Good morning, class. Today we are going to discuss sports at HSU. There is no syllabus and there will be no exam at the end. Class expectations remain that we openly engage and learn from each other, remain civil and collaborative, and complete all assignments.

Within all universities, there is a different language. Within some departments on a college campus, there may even be different rules or processes. This is normal to a university, but it can be confusing to many outside the university. Sports is a perfect example. At HSU, we support intercollegiate athletics, clubs sports, and intramural/recreational sports. Each is very different and what governs each is also very different.

Intercollegiate athletics is the most visible, but often far from the largest. Called “athletics” for short, this includes a department filled with compliance officers and rules specialists, media relations staff, the Athletics Director, paid coaches, and several sports teams often guided by a national governing agency. At HSU, that is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (commonly referred to as the NCAA). The conference HSU belongs to within the NCAA is the California Collegiate Athletic Association or CCAA, and our Women’s Rowing team competes in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC for short). HSU competes at the Division II level, which means we compete with other schools of similar size and scope. Within Division II, we have specific maximums on the number of scholarships that may be obtained for each sport, standards to be met, eligibility requirements, and much more. This is a very organized and competitive affiliation of teams. At HSU, the intercollegiate sports are men’s and women’s basketball, outdoor track, soccer, and cross country; and women’s volleyball, softball, and rowing.

Club sports, while similar to intercollegiate athletics, are very different. Club sports generally compete more locally, are not governed by a larger national governance body like the NCAA, and do not have the same level of funding. They are often smaller, but just as important to a campus because they engage students, very often have a local following, and could become an intercollegiate sport if they grow in popularity or funding. Baseball and rugby are good examples of club sports at HSU.

Intramurals, commonly called “rec sports,” are the most popular on a campus and involve the most people. The activities can be flag football, basketball, badminton, and other types of recreational-type activities. While very competitive, rec sports are designed mainly to be fun and engaging.

As the campus evolves it is important for HSU to also consider growing all sports activities. Having organized rec sports keeps students involved and engaged on campus; and expanding these opportunities is very important. Increasing club sport opportunities is also very important.

In the local community, the discussion is most frequently about intercollegiate athletics. Increasing the number of sports, graduating and retaining student-athletes, improving funding, competing, and growing the number of sport offerings are all discussion topics today. HSU has discussed elevating baseball, bowling, competitive fishing, women’s golf, triathlon, and wrestling (among others) to Division II status. HSU is also committed to adding men’s and women’s rodeo with community support.

HSU has also been discussing what level of competition is best for this campus and community. Do we stay at the Division II level and seek to grow our stature and offerings to be the most successful competing against programs such as East Bay, SFSU, Sonoma, Chico, and San Marcos? Or do we consider raising our sights to a much-more regimented, costly, but more visible Division I (non-football) level against much-larger schools?

For those wondering, there are no schools in the CCAA that have football. In fact, there are no Division II schools in California with football. The three remaining Division II football-playing institutions along the West Coast are in the GNAC, so programs must consider travel to the Rocky Mountain or Texas regions. Of course, Division I football would require a substantial investment significantly beyond the capacity of a school such as HSU. These questions are part of ambitious and forward-thinking discussions with great cost implications that would rely heavily on external support.

So class, this is an introduction to Sport 101 at HSU. We are sure you have questions. Talk amongst each other, dream big, find solutions, and during our next class (over coffee someplace) please kindly share your thoughts.

Be well.

Dr. Tom Jackson Jr. is the president of Humboldt State University. Cooper Jones is HSU’s executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports.