The interim president of the University of Iowa says it’s important to “ensure that student athletes understand what is expected of them and are accountable for their behavior.” Dr. Sandy Boyd’s comments came in a letter written to the University’s athletic director and the chairman of a committee reviewing how a sexual assault case involving basketball player Pierre Pierce was handled. He says it’s imperative that we respect one another.Boyd supports a faculty committee’s conclusion that “staff should refer misconduct problems to appropriate University officials and that both athletes and athletic staff should be continuously educated about policies, resources and procedures, and about their respective responsibilities.”Boyd is directing the Iowa athletic department and the Board in Control of Athletics to issue a report on the matter by the end of the semester. Pierce, a star athlete, was charged with sexual abuse for an incident involving a woman who’s also an athlete at the school. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault causing injury, will sit out from competition a year and is retaining his scholarship. Critics say Pierce received preferential treatment because he was an athlete.
