Brown lacks diversity

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Brown has long paid lip-service to fair hiring practices. Now, the NCAA may ask the Brown Athletic Department to put its money where its mouth is.

In accordance with an NCAA regulation that requires each school to undergo an intensive self-study once every five years, Brown athletics recently completed a self-examination that covered four areas - governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and commitment to equity. The report was submitted to the NCAA for review on July 1, 1997, and the final decision on Brown's recertification, along with any suggestions for improvements, will be released next month.

In Brown's self-study, one area came into sharp focus - the need for an increased commitment to recruit and hire more minority coaches and assistants, under the NCAA's equity guidelines.

Currently, Brown has only two minority head coaches: men's basketball coach Frank "Happy" Dobbs, and women's gymnastics coach Jackie Court. There are also two minority assistant coaches, on the football and track teams.

Athletic Director Dave Roach said he is committed to bringing the best possible coaches to Brown and endorsed some of the measures the athletic department is taking to bring a greater pool of minority applicants to Brown, such as advertising with the Black Coaches Association.

02-03-98