Sacred Heart's new faculty athletics representative.

"The Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) chairs the Faculty Athletic Committee (FAC) and serves as the liaison between the academic and athletic sides of the university," said Dr. Gary Rose, former Faculty Athletics Representative and Chair of the Government and Politics department. Dr. Rose held the position for the last ten years and helped in making the transition from Division II to Division I.

The NCAA regulates that there is a committee like this in place.

"The NCAA sees the committee as vitally important, as the role of the faculty in athletic administration is imperative to the NCAA ideal of campus-wide (broad-based) participation. Without faculty involvement, the concept of student-athlete could not be realized," said Kim Callicoatte, senior associate director of athletics.

"The FAC develops proposals to help merge academics with athletics, and work with the governance structures of the university to create policies that allowed for student-athletes to succeed in the classroom and on the playing field," said Dr. Rose.

According to the official NCAA faculty athletic representative handbook, Dr. Reid's position is that of the "representative of the institution and its faculty in the relationship between the NCAA and the campus. The Representative will provide oversight and advice in the administration of the institutional athletics program."

"The FAR reports directly to the President, and is responsible for making sure that all student-athletes are properly certified as far as academic eligibility. The NCAA has specific academic regulations that must be followed, and the FAR insures that this happens here at SHU," said Callicoatte.

Prior to this semester Dr. Reid spent 17 years on the Faculty Athletic Committee.

"I'm really excited about it-I kind of see it as participating in athletics," said Dr. Reid in a Sacred Heart University press release.

"Course scheduling for student-athletes has always posed a problem. This is Dr. Reid's major issue this year. Many student-athletes have difficulty registering for courses because of practice conflicts," said Dr. Rose.

He also said that the representative faces other responsibilities such as: student-athletes missing class for game competition, educating faculty about the demands placed on student-athletes, and certifying student-athletes and compliance with NCAA guidelines.

"I've had a familiarity with the issues for a long time, and this is an opportunity to become even more involved than I was before, being a high school athlete gave me an appreciation of the challenge of balancing the demands of academics and athletics. Also, it gave me an appreciation of how the skills and discipline learned in one are valuable in the other," said Dr.Reid.

Dr. Rose thinks that Dr. Reid is a good man for the job because of his familiarity with the issues facing the FAR.

"I recommended Dr. Reid as my successor because he served for many years on the FAC. He also worked very closely with me on several important projects pertaining to the interface between academics and athletics. Dr. Reid is also a thoughtful and deliberative individual who has a fine reputation among the faculty and the athletic department," said Dr. Rose.

"I've always been involved in various kinds of athletics-I enjoy participating, I enjoy watching, my kids play sports, and I think it's an important part of a college experience. It brings a lot to a university community, and it brings a lot to the experience of being a student. I think we're in a good position to continue to build even stronger connections between the athletics department and the academic area of the University," said Dr. Reid in a Sacred Heart University press release.