The University of Southern Indiana (USI) recognizes that students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends may desire the addition of new intercollegiate sports programs on campus. As a result, Athletics has established a process to facilitate the consideration of these requests.
All requests for the addition of a new intercollegiate sports program at USI must begin in the office of the athletic director. The director will decide whether to consider a program in consultation with the University president. A sport must be sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to qualify for consideration, and sports with a recognized champion by the Ohio Valley Conference will receive preference.
The Facility Planning and Fiscal Integrity Subcommittee of the University Athletic Council (UAC) will review program proposals submitted by the athletic director. The subcommittee will evaluate the prevalence of competition in the region, the number of student athletes interested in participating, the availability of practice and competition facilities and costs among other factors.
When the Facility Planning and Fiscal Integrity subcommittee endorses the addition of a sport program, the subcommittee will work with the athletic director to compose a formal recommendation to the UAC. The recommendation must include total annual operating and scholarship costs for the program in addition to one-time expenses needed to start the program. The UAC will vote on the recommendation and, if approved, advance the proposal to the University president and the USI Board of Trustees for final approval.