Thursday, January 17, 2008

FGCU concluding investigations

It has been a while since we heard anything about the situation(s) down in Florida at FGCU. But according to this article, that may be changing. The three internal investigations are scheduled to conclude next week and the findings must be released to the public immediately thereafter.
Just a reminder: the three investigations center on two complaints by two coaches, former golf coach Holly Vaughn and volleyball coach Jaye Flood that they have been retaliated against (in the form of below average performance evaluations) for complaining about gender discrimination in the athletic department. The third investigation concerns "student welfare issues" and seems, from what we have heard, to stem from an incident during one of Flood's practices where she grabbed a player's shirt. She was suspended for the remainder of the season pending this investigation.
[The article also notes that the complaint issued by former assistant softball coach Gina Ramacci is ongoing but has experienced some delays. Ramacci was let go from her position in the fall after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with one of her student-athletes. The allegations were never proven and Ramacci is alleging discrimination based on her sexual orientation.]
Many eyes are on FGCU--perhaps even more than when they undertook their previous internal investigation into the complaints, culled from female coaches and compiled by former AD Merrily Dean Baker, about gender inequities. Though FGCU is using an outside law firm for the investigations, it remains to be seen just how effective an internal investigation really is when all of the problems come from within.