General

WCC Concludes Council Meetings

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference Executive Council and Presidents’ Council concluded their annual summer meetings this week, conducting the event in a virtual format for the first time. Originally scheduled to be held in Santa Cruz, California, the in-person event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The four-day meeting schedule was adjusted to a virtual format.
 
The WCC Executive Council comprises the athletic directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athlete representatives (STARs) from each of the Conference’s 10 institutions. The STARs participated in their third Executive Council meetings after formally joining the WCC’s governance structure a year ago. Members of the STARs group also met with the Presidents’ Council on Thursday.
 
Both the Executive Council and Presidents’ Council meetings opened their sessions with important and thoughtful discussion on current events and the racial injustice in our society. WCC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who made a public statement Monday on behalf of the Conference decrying racism and committing to creating meaningful change, led the discussion with both the Executive Council and Presidents’ Council.
 
The STARs, who exercise their voice on all of the WCC’s policy decisions, developed a statement on behalf of all WCC student-athletes denouncing the racial injustice in our society and expressing the desire to “promote awareness and evoke change.”
 
“The student-athletes are the most important voices in our governance structure, and I continue to be impressed with the STARs at our meetings and their contributions to our discussions,” Nevarez said.  
 
The WCC launched the “We are Committed to Change” campaign to continue to promote awareness and support efforts for meaningful change.
 
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee, which was formed last year, will convene this month to develop a sustainable ongoing forum for dialogue and education. The committee will also review and refine action plans and initiatives proposed by the membership. The Presidents’ Council adopted equity, diversity and inclusion language in the WCC mission statement.
 
The WCC Mission Statement:
To enhance the holistic development of student-athletes through the fostering of an environment of athletic and academic excellence consistent with that of a premier, nationally prominent NCAA Division I athletics conference; and to create inclusive and equitable opportunities representative of the respective faith-based Mission and values of the West Coast Conference institutions.
 
The Presidents’ Council also adopted inclusive language in the WCC Handbook. The Conference discussed the inclusion of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee’s initiatives as a prominent part of the WCC’s new strategic plan set to launch next year. Composition and overall expansion of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee was also discussed.  
 
The Executive Council and Presidents’ Council thoroughly discussed the Conference’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the immediate financial impacts, cost containment measures, conference championship events and overall return to play policies.
 
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS
  • The WCC, at this time, plans to hold all of its conference championship events for the 2020-21 season as scheduled, noting the tremendous value and importance of these events in contributing to the overall student-athlete experience.   
 
RETURN TO PLAY:
  • The conference’s cancelation of all in-person formal and organized activities, put in place on March 12, expired at the conclusion of the spring season. 
  • The health and safety of students and staff is paramount and will drive all decision making.
  • Conference championship events will be guided by a three-phase approach in cooperation with state and local government regulations.
  • Protocols will be put into place to ensure the health and safety of all participants, fans, and staff.
 
REGULAR-SEASON FORMAT MODIFICATION
  • The start date of the women’s basketball conference regular-season schedule for the 2020-21 season will move up three days to begin Dec. 28 and the 2020-21 regular-season schedule format will be modified to utilize travel partners to minimize travel.
 
COST CONTAINMENT MEASURES
  • The WCC’s overall operating budget for the 2021 fiscal year will be reduced by 10 percent.
  • The conference is planning to move the 2021 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tipoff events, originally scheduled to be held in Las Vegas, to a virtual event.
  • The WCC’s October Executive Council and Presidents’ Council meetings will move from an in-person meeting in Burlingame, California, to a virtual format.
  • All head coaches meetings that were scheduled to be held in-person in the conference office will move to a virtual format through March of 2021.
  • Officiating fees in all sports are frozen for the 2020-21 season.
  • Several cost containment measures at championship events will be put into place, including a reduction in hospitality services.  
  • The second-year requirements of the conference’s minimum broadcast standards for institutions were postponed for one year.
  • A one-year suspension of the Athletics Compliance Assessment Program schedule for second-round reviews was put into place.
The WCC reported on the Mental Health Summit held in Los Angeles in January and recommended the creation of a working group of experts in mental health. 
 
The Presidents’ Council also supported the WCC’s continued exploration into Esports during the 2020-21 academic year. 
 
The WCC Executive Council and Presidents’ Council are scheduled to convene in the fall.