GARRETT WAIT
Sports Editor
Pepperdine fans may know the names of players and coaches on the teams. Many will even know the name of the athletic director or the sports information director, but only a select few know the name of the faculty athletic representative or even that the position exists.
The FAR is a built-in watchdog and he happens to be communication professor Dr. Don Shores. He’s this week’s guest on “Ten Minutes With …”
What exactly does the FAR do?
The biggest part of my job is to be concerned for student-athlete welfare. The position is not part of the athletic department. Part of my job is to also be an adviser to student athletes on both athletic matters and academic matters. I’m supposed to ask if we’re treating our athletes right. Are we giving them the max number of practice hours? Are the facilities conducive to athletics? Are we providing enough training help? Also, some teams’ practices may run until 7 at night and the Caf may not be open that late, so we have to deal with things like that that involve the athlete both athletically and academically. I’m not alone in this, of course. The Faculty Athletic Committee is a standing committee with seven members. We’re concerned with graduation rates, admission requirements for athletes. We try to keep things on the up and up.
Is it an NCAA-affiliated position?
The position is NCAA mandated. Every school with an athletic program has one. My job is to be a liaison between athletics and academics. One of the things I do is complete forms to certify all the athletes to the conference. Every athlete on every team has to be certified in both the fall and the spring. That means we have to check things like GPA and units completed to make sure they’re on track. The APR, the academic progress report, is something the new NCAA president, Myles Brand, has installed. His emphasis has been on the academic side of athletics. Until two years ago, we would certify athletes every fall and that’s it. From that point until the next fall, they could do anything they wanted. They could work hard one semester and then during the season, they could go easier. The new system looks at each athlete each semester.
How were you chosen for the position?
The president chooses the FAR. I’m trying to remember how long President Benton has been president, but that’s how long I’ve been the FAR. John Watson was the FAR before he became the athletic director of course. Once he became the athletic director, they needed someone to fill his old position. I’d been interested in sports here at Pepperdine, and I’ve followed our teams for years, so I already had an interest before I became the FAR.
How often do you attend Pepperdine sporting events?
Well, last week was pretty normal so I’ll use that as an example. I went to the soccer match Friday afternoon, then the volleyball game that night. I missed the water polo game on Saturday, but I went to the soccer and volleyball matches again Sunday. I go to the WCC Tournament and all the basketball games at home and at Loyola or the closer away games. I try to go to as many home games as I can. My daughter ran cross country while she was here so I try to keep up with them, too.
What are some of the challenges at a school like Pepperdine?
A school like ours faces some tremendous challenges. Being a private school, our tuition is higher than schools like UCLA and Long Beach State. We all have the same number of scholarships as the public schools. Our baseball team has the same number as Cal State Fullerton or Long Beach or UCLA, but it’s much more difficult to walk on. It costs athletes more here to do that. It’s very difficult to recruit the same way as the state schools do. But we do get walk-ons and that shows that we have a lot of great coaches and teams. I’m really proud of our coaching staffs. Many of them have been here 20-plus years and you see the dedication not just to the sports, but to the individuals. That’s a big recruiting tool.
Do you have anything to do with setting recruiting guidelines?
The NCAA sets all the guidelines, but I’m always happy to meet with recruits to discuss academics. Marcus Brown, the compliance director, is the one that makes sure we follow all the rules and not just coaches and athletic department members. Teachers have to follow the rules, too. We can’t just grab an athlete and say, ‘Let’s go to dinner,’ because that’s a violation. The rules are very strict about stuff like that. It almost makes you feel like you’re inhuman because you can’t treat athletes the same way as others.
You teach a class on ethics. Does that play a big part in what you do as the FAR?
Many decisions that are made have ethical dimensions. Whether to recruit an athlete or not is an ethical decision. We can’t just recruit because of athletic ability. We have to be conscious of their needs as well. We may not offer the major they want or we may not be a good fit for their personality. Whether to retain a student or not is another ethical decision. I’ve been in meetings on whether to cut a student’s scholarship or not. They may be an excellent student, but they maybe weren’t contributing to the team as much as some of the others on the team. That’s a difficult circumstance. I’m of the opinion that if a person’s here for two or three years, we should see them through to the end. I see an obligation to the student from an ethical standpoint. We also have to interpret some of the rules. I mean, this rule says this and we didn’t do that and we have to do something about it. Other times, rules may have been met at a minimum level, but it’s not best for the athlete, the team or the school, so we have to change something.
Is all the work worth it?
It’s a great job. It’s lots of work, but it’s lots of fun too. It’s fun getting to know the athletes as people, not just on the court or the field or the course. I was not an athlete in college, and I’m amazed at how they can excel in the classroom and on the athletic field. They’re truly remarkable people.
10-06-2005