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     ThE UPEI SUN, Thursday, February 28, 1980, page 3 
     
    
   
   
    
     REMARKS OF DR. PETER MEINCKE . 
     
    

    
     Last year, I formed a special Athletic Board 
     
     including representation from the Alumni, the 
     
     Panther Booster Club and the Island Education/ 
     
     Athletic cammmity to advise me on the most 
     
     appropriate objectives for Athletics pro- 
     
     grams at UPEI and to establish priorities among 
     
     the various programs in View of the extra- 
     
     ordinary financial _stringencies facing the 
     
     universities. . 
     
    

    
     The Board recommended that the Department's 
     
     efforts be concentrated in three distinct areas: ' 
     
     (a) Recreation and Physical Fitness, (b) Intramural 
     
     Programming, (c) Intercollegiate Programming. A 
     
     number of short-term and long-term objectives were 
     
     provided. In its report, the Board has clearly 
     
     demonstrated that the UPEI Athletic Department has 
     
     fewer full-time staff and less budget than other 
     
     small universities in the Maritimes, and yet 
     
     tries to mount nearly the same level program. 
     
    

    
     It’has pointed out that if the staff were» raised 
     
     to six full-time and five partetime, and the 80/81 
     
     budget were in the range of $265,000 to $295,000, 
     
     it should be possible for the Athletic Department 
     
     to carry out effectively the following programs: 
     
    

    
     - Intercollegiate level men's soccer at its . 
     
     present level with expanded coordination with ‘ 
     
     minor and high school programs ‘ 
     
    

    
     - Intercollegiate men's basketball at its present 
     
     level and expanded coordination with minor and 
     
     high school programs. ' ’ ' 
     
    

    
     — An expanded men's hockey program to became one 
     
     of the main focal points of amateur hockey on 
     
     P.E.'I . and to strike for competitive excellence 
     
     within the AUAA. ’ ‘ » . , 
     
    

    
     - Women's intercollegiate field hockey at the 7' 
     
     present level. I , f ’ . , , ' , ;_ 
     
    

    
     - Improved women's basketball to enter upper tier 
     
     level of campetition in 1980581. 
     
    

    
     — A new program in women's volleyball with exhi —' 
     
     bition and tournament play. V 
     
    

    
     In addition, the Board considered the recarmendation 
     
    

    
     of the Department ‘of Athletics to drop men's foot-V 
     
    

    
     ball and recommended, by a Vote of 6 to 3, that it be 
     
     continued as an intercollegiate sport for a minimum 
     
     period of two years and 'a formalfreview be conducted 
     
    

    
     during that time; . 
     
     The Board has also made a number of important ob- 
     
    

    
     servationsand recommendations Such asthe following:- 
     
    
   
   
    
     "PRESENTS REPORT 9 
     
    
   
   
    
     - Engaging in tournament sports only where there is 
     
     an intramural or clubprogram in the same Sport. « 
     
    

    
     - Increased emphasis on recruiting student athletes, 
     
     particularly frcm the Atlantic ‘Provinces. 
     
    

    
     — Consultation with the other Atlantic universities 
     
     to provide uniform and cdntrolled financial 
     
     assistance to student athletes. 
     
    

    
     — Special attention to the intramural program, in 
     
     particular improving the success of the women's 
     
     program- i. 
     
    

    
     —- Clarification of the. status of the Department in 
     
     the University. 
     
    
   
   
    
     , — InstruCtor status for members of the Department, 
     
    
   
   
    
     together with opportunities for professional 
     
     development. ‘ 
     
     - The crucial importance of a new athletic facility. 
     
    
   
   
    
     r'*" ‘- " " " l. 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     President Meincke 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     As you can see, the decision to increase the staff 
     
     and budget of Athletics is not an easy one, and the 
     
     recommendations of the Board will have to be very 
     
     carefully considered in our budgeting process. The 
     
     Board report has made it clear that the University 
     
     must either increase the staff and budget or reduce 
     
     the athletic program. . 
     
    

    
     The most urgent decision is whether to drop football 
     
     immediately, as recamended by the Athletic Department, 
     
     or continue it for a minimum of two years. 
     
    
   
   
    
     .. e , ..]‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     VEd‘Hiiton-of the UPEI Athietic 
     
    
   
   
    
     I Board discusses the board's recent 
     
     recommendations with television 
     
     broadcaster Chuck Hickey. 
     
    
   
   
    
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