and compete for championships on the field. Any group of 18-22 year-olds will always have discipline issues; however, I believe the vast majority of our student-athletes represent BGSU in a first-class manner, although, similar to the overall student body, we'll always have a few individuals who are challenged with making the right decisions.
I also believe our coaches understand that character is a paramount priority in their recruiting processes. Beyond bringing in young women and men with integrity, BGSU has set up a system of information and education to help kids make good decisions while they're at Bowling Green. Ultimately, this system - and our staff and coaches - serve as a set of guardrails for behavior. And when actions end up outside those barriers, we deal with the issues directly and try to help the student-athletes learn for the future while also holding them accountable for their actions.
Q: What is the justification of BG hosting only five home football games in 2008? It would seem that an athletic department that struggles with revenue would want to schedule an additional home game to increase those revenues. Can we expect to see a 6 game split for a twelve game season in the future?
Chris in Warren
A: Actually, the best revenue scenario for BGSU would be to play all four of our non-conference games on the road. With top-flight BCS programs paying $500,000+ for guarantee games, we can make more money playing away from Perry Stadium. While a few schools still utilize the big guarantee philosophy with I-A football, I believe it's no way to operate a competitive program with healthy fan support. Even though it means sacrificing some revenue, our goal is to have six home games each year. Six home games hopefully helps in the win column and aids with building fan and student support. Looking ahead, we have the following at home in the next few years:
2009: Wyoming and Troy
2010: Marshall (five home games)
2011: Boise and Maryland
2012: Idaho and TBA (likely a I-AA program)
Playing seven home games every year - like most of the BCS schools - will likely never be commonplace in the MAC. If our budget can sustain it long-term, our hope is to play six at home as often as possible.
