Expansion of high-priced athletic programs on west side of County continues unabated; just completed adding soccer practice field and women’s soccer team; does enamored focus on athletics  ignore major real unmet educational needs in significant areas of the County outside Prescott?

Despite what many would argue are significant unmet community college needs outside the Prescott area, the Yavapai Community College has announced it is returning men’s and women’s basketball to the Prescott Campus with the  first games to be held in November 2022. 
The Community College will have baseball, softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and men’s basketball all based in Prescott. It will also have a softball field, baseball field, two leased soccer fields, a practice soccer field and gymnasium only in the Prescott area. Dormitory facilities to house all of the athletes are located only on the Prescott Campus.

The basketball program was cut back in 2010 when the Community College claimed that state aid was forcing large across-the-board belt tightening. This included major reductions in staff and administrators on the east side of the County – not on the Prescott based west side.

Astonishingly, just two years (December 2012)  after claiming major cutbacks were necessary because of extreme financial considerations, the Community College announced a $103.5 (at one time $119) million rebuild/renovation development program with over 95% going to the Prescott Campus area. More astonishing is the fact it intended to spend that money without a tax increase or a general obligation bond drive. 

Since its announcement back in 2012-13, the Community College has plowed ahead with the millions in development as originally planned back in 2012 with hardly a whimper about a lack of funding.  

Now, with educational needs going unmet in various areas around a County the size  of Rhode Island, the Community College is announcing that men’s and women’s basketball will return in 2022.  These programs bring little if anything to  vast areas of the County because of disinterest, no public transportation to them, and extremely long and dangerous drives to attend them.  They are more accoutrements for the Prescott Campus and citizens on the west side of the  County living in the immediate Prescott area.

The search for hiring coaches for both programs has already begun. It is expected that the  new coaching hires will be formally announced on November 18, 2021  at Yavapai College’s Basketball Celebration at Walraven Gymnasium to kick off the start of the reinstated programs.

Dr. Lisa B. Rhine, President of Yavapai College is quoted as saying:  “Basketball is a popular sport and a great way to bring the community together. After several conversations with both internal and external constituents and with the financial support of a generous donor, we decided to bring basketball back to YC.”

Vice President of Community Relations & Student Development Rodney Jenkins says, “we plan to create an atmosphere that is both fun and family-friendly, making [the Community College]  a great destination for local family fun. Both men’s and women’s basketball are rooted in the history of this institution, and we are all excited to welcome back the game, our alumni, and community to help us grow our programs.”

The donor contribution alluded to by Dr. Rhine  is what some consider a fairly typical approach used by Institutions to start programs and projects that would be extremely unpopular in some quarters.  (Who and how much was donated remains a mystery to the public.) However, after a few months or years, the taxpayers who support the Institutions are left holding the financial bag, so to speak, as donor funds evaporate.  (Take for example, the current approximate $1 million dollar renovation/replacement costs associated with the roof and air conditioning at the Performing Arts Center or the hundreds of thousands, probably millions of dollars since it was first built,  in subsidized funds  paid out by taxpayers  to keep the  Center going.)

Too bad for the rest of Yavapai  County.

This effort  is in part a response to concerns from Third District Representative Mr. Paul Chevalier and others that the multi-million dollar athletic program serves  only the Prescott area

Coming to Mingus Union High School Sept 8 and Sept 22

Yavapai Community College has ignored the Verde Valley Community for decades when it comes to any effort to develop an athletic program. Meanwhile, it has poured hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars,  into developing the program on the Prescott Campus.

There have been very strong complaints lodged by  Valley citizens and its representatives at various times since 2012 about spending Verde Valley taxpayers money to support the Community College’s burgeoning multi-million dollar athletic program with no return for Valley citizens. Third District representative Paul Chevalier has raised his voice to  make the concerns known at the Governing Board level.

In response to those voices, the present administration, headed by Dr. Lisa Rhine, is attempting to address some of those concerns.  For example, a week or so ago the Community College  announced that it  had  established a new Annual Fund with its Foundation to support the athletic department. If successful, this Fund will relieve  County taxpayers of the burden of providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual scholarships to student athletes, most of whom do not live in the County, often do not live in Arizona, and occasionally do not live in the United States.

In a quiet news release dated September 1, 2021, the Community College took another step to address the Valley’s concerns by announcing it was going to hold two upcoming Volleyball matches at Mingus Union High School. The first match is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8, 2021, 7:00 p.m.  at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood.  The opponent is  Ottawa University of Arizona. The second will be held  Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. at Mingus Union High School in Cottonwood and the opponent is  Arizona Christian University.

This is the first time in decades the Prescott based administration has sought to seriously address some of the vast athletic department inequities that exist between Community College development on the east and west sides of Yavapai County—a county larger than many states.

In the Community College’s  news release, Vice President of Community Relations Rodney Jenkins is quoted as saying that “Yavapai College is committed to providing educational, cultural enrichment, and athletic opportunities to all of Yavapai County. I am excited to bring volleyball competitions to the residents in the Verde Valley. These are just the first of many [Community College] athletic competitions in the Verde Valley. We are also  planning baseball and softball games this spring, and we plan to continue to increase the number of competitions in the future.”

The athletic programs, all of which emanate from the Prescott Campus, annually spend  an estimated $1.7 million in coaching salaries and related expenses.  In addition, they provide athletes with about $650,000 in scholarship assistance from the College’s General Fund.

At the April 2020 Governing Board meeting, the issue of scholarships and out-county recruitment was raised by Third District Representative Paul Chevalier.  In response to his questions, it was learned that the College is taking major steps to change how it handles athletic scholarships and recruiting.  This included seeking to raise funds to support the scholarship program.

At the  October 2020  Governing Board meeting, the Community College announced a five-year plan was in the works to use the Foundation to support all athletic scholarships and  a plan to lower  out-state tuition for athletes that will allow a wider national recruiting by coaches.

Mr. Chevalier has constantly raised issues regarding equitable distribution of resources and the cost of the athletic department, which does not benefit the entire  County.  The most recent decisions by the Community College president appear  to be another victory for his persistent efforts in this area.

Note:  Both of the volleyball matches are free for all ages to attend. They  will also be live-streamed at www.goroughriders.com. The first 25 people in attendance will receive a free duffle bag from Yavapai College.

Source: Yavapai Community College press release dated September 1, 2021.

Title 9 threat immediately recognized by President Rhine who has quickly moved to remedy the threat posed to the Community College  by adding women’s soccer team; Governing Board has never addressed Title 9 compliance issue as part of its oversight duty despite potential serious impact of a knowing violation on the District

Dr. Rodney Jenkins

At the  April Governing Board meeting, The Yavapai Community College Administration revealed that the Community College was put into a position of high risk of civil rights violations because it had failed to comply with federal law, specifically Title 9.  It is one of the first issues addressed by president Dr. Lisa Rhine following her hiring.

Yavapai Community College Vice President of Community Relations and Student Development, Dr. Rodney Jenkins,  told the Governing Board that “to be out of compliance with Title 9 and know it, is a dangerous line to walk.  We are now very close to being in compliance once we field this [women’s soccer] team and add a couple other components. [Then] “we will be within the 54^th percentile range, where we should be” with federal civil rights law.

He also said that the athletic teams, athletic spending have to recognize and be equal to the number of enrolled  female students.  You may listen to his complete short report to the Governing Board at the April meeting on the video clip below or alternatively when the video of the meeting is posted on the Governing Board web site.

The Blog notes that the District Governing Board has not  considered as a part of its oversight role looking into whether the Community College was following Title 9 in the last decade, if ever.

Second visit to National Championship under Coach Shaver; championship scheduled for April 15-17 in West  Plains, Missouri

The Yavapai Community College volleyball team  will return to the NJCAA DI National Championships for the second  time in coach  Zachary Shaver’s  tenure.  The National Championship Tournament will be comprised of the top 16 teams from throughout the United States  will be held in West Plains, Missouri  April 15-17.

The team is made up of 14 athletes.  One athlete is from Yavapai County, Mailani  Manual, a Prescott Valley Bradshaw high school graduate.  About half of the remaining athletes come from Arizona and the other half from out-state.

 This year’s team accomplished something no other Yavapai volleyball team has ever done. They completed the Championship Trifecta (Conference, Region, & District) by winning the NJCAA Southwest B District Championship over #18 ranks Hill College (TX). The victory not only secured a third championship in the 2021 season, it also earned the Yavapai team  1 of only 14 automatic bids to the NJCAA DI National Championship Tournament.

Only five student athletes from Yavapai County are in its 2020-2021 program; far from  minimal goal of 25% discussed  in April 2020; plans to achieve minimum  goal unclear

Yavapai Community College spent a significant amount of time during Tuesday’s Governing Board meeting justifying the existence of its expanding athletic department and the low number of students from the County who participate in its program.   Using College figures, only 14% of its current athletes are from the County. The program, which now has four teams, will expand to seven teams over the next few years with the addition of a women’s soccer team this fall and a men and women’s basketball team (date not yet announced).

Athletic Director Brad Clifford reported to the Board that in 2020-202, only five of the student athletes are from Yavapai County.  Thirty recruits are from Arizona, 33 from outside Arizona but in the United States, and four came from countries outside the United States.

One explanation given by Mr. Clifford for the low number of County students in the program is that “the best student-athletes in Yavapai County want to leave the county to pursue their athletic endeavors.” He did not discuss whether lowering  recruiting standards would generate more athletes from the County.

Mr. Clifford also said that “the department’s policy is to recruit within the County first.”  However, “due to sheer numbers,” he said, “most recruiting is done outside of Yavapai County.”  (See his slide.)  He did not explain what he meant by the phrase “due to sheer numbers.”

In April 2020, Vice President Clint Ewell told the Governing Board that it was his understanding that  the College would  seek to increase County student athletic involvement by at least twenty-five percent. Chair McCasland affirmed Mr. Ewell’s statement.   (The video clip is below.) The BLOG recalls  no discussion at Tuesday ‘s presentation to the Governing Board regarding how that goal  would be achieved. 

Rozanne (Rozie) DeWeese, named first Head Coach as Community College expands its athletic program

Yavapai Community College has hired Rozanne (Rozie) DeWeese as the  Head Coach for its  new  Women’s Soccer Program.  Coach DeWeese is leaving Sacramento State University, where she was an assistant soccer  coach since 2017.  Coach DeWeese spent 10 years as the Associate Head Coach at the University of California, Davis and before that was an assistant coach at Indiana State University.

Coach  DeWeese expressed her honor and excitement at becoming the first coach to head the women’s soccer program.   She said that “These are challenging times we are all facing through the continuing pandemic. However, I am grateful and optimistic about the opportunity to make a positive impact for aspiring student-athletes to achieve continued success, Together as part of the YC Soccer Family.”

The program will begin with matches in the fall of 2021.

Sources:  Yavapai Community College photo. Yavapai Community College January 15, 2021 news release written by Kelsey English. You may view the press release at https://www.yc.edu/v6/news/2021/01/rosie-deweez.html.