PCA, Iowa athletics spar over facility procedures

IOWA CITY - The ongoing disconnect between the University of Iowa Athletics Department and Presidential Committee on Athletics boiled over in public fashion Tuesday afternoon.

The proposed construction of an 8,000 square-foot indoor golf training facility served as the impetus for a heated discussion over procedures at the PCA's monthly meeting. PCA members bemoaned the lack of input and advance dialogue about new athletics facilities and cited the committee's manual as their charge in examining projects in their infancy.

“I think what troubles me and obviously some of the other PCA members is that the process was not followed in terms of vigorous vetting of what was actually happening,” said PCA member Karen Ann Baker, a UI associate professor in the dentistry school. “Really what our job here is to make sure the Department of Athletics adheres to campuswide principles, and I think that's what was circumvented. It seems like it was circumvented at the capital projects review committee level and certainly was circumvented at the facilities and finance and PCA level.”

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta disagreed with Baker, saying the department followed all policies and procedures in planning the facility. In June, Barta plans to ask the state Board of Regents for permission to proceed toward project fundraising. The facility's price tag is between $1 million and $2 million.

The PCA serves strictly as an advisory committee for the athletics department and reports to UI President Sally Mason. The relationship between the PCA and athletics is under campus review.

Baker admits her perspective is biased because she owns one of four homes - including one by former men's basketball coach Tom Davis - located near the proposed facility, which obstructs her view of the course.

Baker said on Feb. 14 Iowa Senior Associate Athletics Director Jane Meyer showed her and other nearby homeowners final plans for the facility. Baker said the PCA manual and principles stated by UI's capital projects review committee should have compelled athletics to discuss facility plans much sooner.

“We were presented with a plan as it was with the only input we had was whether or not we could plant more trees,” Baker said. “That's what was presented. When I asked the question you've got 14 million square feet why this 8,000, one of Jane's first responses was, ‘We could have put it closer.' Everyone in the room heard that.”

“I probably did say that,” Meyer admitted.

But the golf facility served as a launchpad for more discussion on whether athletics properly alerts the committee on projects and other news. Meyer said she won't introduce materials until Board of Regents approves a project, while PCA members prefer an earlier update.

The information debate has led to strife between athletics and the PCA in recent years, said Betsy Altmaier, Iowa's Big Ten/NCAA faculty representative.

“My opinion is that Iowa is experiencing a lot more conflict than other schools,” Altmaier said.

Baker said the relationship between the PCA and athletics is a “mismatch” and called it “window dressing.”

“(The golf facility) was presented as a done deal,” Baker said. “The problem is if this body allows this kind of thing to continue happening it will continue happening. I think the buck stops with us. I don't see anyone else stepping up. I think that's what our charge is. If it isn't, then I guess we'll learn that soon enough.”

The PCA next meets June 2.