BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The president of California State University in Bakersfield has formed a committee to overhaul its athletics department.
In an email sent to the campus community Thursday, university president Vernon B. Harper announced the “President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.”
“The commission will examine matters of culture and leadership, the experience and success of our scholar-athletes, and the ever-shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics that every university in this country is navigating,” Harper wrote.
The announcement comes as the university has been embroiled in controversy over criminal charges brought against some of its athletic coaches and staff. Several key staff also left the department recently, including Athletics Director Kyle Conder in September.
Whether the university formed this commission as a direct consequence of these situations is unclear. KVPR made multiple requests for comment from CSUB officials, but did not receive a response.
A response to tumultuous staff allegations?
The calls for members to join the commission came weeks after news broke that Kevin Mays, an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team, had been arrested on charges of human trafficking.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced in early September that it had filed charges against Mays for alleged crimes involving “pimping and pandering,” firearms and methamphetamine, as well as “two felony counts for the possession of child pornography with enhancements for possessing more than 600 images.”
Earlier this week, local news outlets reported he was no longer an employee of the university.
In an email to the campus community Sept. 16, CSUB president Harper wrote the campus would be working with the Bakersfield Police Department during their criminal investigation.
“We intend to partner with community organizations that have led the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Kern County — especially crimes against children,” Harper wrote. “This situation is deeply traumatic for many in our community. I am grateful for the chance to listen and to support those who are hurting.”
The campus has also faced recent turnover and resignations for unknown reasons. Harper announced in an email to campus in early September that Athletics Director Kyle Conder was no longer employed at the institution “effective immediately.”
The men’s basketball team’s head coach, Rod Barnes, also resigned shortly after the news broke about Mays, according to local news. The Director of swimming and diving, Chris Hansen, also abruptly retired in June, according to an article by the university.
In 2023, the campus also faced scrutiny for a video shared on social media that appeared to show a member of the university’s baseball coaching team punching a young man. The campus later posted on social media that the man in the video was a former volunteer of the baseball program and was not paid for his role.
Commission will improve department ‘culture’
Harper announced the athletics commission will be led by a businesswoman Shelly Carlin and a not yet named faculty member.
According to Carlin’s LinkedIn account, she owns a business based in Los Angeles that focuses on leadership skills. According to a university news article, she is also a Bakersfield native and received the President’s Medal in 2022 for donating $500,000 the previous year to establish the “Athletic Director’s Women’s Excellence Fund.”
The university said in an article at the time that the fund “directly supports CSUB’s 10 women’s athletic programs.”
Harper formed the commission in a matter of a week, according to emails obtained by KVPR. One email sent Sept. 25 called for tenured faculty members to apply for the committee.
“The President’s Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (The Commission) is formed to review
the current direction of CSU Bakersfield’s Division I athletics program and advise both the President and the AVP and Director of Athletics in response to concerns about department culture and the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” Harper wrote.
Harper said the commission will review information and conduct interviews related to “relevant privacy, employment and confidentiality laws.” The committee will also review administration and oversight structure, legal framework such as Title IV requirements and other initiatives related to student-athletes.
Harper later sent a revised email calling for the Academic Senate Executive Committee to recommend one faculty member to serve as co-chair of the commission.
The selected members are slated to serve on the committee for one year from the date of the commission’s first meeting.
