Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

SFU's athletics director leaves university months after football controversy

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Aug, 2023 12:43 PM
  • SFU's athletics director leaves university months after football controversy

B.C.'s Simon Fraser University says its athletics director has left the institution.

The departure of Theresa Hanson, the university's director of athletics and recreation, comes four months after controversy erupted over the school's elimination of its varsity football program followed by the hiring of a lawyer to investigate claims made by one of its sports teams.

The Burnaby, B.C., university announced the dissolution of the football team on April 4 of this year after their affiliation with an NCAA conference was ended.

Simon Fraser University president Joy Johnson says the decision to eliminate the program wasn't financially based, but rather on the Texas-based Lone Star Conference's announcement it would not renew its football affiliation with Simon Fraser past the 2023 campaign.

SFU joined the Lone Star Conference in 2021 for a two-year term and the budget allocated to running the team in the upcoming season would have been $950,000.

The university retained a Vancouver-based lawyer who specializes in investigating sports-related matters in May 2023 after concerns were raised by student-athletes.

A full and independent assessment of the future of SFU football remains ongoing, with a final report expected this September.

"After careful consideration and discussion, Theresa Hanson, Senior Director, Athletics and Recreation, and SFU have come to mutual agreement that the time is right for a change in direction within Athletics and Recreation," said Rummana Khan Hemani, vice-provost, students and international, in a statement.

The program's players previously argued for a reinstatement of the program as well as exhibition games in the fall, seeking an injunction in court that was denied.

Bob Copeland, an independent adviser appointed in May to review the possibility of the university's cancelled football program playing exhibition games in the fall, concluded doing so posed safety and logistical concerns.

His review's conclusions were accepted by the university, with the school adding that the recommendations were in the best interests of student-athletes' safety and academic performance.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute
A union vote among British Columbia port workers is underway to determine the fate of a deal with employers that could bring their long-running industrial dispute to an end. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada is holding its vote from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow to decide whether to ratify the agreement recommended by negotiators.

Union vote begins on B.C. port deal that could end months-long dispute

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene
R-C-M-P in Surrey are looking for the driver of a Tesla who drove by the scene of a fatal collision this weekend. A pedestrian was hit Saturday in the 82-hundred-block of 128th Street and later died in hospital from his injuries.  

Surrey RCMP needing Tesla Driver's help who passed by a collision scene

Busy roads expected for long weekend

Busy roads expected for long weekend
Drivers are being warned to expected increased congestion on the roads starting this evening, ahead of the B-C Day long weekend. People travelling along Highway 1 are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid peak travel times.

Busy roads expected for long weekend

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead
Surrey Council has approved a 14.5-million-dollar contract for the finishing touches at the Cloverdale Sport and Ice Complex. Mayor Brenda Locke says the first two of three ice sheets are expected to open in September 2024, with the third finished by the summer of 2027.

Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex given the go ahead

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart
Ridge Meadows RCMP is investigating a report of shots fired at a residence in Maple Ridge that took place early this morning. On Wednesday, at approximately 2:15 a.m., several Ridge Meadows RCMP frontline officers immediately responded to reports of multiple shots fired in the 12000 block of Garden Street in Maple Ridge.

2 shootings in Maple Ridge a day apart

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says
Wilkinson said in the first two years of the Trudeau government's tree-planting pledge, 110 million trees have been planted, exceeding early targets of 90 million trees during that period.  The minister said in an age of record wildfires and devastating floods, tree planting is an important step in mitigating climate change-related disasters.

Pledge to plant 2 billion trees lofty but attainable, Natural Resources minister says

PrevNext