From: "president@rice.edu" <president@rice.edu>
Sent: Thu Apr 04 17:29:17 CDT 2013
Subject: Note to the Rice Community
Dear Rice community:
A recent article on the Sports Illustrated website has kindled discussion on our campus, and elsewhere, about the departure last summer of several basketball players, and whether those departures had anything to do with discriminatory or insensitive treatment. In recent conversations, some have raised broader questions.
Let us start by reiterating unequivocally how much we value the extraordinary diversity of our community, and especially of our student body. That diversity includes almost every dimension: ethnic, racial, religious, socio-economic, geographic, sexual orientation, and philosophic and political perspectives.
We aspire to create a tolerant and inclusive environment for all members of o ur community, and provide several options to people who wish to raise concerns about discrimination or other inappropriate behavior:
*Undergraduate students may communicate to their college master, coach, dean of undergraduates, director of multicultural affairs or Russell Barnes in the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action.
*Graduate students may communicate to the dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, school dean, department chair or EEO/Affirmative Action.
*Faculty and staff members may communicate to deans, supervisors, Human Resources, Internal Audit, the General Counsel's office or EEO/Affirmative Action.
*EthicsPoint is an external resource availabl e by phone and online and available to any student or employee who does not feel comfortable reporting their concerns in person or wants to remain anonymous:
http://www.rice.edu/ethics.
We encourage you to take advantage of these resources if needed, and we will investigate any information regarding discriminatory treatment or an intolerant atmosphere and take appropriate action.
We now find ourselves dealing with a very complex and sensitive situation that requires careful attention to the privacy of our students and staff. However, based on our investigations to date, we would like to share some information that may help correct some falsehoods and clarify misunderstandings about the departures of the basketball players.
First of all, when allegations of discrimination arise we take them seriously and investigate them carefully. That was the case when such allegations were made by a former assistant basketball coach whose contract had not been renewed, and subsequently repeated to the NCAA on behalf of two former student-athletes he was close to. After we first received notice of the former coach's allegations, we hired an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into those specific accusations. That investigation found no evidence of discrimination.
After the two basketball players obtained our consent to transfer to other schools last summer, those schools filed applications that repeated those allegations with the NCAA for a waiver of a rule that would have required the athletes to sit out a season. Based on our investigation, we filed our response to the NCAA demonstrating that the allegations of discriminat ion were false.
By its own admission, the NCAA granted the waiver without conducting an investigation or interviewing anyone at Rice. Indeed, in a subsequent letter, the NCAA stated that the “decisions were not a judgment on the athletics environment itself or any individuals,” “the decisions were not based on whether the student-athletes' allegations are true or not” and “the [NCAA] staff did not determine, nor attempt to determine, that the environment in the Rice athletics department is ethnically or religiously intolerant.” The waivers were granted solely on the basis of what the NCAA called the students' personal perceptions of an intolerable environment. We expressed our extreme displeasure to the NCAA for its careless and bewildering handling of this matter.
We are limited in what we can say because of the privacy requirements and legal action being pursued by the former assistant coach. We continue to believe his case to be unfounded and intend to defend ourselves in appropriate legal forums. But if new information surfaces, we will as indicated above investigate further and take appropriate action.
Meanwhile, we wish our former student-athletes great success in their academic and athletic careers, and we are grateful for what they contributed to Rice during their time here. We also want to thank the Student Association, the Rice Thresher and others for providing forums for discussion of the serious issues raised by this situation.
Although these allegations are hurtful, they provide an opportunity to remind ourselves of the importance of upholding the values that should gu ide us every day: Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence. Our doors are open and we welcome more discussion of this important issue.
Respectfully,
David W. Leebron John S. Hutchinson
President Dean of Undergraduates