MEMORANDUM TO: Gary Barta, Director of Athletics FROM: Josey Bathke, Director, University Employee and Labor Relations Tiffini Stevenson Earl, Compliance Specialist ADA Coordinator DATE: August 1, 2014 SUBJECT: Field Hockey Program Review of Alleged Harassment and Violations of Other University Policies I. SUMMARY On or about May 19, 2014, Gary Berta, Director of Athletics (AD), requested an independent review from University Human Resources and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (EOD) of the Field Hockey (FH) program. The request came after AD Barta received reports of concerns on or around May 7, 2014 about the FH program, which included allegations of harassment (bullying, verbal harassment, and intimidation) of FH student-athletes (SAs) and a prohibited relationship between Tracey Griesbaum, Head Coach of PH, and an Athletics administrator.1 The review was completed jointly by Josey Bathke, Director of University Employee and Labor Relations, and Tiffini Stevenson Earl, Compliance Specialist and ADA Coordinator. ll. BACKGROUND The individual(s) who reported concerns to the Department of Athletics requested to remain anonymous during the review and requested that Bathke and Stevenson Earl not address any concerns that would/could potentially identify a specific SA. Bathke and Stevenson Earl honored these requests and proceeded to assess the overall environment/climate of the FH program to determine if there were any university policy violations. Bathke and Stevenson Earl conducted approximately 40 interviews during the review. The interviews were with current SAs, former coaches (current and former), Department of Athletics administrators, parents of 8A3, and university faculty members. The following university policies were taken into consideration during the review: - Policy on Human Rights - Anti?HarassmentPo/icy 1 During the review, allegations were also made related to NCAA rule violations. NCAA rule violations are not under the purview of either University Human Resources or EOD. The allegations were forwarded to the Department of Ath letics for their consideration. 2 Several former SAs did not respond to Bathke?s and Stevenson Earl's request for an interview. Policy on Violence Anti?Retaliation Policy Conflicts of Commitment and Interest Policy Conflict of Interest in Employment (Nepotism) Policy Ethics and Responsibilities for University of Iowa Staff The investigation also included a review of the following documents: FH StudentAth/ete Year End Surveys (2010-2014) Universal Competencies FH coaches' performance reviews FH coaches? employment contracts Student?Athlete Grievance Procedures Draft Revision of Student-Athlete Grievance Procedures dated April 14, 2014 Student Athlete Code of Conduct Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Manual Other pertinent documents INFORMATION OBTAINED DURING THE REVIEW The following information is what Bathke and Stevenson Earl found during the review as it relates to: lnterviews There was a 2013 meeting with seniors, before the Big Ten Tournament, at which both Coach Griesbaum and Assistant Coach Lisa Cellucci behaved unprofessionally by raising their voices and becoming upset with SAs about conversations and interactions with parents. One SA behaved inappropriately as well by raising her voice and communicating in a disrespectful manner. The majority of the current SAs positively3 described the program as intense and highly?competitive. Several current SAs stated that the coaches are clear in their expectations and communications and they have not witnessed SAs mistreated by the coaching staff. Several SAs became emotionally upset during their interviews; this included a SA who indicated overall she enjoyed her experience but had not been able to talk about her negative experience with the head coach since she finished playing FH for the University of Iowa. Several SAs described a fear-based team environment and that SAs do not feel comfortable vocalizing their complaints for fear of repercussions, which included fear of their scholarship being reduced/taken away, reduced playing time or being ostracized or singled out during team meetings, events or conversations. One SA stated that coaches are ?to be feared? as it relates to punishments given out. 3 Allegations were made that current student athletes would not speak truthfully/freely about the Fl-l environment for fear of consequences. There was no evidence presented to indicate that this was the C6188. Another SA indicated that if she would have been interviewed two years ago she would not have shared her information due to the fear-based environment of the FH team. A few examples of mistreatment reported by SAs but denied by Coach Griesbaum and unsubstantiated by other SAs: Called stupid Coach Griesbaum told a SA, ?if I were you I would kill myself? SA had to practice alone while the rest of the team practiced together SA left her backpack in the airport so Coach Griesbaum called her to the front of the bus and threw her backpack, which contained her laptop, down on the floor; Several SAs disclosed that they had sought treatment from a therapist due to their mistreatment by Coach Griesbaum.?l Several SAs indicated that ?call out? meetings5 were negative, hurt the morale of the team, and caused tension amongst some SAs and that there were ?unwritten rules? that SAs had to follow.6 Several former SAs said they felt pressured to play when injured or that Coach Griesbaum did not believe they were truly injured. Several SAs were made to believe their injury was not physical but mental and that they were using their injury as an excuse or were perceived as lazy. Several SAs indicated that once they were injured, Coach Griesbaum treated them badly or they felt intentionally ostracized. 0 Coach Griesbaum denied that she pressured any SA to play injured. There was no other evidence presented to indicate otherwise. Several SAs indicated that Coach Griesbaum did not honor her word related to their discussions about scholarships increasing over time at the University. Several SAs indicated that if Coach Griesbaum does not like you she will pick on you. Two SAs indicated that they endured the treatment from Coach Griesbaum for financial reasons and/or fear of losing their starting position. One SA asserted that she was told by Coach Griesbaum that if she knew that the SA had a disability she would not have recruited her. Several SAs indicated they wished they had not attended the University of Iowa to play FH. 4 One SA alleged that Coach Griesbaum had the team trainer attend the SA's therapy session; however, Coach Griesbaum denied this allegation and the trainer stated that the SA requested that she attend the session with the SA. Even though the SA granted permission for her therapist to speak with Bathke and Stevenson Earl, the therapist declined to meet. 5 During these meetings, it is alleged that SAs ?called out? each other related to their poor performance. 5 A few examples of unwritten rules included SAs only being permitted to drink coffee once a day and cannot eat white bread during the season. 3 Exit Surveys7 The following information was obtained from FH Exit Surveys from 2010?2014. Some of the comments are direct quotes while others are the investigators summation. - 2010?2011 No major concerns reported - 2011?2012 ?Strives to (sic) much for perfection. Players are hammered on after making small mistakes? Coaching staff weakness?approachability of coaches at times; hard to talk to on a personal level; critical; can be intimidating; the team worries a lot about doing everything right, because we don't know what the consequences would be ifwe did something wrong . 2012-2013 Some SAs left the program because they experienced bullying from team members or did not get along with coaches s/ Coaching staff weaknesses?approachability with team members; inconsistent treatment of players; focus on the starters and build them up over the years and don?t focus on non?starters enough; some things said on the sidelines are discouraging and transparent; this spring they waited too long to address a major problem in our team; think sometimes they make empty threats and the players sometimes lose respect then they don?t follow through;? communication is sometimes unclear and inconsistent; some faulty relationships between players and coaches (not major) - 2013?2014 ?Continual issues with coaches and way the program is ran has pushed a lot of my teammates away from the program;? favoritism; inappropriate player coach relationships; mistreatment of players; bullying from coaches; ?i would be extremely concerned about the mental well being (sic) of FH athletes and i would investigate the situation thoroughly. i would make a coaches change based on of players who quit lives are negatively impacted by these coaches? ?Assistant coach is inappropriate w/some players asking about personal lives and talking about underage partying? Told ?You come to practice with an attitude that says i want to kill myself? and ?My parents are bad people who spread rumors;? ?i felt constantly attacked by coaches and always embarrassed in team settings. She would call me out and pick on me. One assistant coach got in my face during a session like this? came to lowa thinking it would be my haven and it quickly turned into my hell? 7 For 2010-2012; a summary ofthe surveys was provided during the review as this was the only format that Athletics had available. For 2013-2014, a copy ofeach FH survey was provided. 4 ?The verbal abuse I experienced is completely assaultive; the environment is so unhealthy and unsafe; athletes feel uncomfortable to tell the truth about coaches so scared of consequences? Teammates left due to unfair treatment and inappropriate and rude interactions that were disrespecting and hurtful to those players; unwelcoming and disrespectful atmosphere; subjected to verbal and mental abuse ?i do not blame key players and starters for leaving due to disrespect, mistreatment, and an unhealthy environment; would never want to play for coaches again after enduring what I have gone through; Coaches really soured my senior year; I have seen teammates so stressed and mentally abused by what the coaches say to them in individual meetings or being called out in team meetings; have seen coaches bribe players w/chocolate and food if they do well? IV. Bathke and Stevenson Earl considered all available information and reviewed the totality of circumstances and concluded that there was insufficient evidence presented to substantiate a violation of university policy; however, Bathke and Stevenson Earl have serious concerns about the communication within the Field Hockey Program, the perceptions of some SAs of program requirements/written and unwritten rules and the head coach, and the relationships between some 8A5 and the head coach. The evidence indicates that the 2013 meeting with the seniors, prior to the Big 10 Tournament, was an isolated incident and does not rise to the level of a policy violation; however, the unprofessionalism demonstrated by the coaches is highly inappropriate and concerning given their leadership roles in the PH program. Even though the evidence does not rise to the level of a policy violation related to harassment, it is very concerning that several SAs consistently described a team environment of fear, intimidation, and/or mistreatment by Coach Griesbaum and that several SAs indicated they felt pressured to play injured. The evidence also indicates that there was no prohibited relationship between Coach Griesbaum and an Athletics? administrator. cc: Sue Buckley, Vice President for Human Resources Kevin Ward, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Administration Georgina Dodge, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President Jennifer Modestou, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity