A FAR is a faculty member at an NCAA institution who has been designated to serve as a liaison between the institution and the athletics department. FARs have many roles, including acting as an academic representative of the institution in conference (WCHA, NCHC, NSIC) and NCAA affairs; working with athletics on compliance, academic integrity, and academic excellence; and overseeing the well-being of the student-athletes.
1. NCAA varsity intercollegiate athletic events are considered legitimate circumstances for excused absences from classes at UMD, as per UMD policies (Subpart V(6)(d)). Coursework, exams, assignments, presentations and points for excused days are allowed to be made up by the student-athlete. This also includes attendance or participation points. Please work with the student-athletes to provide accommodation for excused absences based on their travel dates and related information. All student athletes should provide you with paper/electronic documentation of their travel.
What would an appropriate accommodation look like? What would an unacceptable accommodation look like? Some examples have been drafted previously, in consultation with the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs office, for you to review here.
2. Winter and "spring" weather creates scheduling complications! Weather conditions may cause schedule changes, often on very short notice. Rescheduled and newly scheduled NCAA events are still considered excused absences, even though they were not listed on the original start-of-semester travel schedule. This would also include postseason competition. Baseball and softball are most affected by these challenges. Additionally, baseball and softball will be traveling during finals week. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding! Please work with the student-athletes to provide accommodation for excused absences based on their travel dates and related information.
3. *New* Subscribe to team travel schedules. For your convenience and fully optional! You may click to subscribe to the calendar. I maintain these calendars for faculty based on your ideas and feedback, thank you! All student athletes still follow their procedures and provide you with paper/electronic documentation of their travel and communicate before traveling regarding accommodation.
Subscribe to: Women's Hockey NCAA Travel
Subscribe to: Men's Hockey NCAA Travel
Subscribe to: Tennis NCAA Travel
Subscribe to: Baseball NCAA Travel
Subscribe to: Track & Field NCAA Travel
Subscribe to: Women's basketball NCAA travel
Subscribe to: Men's basketball NCAA travel
Subscribe to: Softball NCAA Travel
4. Please help with our Academic Progress reporting for intercollegiate athletes. If a student-athlete needs academic intervention, please contact Dr. G Lemonedes, Director of Academic Support & Student-Athlete Development (lemon087@d.umn.edu). Please don’t contact the coaches; they do not interact directly with academic faculty and staff to help maintain the highest level of institutional integrity. Near mid-semester, we will ask for an Academic Progress report on student-athletes. Prompt reply and survey completion from our instructors is needed to best guide the students.
5. Concussions are a serious situation, and at UMD we have outstanding protocols, including an updated process for working with students with concussions. Student-athletes who need accommodations due to concussions (or serious athletic injury) will be handled through the UMD Office of Disability Resources. If you have any questions about this, please contact me.
6. Student-athletes are not to be treated differently from other UMD students, except for sanctioned differences (e.g., early registration, excused absences for NCAA intercollegiate athletic events). Team practice is not an excused absence.
7. Have questions or concerns about something you see regarding student-athletes or the athletic program? Suggestions or ideas? You can always feel free to reach out directly to me (kscho@d.umn.edu)or (umdfar@d.umn.edu). You may also want to contact our Director of Athletics, Forrest Karr (fkarr@d.umn.edu), who can probably answer most of your questions. You can report anonymously here.
8. I encourage you to support the student-athletes who are taking your classes by attending one of their competitions. I know they would love to see you there!