Consultant joins AD search team

Representatives from the search committee for the new Athletic Director held an open meeting in Griswold conference room Tuesday.

Committee chair Heather Hogan ran the open forum along with the newly selected consultant Judith Sturnick. A handful of students attended the meeting, all of whom were varsity athletes.

With Sturnick now aboard the committee, a more definitive schedule has been put together for the selection process. The committee will continue accepting applications up until the actual selection is made. They currently have approximately 50 dossiers, and expect to have around 70. These will be chiseled down to around 10 candidates. President Nancy Dye will make the final choice of who fill the position.

The committee has met four times, where they defined the job description and defined the necessary background for the candidates. While the committee included obvious characteristics in their desired applicants, such as leadership abilities, budgeting experience and good communication skills, they are also looking for an individual with "vision". Sophomore Katy Durham-Hammer, of the women's basketball team, questioned the inclusion of "vision" in the job description.

Hogan said, "There are real problems that need attending to, like developing fan support."

A significant part of the meeting was spent discussing what Philips Gymnasium fails to do for the student body. "Large sections of the Oberlin Community don't use Philips," said Hogan. The committee would like to see more people use the facility, whether it be intramural participation or just working out in the weight rooms.

The student body will have some input into the selection process. The candidates will all be visiting Oberlin starting at the end of April, and continuing through May 12. They will have to address the student body. Students will have the opportunity to express their views on the candidates through questionnaires.

The varsity athletes that attended the meeting also showed concern for the actual success of the varsity programs. The new Athletic Director will be expected to introduce some new ideas on how to improve unsuccessful programs.