Athletics conduct code approved

NEW ALBANY ' After a week of living in the spotlight, IU President Myles Brand asked for closure to the Bob Knight situation Friday as the IU board of trustees unanimously approved the new IU Athletics Code of Conduct. \nTelevision camera crews uncharacteristically showed up at the board of trustees' monthly meeting to record the latest event related to the Sept. 10 firing of former basketball coach Bob Knight.\nAthletics director Clarence Doninger said the policy, which applies to all campuses and intramural sports, is "not person-specific, but directed to all involved in athletics." \nBut Brand added, "We probably would not have done it without that May incident." Brand was referring to his May 15 decision to place Knight under a "zero-tolerance" policy after he was accused of inappropriate physical contact with a former player.\n"We tried to have a theme," Doninger said, "that we are operating at a higher standard and what we truly expect from our coaches, our administrators, our student-athletes."\nA 15-member commission, appointed by Brand, developed the plan by taking pieces of Big Ten and NCAA athletic policies, as well as adding stipulations specific to IU.\n"It was an attempt to pull together a spirit involving those codes," Doninger said. "And to detail that we want to operate at a higher standard."\nThe policy states that "participants are expected to exhibit a higher standard of behavior than might be expected of other students, staff and faculty, and to avoid conduct that is likely to appear improper."\nDoninger said conduct is especially important due to the amount of press attention generated by IU athletics.\n"By a higher standard, we not only mean that you have to have the appropriate conduct," Doninger said. "But also that you don't have the appearance of inappropriate conduct, like who you associate with."\nIn the course of a year, Doninger said the athletics department receives many complaints about inappropriate conduct, but that most don't require or result in serious action. James Sherman, professor of psychology and a member of the Code of Conduct Commission, said the group didn't just look at Knight's actions when discussing what behavior was inappropriate.\n"We tried to use general principles in adapting the general code of conduct," Sherman said. "I think you'll probably see a lot of the kinds of behaviors that were exemplified by some of (Knight's actions) because they were so salient to us."\nThe code of conduct lays out the chain of command a person accused of violating the code would have to go through. In the case of student athletes, the incident would first be brought to the student's coach, the athletics director and the compliance coordinator. Incidents relating to coaches would be brought to the athletics director and the compliance coordinator. Incidents involving the president would be handled by the board of trustees.\nBrand said the implementation of the code of conduct should signify an ending to the controversy surrounding Knight's firing.\n"It is time now to move on. Let us get back to the essential business of the University," Brand said. "Athletics has a role to play, but it is not our key mission. Our key mission is teaching, learning and research. Let's get back to the business of the University"