Q. When will Hendrix move to the new league?
A. We will remain in the SCAC through 2011-12 and move to the new league in fall
2012.
Q. What teams will you play in the new league?
A. Berry, Birmingham-Southern, Centre, Millsaps, Oglethorpe, Rhodes, and Sewanee.
Q. What about the teams you’ve always played in Texas?
A. We will continue to play our traditional rivals in Texas and elsewhere, but not
as conference games, giving us more flexibility in when we schedule those games.
Q. How will current sports be affected?
A. Current sports will see minimal impact. Conference champions will be eligible
for at-large bids for post-season play for the first two years until an automatic
qualifier is established for the conference. We are committed to support all intercollegiate
athletes and believe that each sport contributes in a positive way to the Hendrix
experience.
Q. How much will the new sports cost?
A. We will be better able to answer that question in early November after the Board
of Trustees reviews plans now in development.
Q. Where will the funding for the new sports come from?
A. The board will review funding proposals for capital expenditures and other one-time
start-up costs in October. We will work to contain costs and to encourage private
gifts to fund the startup costs for women’s lacrosse and football. Money will not
be taken from other sports or diverted from academic purposes. The research conducted
as part of the year-long study in 2007-2008 predicted that adding football and women’s
lacrosse would increase enrollment by 70 to 80 students. We expect the revenue generated
from increased enrollment to offset the annual operating costs of the new sports.
Q. When will Hendrix field its first football and women’s lacrosse teams?
A. We plan to begin football in the fall of 2013 and women’s lacrosse in the spring
of 2014.
Q. Who will coach the new teams? A. We hope to have the head coaches in
place by the fall of 2012 so they can recruit other needed staff members and players
in preparation for the fall 2013 season. We will hire coaches who embody the campus
and conference culture, and understand and support the goals of NCAA Division III
athletics. Members of the new league have all pledged that compensation for
head coaches will never exceed what is paid to senior professors in the arts and
sciences. The league also forbids using gifts from boosters to supplement coaching
salaries. These standards, which have been part of our operating principles for
years, are in accordance with D-III principles and serve to remind us that academic
excellence is our primary goal.
Q. Where will the football and women’s lacrosse teams play?
A. Women’s lacrosse will play on the same artificial turf field behind the Wellness
and Athletics Center where the men’s lacrosse team currently plays. This field can
also accommodate football games, although the plan is to build another playing field
to accommodate practices and possibly games as part of the athletics complex.
Q. What will you do with all those “Undefeated since 1961” T-shirts in the
bookstore?
A. They are sure to become collectors’ items; get yours now before the price escalates!