UAA Statement on 2020 Fall Scheduling
The University Athletic Association Presidents Council has approved the following resolution regarding 2020 Fall Scheduling among UAA member institutions.
“Despite exceptional work over the last several weeks to develop UAA fall schedules that would provide substantial UAA competition in a manner that assumes no air travel and allows for bus travel only within limited distances and travel times, it has become regrettably apparent that holding onto a mandated UAA schedule is no longer viable. It makes sense, at this time, to move away from a conference-adopted schedule. While we will continue to try to maintain UAA playing relationships as a priority, each UAA institution needs the flexibility to find additional local sport partners with which to compete, as they are able.”
Accordingly, member institutions within the UAA will determine which, if any, currently scheduled UAA contests they are able to retain, using the currently scheduled dates of UAA competition as a starting point. As each institution works to identify and schedule competition with institutions outside the UAA, consistent with their respective institutional guidelines, they remain committed to working cooperatively with each other to adjust their remaining dates of UAA competition in order to provide each other with as much flexibility as possible in reshaping their fall schedules.
“I am grateful to UAA Executive Vice President Dick Rasmussen and the athletics directors from across the UAA’s eight member schools for their dedicated work over the past six weeks to consider how best to support our scholar-athletes, who bring such vitality and school spirit to our communities,” said Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon University and Chair of the UAA Presidents Council. “While it is heartbreaking to contemplate a fall semester without UAA competition, our commitment to student health and safety is at odds with a conference schedule that would require travel at significant distances. We look forward to a return to play within the UAA as soon as we can, and I am confident that we will be stronger than ever when we can once again compete.”
“ Given the special risks associated with athletics and recreation programs, we are still in the process of assessing our ability to safely support these programs,” said Emory Athletics Director Dr. Michael Vienna. “For organized athletic programs for fall sports, we expect to make a decision by July 15.”
This resolution applies only to those sports for which the UAA sponsors championship competition during the fall (i.e., soccer, volleyball, and cross country). The Athletic Administrators Committee intends to address winter sports that begin practice and competition later in the fall semester (e.g., basketball) once their respective institutional policies on return to campus, travel, and gatherings are further defined.