ARTICLE ONE

Athletics Philosophy and Objectives

a) The University of Richmond athletics program is maintained as a vital component of the student body. The admission, academic standing and academic progress of student-athletes are consistent with the policies and standards adopted by the University for the student body in general. Student-athletes are provided an educational environment conducive to the development of the whole person - intellectually, socially, spiritually, physically, and morally. The student-athletes are provided an opportunity and encouraged to progress toward the degree of their choice and have the opportunity to develop their athletic abilities in an environment consistent with high standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, leadership, and institutional loyalty.

b) Further it is recognized that a positive, well-run intercollegiate athletic program:

1. is an important part of a well-rounded University dedicated to the service of a broad range of student, faculty, and public interests;
   
2. can and should develop character, maturity, and a sense of fair play as well as athletic excellence and physical vigor;
   
3. shall be conducted in a manner designed to protect and enhance the physical and educational welfare of student-athletes;
   
4. recognizes student-athletes as amateurs where their participation should be motivated primarily by education and by the physical, mental and social benefits to be derived;
   
5. understands that student participation in intercollegiate athletics is an avocation, and student-athletes should be protected from exploitation by professional and commercial enterprises;
   
6. is important in engendering community support for the institution at the legislative, state, and local levels;
   
7. fosters pride in the University among faculty, students, and citizens of Virginia and the Nation;
   
8. generates revenues to support, at least in part, intercollegiate teams and athletes in those sports that are not financially self-maintaining;
   
9. abides by the letter and the spirit of the law requiring nondiscrimination on the basis of sex, race, creed, or national origin.

    

Among the objectives of the Intercollegiate Athletics Program are the following:

a) encourage scholarship, sportsmanship, fair play, and a sense of responsibility among all athletes, students, faculty members, staff members, and spectators at athletic events;

b) to have the University represented by men and women whose conduct reflects credit on the institution and who are making satisfactory progress in degree programs with appropriate academic counseling, advisement, and support;

c) to field disciplined and competitive athletes and teams recruited, coached, and supported by skilled people who are dedicated to the observation of the spirit, as well as the letter, of all the applicable rules;

d) to schedule appropriate competitions for the athletes and teams;

e) to have the University's Department of Athletics recognized as a leader among ethical, nondiscriminatory, and well-managed departments by avoiding the appearance as well as the fact of impropriety and by producing programs characterized overall by excellence;

f) to provide a superior director of sports medicine and medical support for all intercollegiate athletes;

g) to update and maintain intercollegiate athletics facilities befitting a major university in order to accommodate the athletic and recreational needs of a diverse student body and faculty;

h) to strive to improve the system of intercollegiate athletics by cooperating with other institutions

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