Boston University’s Men’s Ice Hockey Task Force released its final report Wednesday, concluding issues exist with both the hockey team itself and overseeing the team, although students said they are not surprised with the results.
“The Task Force concluded that the unique culture of men’s ice hockey, played at the highest collegiate level and the preeminent status of our team on campus contribute to a celebrity culture and an isolation of these athletes from the majority of our student body,” said BU President Robert Brown in a letter to the BU community.
The task force was formed in March after two hockey players, Corey Trivino and Max Nicastro, were charged with sexual assault. The task force consisted of various members of the BU community and was chaired by University Provost Jean Morrison and Trustee Jonathan Cole.
The report offered 14 recommendations based on the findings of the task force, including normalization of the Department of Athletics structure and better integration of student athletes, particularly hockey players, into college life.
Brown said the university is attempting to implement many of the task force’s recommendations as quickly as possible.
The Task Force’s report addressed the sexual culture on the hockey team, saying a “culture of sexual entitlement exists among some players on the men’s ice hockey team, stemming in part from their elevated social status on campus.”
The report highlighted flaws in the way the hockey team is managed.
“Our conclusion is that there are a number of important structures and processes that are failing to achieve the full level and quality of oversight of the men’s ice hockey program that is expected and appropriate at a major university,” stated the report.
The task force concluded that one factor contributing to the culture of the hockey team is the separation of the team from the rest of the BU community.
The report stated that players become “insulated from the larger BU undergraduate population” because of housing, training and team-participation demands.
In his letter, Brown said men’s hockey coach Jack Parker has stepped down from his position as executive director of athletics to focus exclusively on coaching in an attempt to regularize overseeing the team.
“It was clear to us that this dual role [as men’s ice hockey coach and executive athletic director] that Coach Parker held muddied the accountability to the president of the university,” said University Provost Jean Morrison in an interview with The Daily Free Press.
Morrison said the task force was not designed to assess the guilt or innocence of the two players charged with sexual assault.
“We were asked to look at the culture and climate of the program,” she said. “The outcome around those two individual cases did not have any effect on the outcome of the deliberations.”
Brown also said in the letter that alcohol usage was a contributing factor to the incidents.
“We are reviewing the recommendation about how best to implement a comprehensive, campus-wide program aimed at moderating alcohol use by our students,” he said.
While talking to players about their use of alcohol, Morrison said all conversations were under the promise of confidentiality, even with underage players.
“We didn’t look for individuals who were struggling with alcohol, but rather what we heard were descriptions and anecdotes about behaviors you could reasonably interpret that binge drinking, which is not healthy, is part of the culture,” she said.
The new Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center opened Aug. 27 and will offer sexual assault awareness and prevention education, Brown said.
Michael Glazier, chair of the collegiate sports practice group in the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, found no evidence of major NCAA violations in his private investigation, according to the report.
Morrison said while the average GPA of the players was lower than the average of the entire student body, their grades were not low enough to violate the NCAA minimum GPA.
Despite the task force’s scrutiny of the hockey team, Morrison said the changes implemented as a result of the report will extend beyond BU athletics.
“I think a lot of the recommendations are designed and focused initially on the men’s ice hockey players,” she said. “The Sexual Assault Responsive Prevention center is a resource that is going to serve all of our students. Help men’s ice hockey, student athletes and the student body at large.”
Students said they were not surprised with the final report.
“I feel like the report didn’t really tell us anything that us students didn’t already
know,” said College of Arts and Sciences junior Kerry Thoubboron. “As students at BU, we all know how popular hockey is here and how many people already placed athletes that play hockey at a higher standard.”
Joseph Schlatter, a College of Engineering sophomore, said he notices a culture of entitlement among athletes.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that most athletic establishments have an entitlement culture when it comes to receiving sexual favors or receiving that sort of attention,” he said.
Tyler Walz, a CAS junior, said it is difficult to change the attitude of the team.
“I think it’s almost impossible to take away the sense of entitlement from players who have been playing hockey all their lives and who have been scouted through all four years of high school,” he said.
However, some students said they are positive about the new sexual assault center.
“It’s definitely something I’m happy to see on campus,” Thouborron said. “It’s really important to have. It makes a lot of people feel safer.”
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