6
Policy I:
Fair Play
Clearly written and comprehensive policies are crucial to any successful, effective intramural program. Effective policies essentially define many components of the program, including its mission and what is required to satisfy that mission. In this chapter, we will look at the role of policies in an intramural program and begin the process of creating a fair play policy. In the next chapter, we discuss the role and importance of safety policies.
Chapter Objectives
>	Understand the development and role of policies in an intramural program.
>	Define fair play.
>	Understand the concepts of inclusion and sportsmanship.
>	Learn how to apply fair play principles to an intramural program.
Developing Policies for Intramural Programs
As introduced, policies are formal, written declarations, based on the mission statement, that define the parameters necessary to achieve the program’s goals. Indeed, the process of developing an intramural policy starts with mission. If it is your mission that all students participate, or at least as many students as possible, for example, you’ll want to formulate inclusion and fairness policies that address discrimination having to do with race, gender, disability, and so on. If your mission is promote safe, fun activities, you’ll want policies in place that reduce the risk of injury and other harm. (Most likely, you’ll want to develop safety and inclusion policies in your intramural program, which is why we concentrate on these topics in this and the next chapter.)
Working with your mission, you should also consider risk when developing intramural policies. For example, what risks are inherent in certain activities? If competitive leagues are part of your program, how high is the risk of injury? Is there a chance certain populations will get left out (e.g., women, minorities, and people with disabilities)? You’ll also want to consider legal issues when defining your intramural policies. Are there state, local, or national laws that come into play? Finally, you’ll need to plan the steps necessary for implementing the policy and ensure that everything is in place.
The key components of designing a policy, then, include the following.
>	Have a well-defined mission statement.
>	Identify risks that may require a policy.
>	Incorporate local, state, and national laws.
>	Devise the procedures necessary for implementing the policy.
When developing your policies, keep in mind that they should be written for the participants, staff, and volunteers. In other words, policies should be written so that every leader, student, staff member, volunteer, and so on will understand them. They should also be written within the context of your program. That is, the motivation and justification for the policy should be included in the policy itself. For example, in the case of an inclusion policy, it would be wise to briefly explain the marginalization of certain groups in society, including minorities, women, and so on.
In addition, policies must be specific. For example, it is not enough to suggest that women should be included in all intramural activities. Rather, an effective inclusion policy should spell it out: “Either gender must constitute at least 2/5 of all co-ed teams. In other words, on a five-person team, two participants must be male, two must be female, and the fifth can be of either gender.”
To be clear, policies should identify whether they apply to just the intramural program or to the entire institution. In this regard, it is helpful to include such information as whom the policy affects, who will enforce it, and how it will be enforced. Using the inclusion example in the previous paragraph, the phrase “all co-ed teams” takes care of the first element. As for who will enforce it and how it will be enforced, another sentence could be added: “If there are not enough females on a team at the start of the game, the major official will cancel the game [or tournament or event] and the offending team will get a forfeit.”
Finally, policies must be publicized and used consistently to be effective and if they are to be considered in all aspects of an intramural program. It is not enough to have a well-written policy on the books. If participants do not know about it, or they know about it but are not induced to think about it, a policy will quickly become moot.
Role of Policies
Particularly in the cases of inclusion and discrimination, the role of policies in an intramural program is central. Written policies will help to implement and ensure that the mission is accomplished in the day-to-day operations of the program. By being specific, clear, and thorough in formulating policies, and you will increase the likelihood of succeeding at your intramural mission.
For example, if not enough women are coming out for intramurals, then a policy that every team has one woman on the floor at all times is one step in the direction of increasing women’s participation. A policy that requires the intramural council to have representative from different grades or departments in a school ensures broad representation on the council. A policy that states that intramurals rewards fair play more than winning means that awards for fair play need to be more significant than those for winning a league or tournament. Policies are ways of ensuring that the mission of intramural programming is carried out.
Fair Play Defined
To develop a fair play policy, of course, you must first be clear about what fair play is. Fair play, also called “sportsmanship” at some institutions, is essential to any effective intramural program. For our purposes, the concept of fair play is not only about the standards of sportsmanship—playing within the rules, both the letter and the spirit of the rules, and respecting others, all others—but also about inclusion. If intramurals is about fun and active movement for all, then promoting an attitude of fair play is clearly critical to the success of the program.
In September 1992, the Committee of European Cultural Ministers, as part of the European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe, adopted a code of ethics entitled “Code of Sports Ethics Fair Play: The Winning Way.” According to this document, fair play is defined as follows:
Fair play is defined as much more than playing within the rules. It incorporates the concepts of friendship, respect for others, and always playing within the right spirit. Fair play is defined as a way of thinking, not just a way of behaving. It incorporates issues concerned with the elimination of cheating, gamesmanship, doping, violence (both physical and verbal), exploitation, unequal opportunities, excessive commercialization, and corruption (European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe, 1992).
Considering the myriad factors and issues in this definition, it is clear that fair play should be a central issue for intramural directors. In fact, the concept of fair play should be at the very core of the program. According to the committee,
The basic principle of the Code of Sports Ethics is that ethical considerations leading to fair play are integral, not optional, elements of all sports activity, sports policy and management, and apply to all levels of ability and commitment, including recreational as well as competitive sport.
The primary concern and focus is fair play for children and young people, in the recognition that children and young people of today are the adult participants and sporting stars of tomorrow. The code is also aimed at the institutions and adults who have a direct or indirect influence on young people’s involvement and participation in sport. The code embraces the concepts of the right of children and young people to participate and enjoy their involvement in sport, and the responsibilities of the institutions and adults to promote fair play and to ensure that these rights are respected (European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe, 1992).
The Components of Fair Play
Because fair play is a multifaceted concept, it is helpful to break it down into components. First, it’s important to note that fair play is the responsibility of everyone, from program staff and participants to the intramural director and leadership. The type of program, the age of participants, the specific activities engaged in—every participant and facet of your program should model and emphasize fair play. Because this book is intended for intramural directors and students studying recreational education, we will focus on the two groups with the most immediate impact on an intramural program: intramural leaders and participants.
According to Fair Play—It’s Your Call! (1994), Fair Play Canada’s manual for coaches, there are five principles of fair play.
	1.	Give everyone an equal chance to participate (referred to in this text as “inclusion”).
	2.	Respect the rules.
	3.	Respect the officials and their decisions.
	4.	Respect opponents.
	5.	Maintain self-control at all times.
In essence, these five principles can be grouped into two components: inclusion and sportsmanship. In the following sections, these two components of fair play are discussed first from a program perspective and then from the perspective of who plays a role in achieving it.
Inclusion
Inclusion is a spirit of equality. In an inclusive program, everyone feels welcome and encouraged to participate regardless of personal characteristics such as age, gender, disability, fitness level, race, ethnicity, and so on. If an intramural program wants to be inclusive, it must ensure that everyone has an equal chance to participate. It is, of course, the law in most countries that no one can be denied access on the basis of gender, race, skin color, and disability. Adding fitness level and age to the mix is clearly appropriate in an intramural setting.
Unfortunately, North American culture has not been, and is not, as inclusive as one would hope. In a study of federal- and state-run recreational areas and parks, researchers found that 94 percent of the users surveyed identified themselves as “white, not Hispanic” (Academy of Leisure Sciences 2001). Clearly these numbers do not represent current population demographics. Trying to play together: Competing paradigms in approaches to integration through recreation and leisure recounts the recreational experiences of 12 people with disabilities as they tried, and failed, to participate in sport (Human Services Institute 1992). Reports and tales like these do not speak well of intramural inclusion on this continent.
So what does achieving inclusion entail? Much like the discrimination laws in society at large, intramural inclusion encompasses such characteristics as race, skin color, gender, ethnicity, and disability. Because the nature of intramurals is physical activity, however, two additional characteristics should also be included: age and fitness level. These are discussed in the following sections, after a brief explanation of the essence of inclusion, equal opportunity.
Equal Opportunity
A key part of inclusion in intramurals is equal opportunity, which is simply ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate. Equal opportunity is achievable through a variety of means. As intramural directors, you should try to accommodate participants’ schedules and resources, ensure equal playing time, modify the rules of traditional games to “level the playing field,” and offer nontraditional games to make your programming accessible and inviting for all participants.
Try to schedule games when they will be convenient for participants. Holding intramural football games when the varsity football team practices is probably not a good idea. In finding out why participants are not showing up, it is important to ask whether the timing of intramural events is a problem. Financial resources may also prevent some students from participating. Whenever possible, try to make intramural activities affordable (free is best). Of course, communicating game times and schedules is included in accommodating participants. If players don’t know when and where events are to be held, the chances are high that they won’t be able to participate. (Promotion is more fully discussed in chapter 8.)
Equal playing time must be a part of all event and contest structure. In softball or baseball, for example, make each inning one rotation through the entire team’s lineup. For volleyball, when th serving team loses service , the server goes to the bench and a new player comes on in her place. In addition, maximize actual playing time by minimizing stoppages in play. For example, in indoor soccer and hockey, limit substitutions at breaks in the game—the breaks just get longer—and require that substitutions be made only on the fly. In basketball, maximize playing time by giving the offense one point and the ball at the sideline in the case of defensive non-shooting fouls. For a defensive shooting foul, the offensive team gets two points and the defensive team gets ball on the end line. For an offensive foul, give the defensive team the ball on the sideline—don’t waste players’ time by having them stand around and watch one person throw two free throws.
To “level the playing field,” consider modifying the rules of traditional games so that all participants can play. Simple rule modifications encourage fun and active participation by all and discourage violence and potentially dangerous injury. For example, the rules of hockey can be altered to discourage high sticking (keep sticks below the waist) and aggressive play (players are expelled from the league if they get three penalties in one game). (The topic of safety is fully discussed in chapter 7.)
Nontraditional events are also a great opportunity equalizer. Some schools have had success with activities such as boot hockey (floor hockey without the sticks, and using a tennis ball that is advanced toward the goal by players kicking it), Frisbee golf (golf using targets, Frisbees are thrown at the targets and each throw counts for one swing), and blind volleyball (volleyball with a tarp hanging over the net so opponents can’t see one another; no spiking or overhand serves are allowed). Table 6.1 lists some modifications to traditional intramural sports. By changing a few rules of a game, or even the equipment used, sport and intramural activities can become inviting to all.

Table 6.1  Modified Sport Games
Competitive	Recreational Twist	Description
Lacrosse	Scoop ball	Lacrosse played with plastic scoops. The basketball backboard is the goal—no goalies are needed.
Water polo	Inner tube water polo	Regular water polo rules apply, except players sit in inner tubes while playing.
Swimming relays	Gym “pool” relays	Competitors lie on scooters using swimming strokes to advance down the “pool” (designated by gym/court lines).
Bowling	JJ Bowling	Players bowl differently for each frame: bowl with right hand, left hand, forward between legs, backwards between legs, pushing ball with feet, pushing ball while lying in stomach, etc. (Byl, 2002)
Golf	Glow ball golf	Night golf using florescent balls.
Best ball	Team golf	Players hit their own ball, first from the tee and then from the spot where the best hit landed. Each best ball counts as 1 stroke.
Volleyball	Beach volleyball	Regular volleyball using a large beach ball.
Flag football	Fishball	Flag football using a large rubber fish instead of flags.
Floor or ice hockey	Boot hockey	Regular hockey using no sticks and a tennis ball. Wearing boots, players pass and score by kicking the tennis ball into the goal.
Indoor soccer	Bladder soccer	Indoor soccer using the bladder of a soccer ball.
Four-goal soccer		Soccer using four goals and four teams instead of two. The team with the fewest goals scored against it wins.
Softball	Two-pitch softball	Teams provide their own pitcher, who pitches a maximum of two pitches per player. Teams can have as many players on one base as will fit. Everyone gets to bat once an inning.
European handball	OCE ball	Like basketball but without dribbling. Players use a volleyball and try to score into a floor hockey goal. Players may not run with the ball, must pass or shoot the ball within three seconds of catching it, and are not allowed inside the basketball three point shooting arch.
Table tennis	4-player table tennis	Players see how long they can keep the ball in play. One player hits the ball and goes to the side of the table, while another person hits the ball, then goes to the other end of the table and hits the ball. . . . If this is too easy, then make sure the ball goes off the end of the table before it can be played.
Basketball	Scooter ball	Players sit on scooters and score by shooting a rubber chicken into the hoop. No moving with the scooter is permitted when you are holding the rubber chicken

Age
The structure of intramural activities should accommodate special requirements of the participants. In other words, rules and play should reflect participants’ developmental levels. This is particularly important when it comes to intramurals for young children. As intramural leaders, you should understand the different needs of various age groups, and not simply treat children as small adults. Let’s look at some of the unique characteristics, abilities, and interests of these age groups. Do recognize that children in the same grade, especially in grades 5-10, can be as much as four years apart from a maturational level. The characteristics that follow are average features of the different age groups.
Children in kindergarten through grade 3 tend to be individualistic, have low skill and high energy levels, tire quickly. However, leading them through fun games and providing playground equipment for lunchtime enjoyment are welcomed by these children.
Children in grades 3 through 5 are capable of more complex hand-eye coordination, have a longer attention span, and are interested in group activities. Games for these children can be more complex and of longer duration. They may have some interest in an intramural league as they enjoy informal games of pick-up basketball, skipping, and baseball.
Grades 6 through 12 are extremely peer conscious and, thus, typically enjoy “hanging out” and being spectators. That said, they do enjoy fun activities as long there is no fear of embarrassment. These kids will play games with intensity but are wary of getting too sweaty. They like organized activities and enjoy league and tournament play unless they lose frequently and, thus, are continually near or on the bottom of team or individual rankings. These students like playing with peers, namely, students in their own grades. With preferences such as these, good leadership will go a long way in this age range. As grade and high school intramural directors, you may want to group students by grade level. Of course, there is no rule against having fun with this grouping. For example, identify grade 8 as the “rookies,” grades 9 and 10 as the “semi-pros,” and grades 11 and 12 as the “pros.”
College and university students enjoy meaningful relationships with peers, are fitness conscious, and may pursue outdoor and high-risk activities to test physical competency. In general, they compete to have fun, stay fit, and be with their friends, although they usually do not have as much time as high school students to “hang out.” Specifically, undergraduates tend to participate for social reasons, while graduate students tend to participate for personal enhancement such as improving fitness, enjoying time with friends, and taking a break from their studies (Smith 1995, 42). Most college students will rise to the challenge of trying to win a game and try a new activity. They enjoy fun games and competitive leagues if they are well organized.
Gender
As explained earlier, intramurals has long history of male involvement. Females, however, have been and continue to be under represented in leisure and sport activity. In Canada, for example, girls are slightly less likely to participate in organized activities than boys between the ages of 6 and 11. By age 14 to 15, however, according to Statistics Canada’s 2001 national survey, one in five girls indicated they were not participating in any activity, compared with about one in 10 boys (Statistics Canada 2001). In Australia, male participation in sport is far greater than female participation. This disparity is seen in the hierarchy of national sporting organizations as well. Only 11 percent of women are national presidents of these organizations, and women constitute less than 25 percent of their executives (Lundy 1999). Yet since 1948, Australian women have won 40 percent of Australia’s Olympic gold medals, even though they have competed in only a quarter of all events!
Such gender inequities are also seen in the intramural arena. Typically, female intramural staff run fitness classes or are behind the scenes, serving such functions as equipment room attendant and office assistant. Their male counterparts, however, get to be on the front lines, serving as officials, gymnasium attendants, and maintenance aids (Gaskins 1996). Despite the passage of Title IX in 1972, an act prohibiting discrimination in educational institutions on the bases of gender, research indicates that “Title IX has had little influence on the field of intramural-recreational sports” (Tharp 1994, 29). To take a look at Title IX and several articles dealing with the impact of Title IX, visit the following Web site: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TitleIX/title.html.
Specifically, this act requires that programming satisfy at least one of three tests—though ideally it would be great if an institution could pass all three tests. The three parts of the tests are as follows:
Part I: Substantial proportionality. This part of the test is satisfied when participation opportunities for men and women are “substantially proportionate” to their respective undergraduate enrollments.
Part II: History and continuing practice. This part of the test is satisfied when an institution has a history and continuing practice of program expansion that is responsive to the developing interests and abilities of the under represented sex (typically female).
Part III: Effectively accommodating interests and abilities. This part of the test is satisfied when an institution is meeting the interests and abilities of its female students even where there are disproportionately fewer females than males participating in sports (Riley 1997).
The question is, then, how can intramural directors involve women more in intramural activities? Research shows that female university students participate in intramurals to meet new people, get together with friends, develop or maintain fitness, and have some fun (Smith 1995, 42; Proescher 1996). Keep these interests in mind when planning your intramural activities. In addition, try to involve females in your program leadership whenever and wherever possible. Their voices need to be heard as you plan and develop your program.
As indicated above, female involvement is less of a problem in grade school, but as soon as females enter high school, they become self-conscious. Feeling socially and physically awkward is the result of male and female adolescence, of course, but teenage and older girls tend to feel this more strongly than their male peers. In current Western society, women are defined by their bodies, specifically, how they measure up to the “beauty ideal,” which for most females is thinner than is healthy. This poor body image affects females more than it does males and partially explains why females are less likely to participate in high school and collegiate intramurals.
With this in mind, using body image and fitness can be a powerful motivational tool to increase female involvement, but be careful of the body images you portray in your promotion. Do not use the discomfort and insecurities of females to goad them into participating in your program. Instead, concentrate on the health benefits of fitness and offer skill-development clinics. If you have a large number of highly skilled female athletes at your school, you may want to consider offering some activities for males, some activities for females, and some for both.
If your budget doesn’t allow for an equal number of male and female games or events in each programming area, you may want to offer open events. An open event is open to either male or female participants, but teams are not required to have a specified number of males or females. That means, women are permitted to participate in men’s activities and men are permitted to participate in women’s activities. Understand, however, that without adequate skill instruction and development, modified rules to equalize play, and a clear sexual harassment policy that is enforced (see “Harassment” later in this section), females will likely opt out of male activities.
To equalize play, consider applying some of the same programming discussed under “Equal Opportunity” earlier in this chapter. Specifically, try to ensure equal playing time, consider rule modifications to “level the playing field,” and offer nontraditional games or activities that will accommodate the interests of females. These programming considerations are particularly important when planning co-ed activities. For example, in a co-ed swimming race, have males wear shoes or make it a team event with equal numbers of females and males on each team. In co-ed basketball, double all female-scored points and/or do not allow males inside the key. For co-ed games that involve passing, such as soccer, hockey, and basketball, institute a rule that the ball (or puck or whatever) must be passed to a female before a team can score.
Females have another disadvantage when it comes to participating in intramurals: safety. Particularly at the high school and university levels. Safety may be a concern for many females. Many school grounds and recreational centers are open to the public and inadequately lit, thus making females feel unsafe when going to or leaving the facility, especially in the evening. Such issues as public transportation to facilities, lack of suitable changing rooms and toilets, lack of privacy, and access to childcare may also prevent females from participating in intramural activities. Ensuring safety and providing suitable facilities should be a basic part of your program planning. If parking ramps and lots are far away from the recreational facility or are inadequately lit, rectify the situation by taking them up with the school’s governing body. In addition, consider developing a buddy system for female participants, or offer security at your events. (See chapter 7 for more discussion on safety.)
In summary, whenever and wherever possible, you as intramural directors should strive to balance your program by gender. Organize intramural events and activities to maximize participation and make the experience positive for every participant, male and female. If your current budget doesn’t allow for male and female leagues and teams in every activity, institute some rules to equalize play. Then use the success of your program to institute gender equality in future years. And always educate staff, volunteers, and participants about sexual harassment. After all, everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

It’s Policy
At Public School 44, the intramural program was having a difficult time getting girls to come out to compete. Jan Bennett, the intramural director, wanted this corrected. She invited any interested girls to attend a meeting to discuss improving female participation in intramurals.
Seven girls came to the meeting. Their discussion was lively and two general themes emerged: more activities should be developed that focused on fitness activities in a social setting, and existing programming and structure made it difficult for girls to get on a team. For the time being, Jan decided to focus on the second concern.
When Jan advertised volleyball signup the next week, she included photos of women playing on the posters and on the signup sheets. In her public announcements, she encouraged girls to participate and encouraged teams to solicit girl members. Inspired by the discussion at the meeting and Jan’s interest in including girls, two of the girls who attended the meeting “forced” their way onto one team. Aside from them, however, no girls were on any of the other teams.
Sitting at a stoplight on her way home from school the day after volleyball signup, Jan grew irritated. She wondered why she had to wait for the light to turn green; there were no cars coming from either direction, so it would be perfectly safe to cross. Nevertheless, she didn’t cross. The law stipulated that drivers must wait for the green light, even though that doesn’t always seem to make sense. Then it struck her. To include more girls in her intramural program, female participation had to become “law.” The boys might not understand the law at first, but the law would improve the program for everyone.
Indoor soccer was the next activity to be planned. In previous years, Jan had averaged around 12 teams, and the league was fairly successful. Teams played with a goalie and four players on the floor, and they usually had substitutes. To institute the new intramural “law, Jan wrote on the signup forms that two girls and two boys must be on the floor at all times.
As she predicted, the boys did not receive this new law graciously. Instead, many of them boycotted the event, resulting in only five teams signing up. Jan’s resolve was unscathed. She ran the league for five teams, added a pizza party for the team that demonstrated the most sportsmanlike behavior, and rewarded the captain of the team that dressed most like soccer players with a cool sweatshirt.
Jan maintained her resolve for the rest of the school year, sticking to her new policy of gender equity on teams. Enrollment on other activities that year was down, but eventually things changed. A year later, soccer league signup was back up. In fact, 22 teams signed up!
In this case, it took more than a new attitude and a simple announcement to change things. It took policy.
Adapted, by permission, from J. Byl and J. Vanderwier, 1995, “Encouraging fair play in college intarmurals,” CAHPERD 61 (2):26-27.

Harassment  Although people are harassed about more than their gender, this section is included here because gender or sexual harassment is one of the most common types of harassment. Simply put, harassment consists of one or a series of bothersome comments or conduct that is known or might reasonably be known to be unwelcome or unwanted, offensive, intimidating, hostile, and/or inappropriate. The Ontario Human Rights Code specifically prohibits harassment on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, skin color, ethnic origin (including language, dialect, or accent), citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age (18 to 65), marital status, family status, the receipt of public assistance, and record of provincial offenses or pardoned federal offenses. The United States does not have a Human Rights Code, though organizations have encouraged the United States to adopt the 1948 Code of the United Nations, it can be found at www.undhr50.org/UDHR/udhr.htm. Examples of harassment, in both Canada and the United States, include but are not limited to the following:
>	Gestures
>	Remarks
>	Jokes
>	Taunting/teasing
>	Innuendo
>	Display of offensive materials/pornography
>	Offensive graffiti
>	Threats
>	Verbal or physical assault
>	Unfair imposition of academic penalties
>	Stalking
>	Shunning or exclusion
>	Unwelcome/unwarranted attention or comments
How can you, as intramural directors, protect your participants—and staff and volunteers—from harassment? First, you must create a comprehensive harassment policy. This includes a zero-tolerance approach. A harassment policy can be as simple as a brief statement explaining harassment and stating that it will not be tolerated. Or it can be a lengthy document outlining all types of harassment and detailed definitions of each, along with preventative measures, rules of conduct, and disciplinary procedures should harassment be engaged in.
Canadore College in North Bay Ontario created such a policy and then added the following three-step procedure for promoting its policy and dealing with infractions.
	1.	Make the harassment policy available to everyone by distributing a harassment brochure to all program participants prior to their first game.
	2.	Have all employees and volunteers sign a form indicating that they have been informed and understand the importance of the harassment policy (see figure 6.1).
	3.	Notify all staff, volunteers, and participants of the following complaint procedure.
During any or all stages of resolution, either party may be accompanied by a support person, who may be a co-worker, friend, recommended volunteer or a union representative. This person’s role is to give support by listening, consulting and ensuring a fair process is followed. He/she does not advocate on behalf of the complainant or play any other role in the process. In no way can he/she obstruct the process.
Following consultation with a college harassment advisor, the complainant may decide to:
>	Take no further action, in which case the matter will be closed;
>	With a witness present, make the respondent aware that his/her behavior is disturbing to the complainant;
>	Have the advisor intervene on his/her behalf; in which case the advisor will attempt to resolve the problem;
>	Request mediation (attempt to reach a settlement with the help of a third party);
>	Make a formal complaint through the College policy;
>	Seek legal counsel and/or file a complaint under the Human Rights Code, 1981.

Harassment and Discrimination Policy
I hereby acknowledge that I have been informed of, received, and understand __________________________’s [institution] Harassment and Discrimination Policy.
As an employee of ________________________ ______ [institution], I am aware of the importance and the seriousness of this policy. I understand that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect, consistent with __________________________’s [institution] mission statement, which provides for “an environment of trust, equality, and mutual respect.”
Employee signature: ___________________________________________
Employee name: ______________________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________________
Supervisor signature:___________________________________________
Figure 6.1  Sample harassment policy acknowledgement form.

Disability
To be truly inclusive, intramural programming must involve people with disabilities. This is more than mission, however. In the U.S., it is the law and in Canada it is part of the Human Rights Code. Section 202 of the Americans With Disabilities Act, passed in 1990, states:
Subject to the provisions of this title, no qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.
In the context of an intramural program, however, how is this accomplished? To start, it’s important to involve people with disabilities in your program planning. Specifically, they should be involved “in redefining criteria by which success (or normality) is measured” (Phillips 1992, 217). That means, involve people with disabilities in significant leadership and advocacy roles, both to represent an inclusive organization and to plan activities that the disabled can participate in. In general, you can involve them in three key ways: offer accessible facilities; appeal to them in your intramural promotion; and offer exciting and fun games by modifying existing game rules and/or creating new rules to include them.
Because accessibility is legally required at public facilities, including learning institutions, we will not spend a great deal of time on this subject. If your school building is new, chances are good that your intramural facilities are already accessible. If your buildings are older, however, or if they were inadequately designed, you as intramural directors should take responsibility for evaluating what is needed to make your activities accessible. Wheelchair ramps, for example, are located in most school buildings, but they may be so far removed from the facility that access becomes difficult and/or frustrating for students in wheelchairs. Perhaps the governing body of your institution could add additional ramps, or perhaps you could relocate certain intramural activities so that physically disabled participants would not feel left out. Note: this also includes making your intramural activities accessible and welcoming to spectators in wheelchairs.
When promoting intramural activities, be sure to encourage those with disabilities to participate. Use visual images of disabled participants on program and event posters and fliers. Structure your sign-up sheets and other program documents so that people with disabilities will not feel left out. This applies particularly to any illustrations that might be used on such forms. Invite them to participate by posting schedules, announcements, tournament results, team standings, and so on in a central location where people with disabilities are sure to see them. Above all, remind your staff, volunteers, leadership, and participants about the importance of including everyone by integrating them where possible and positively accommodating them with various rule changes when necessary.
The best way of including people with disabilities is to fully integrate them in your intramural activities (Wilhite and Kleiber 1992, 8). If you already have high participation among disabled students, all the better. In some activities, there is no need to make any changes to accommodate a person with a disability. In baseball, for example, players with a hearing deficiency are able to participate. In other sports and activities, and in the case of severe disability or deficiency, however, you will likely need to change the rules to create equitable competition. Badminton and tennis rules for example, explain how able-bodied players can compete against those in a wheelchair (International Badminton Association; National Capital Wheelchair Tennis Associaton 1995).
In many cases, you will have to be creative about the best way to accommodate everyone. A helpful resource in this regard is Palaestra, a journal that provides a forum for sport, physical education, and recreation for those with disabilities. One way to include people with disabilities is creating new games that “level the playing field” by equalizing the participants. These new games may involve different activities, different rules, and different equipment. For example, physically disabled students may find it easier to play volleyball with a beach ball or other large, light ball. Reducing the size of the playing area may equalize play for blind students or those in a wheelchair, or using such equipment as towels and noodles may increase a physically weak or slow participant’s reach in tag. The following tips, grouped by disability, will help you make your intramural programming accessible to people with disabilities. Don’t stop there, however. Try to think of other ideas and involve your disabled students in the process. Like the voices of women, the voices of the disabled should be heard when planning your intramural activities.
For those in a wheelchair:
>	Offer activities such as wheelchair basketball, a game open to all students but everyone plays in a wheelchair. If many participants show up—enough that line changes would be too frequent and interrupt the flow of the game—have all players start on the court seated in a chair (a wheelchair or classroom chair). Players must remain on their chair and pass to one another.
>	Hold a basket-shooting contest in which everyone is seated in a wheelchair at the foul line.
>	Use scooters in any number of games: indoor hockey, basketball, football, soccer, and so on. Able-bodied players play on scooters, and those in a wheelchair play in their wheelchairs. In addition to equalizing play, the use of scooters makes for an entertaining game (particularly to watch).
For those with an amputated arm or leg:
>	Require all participants to compete using one limb. For example, hold a high jump contest hopping on one leg.
>	Have participants time how quickly they can do something (tie their shoelaces or other two-handed activity) with one hand.
>	Offer a game of one-arm basketball or volleyball (players secure the other arm to their waists using a belt, rope, or other material).
For those who are blind:
>	Try blind soccer played in pairs. One partner is blindfolded and does all the kicking, while the seeing partner directs the blindfolded partner where to move and when to kick.
>	Play blind Ping-Pong. Using a ball with a bell inside, blindfolded competitors see how long they can sustain a volley (no net is needed).
>	Try Goalball, a game in which none of the players can see (participants can be blind or blindfolded or wear ski goggles that are painted over so that no light can enter). Played on a volleyball court, goalball involves some setup. At either end of the court, place a net 1.5 yards (meters) high across the court. Then mark the playing area with tactile lines (tape over string or thick tape such as duct tape), as shown in figure 6.2. Feeling these lines with their hands or feet, players can use these lines to orient themselves on the court.
	Players are positioned between the goal line and the front team are and use a hollow rubber ball (basketball size) with bells inside to score goals by throwing the ball from their side of the court into the opposing team’s net. Only three players from each team are allowed in the playing area at a time (teams usually have a few substitutes). The ball must contact the floor before crossing the overthrow line. Defensive players try to stop the ball from rolling or bouncing toward their net by using their feet and hands. Return shots must be thrown within eight seconds of controlling the ball, and no player can throw the ball more than twice in a row. The game runs for two seven-minute periods (International Paralympic Committee 2001).

Figure 6.2  Goalball court.

Fitness and Skill Level
Because participation in intramurals should be maximized, programming should cater to the broadest base of people—not a select group such as varsity athletes. Indeed, some intramural programs do not allow varsity athletes to participate in intramural activities. Others, not wanting to exclude anyone, allow varsity athletes to participate but limit each team to having only one varsity player. If alumni are permitted to participate in intramural activities, the same rules for athletes are usually applied to ex-athletes. Otherwise, a team of ex-varsity basketball players, for example, would dominate the intramural basketball league. Many schools apply this rule only to athletes wanting to compete in their particular sport; other schools limit varsity athletes to one per team, regardless of the varsity team they played on.
To make sure that participants of poor or moderate levels of fitness and skill feel welcome, there are a few things an intramural director can do, such as change the competitive structure of intramural programming and/or change the activities. As discussed in chapter 1, the level of competition is a function of players’ commitment to play versus winning and formality. In addition to “leveling the playing field” for all participants, equalizing play (changing the game objective, rules, or equipment used) can help to emphasize the spirit of play over winning, and thus make your activities fun for all participants. For example, rather than hold a traditional bike race, which involves going fast and getting to the finish line first, why not hold a contest in which participants see who can ride 1 yard (meter) in the slowest time without falling over? Likewise, change basketball rules so that players only get points when shooting underhand. This drastically changes the nature of the game. On the equipment side, in addition to the suggestions given earlier, using the bladder of an old soccer ball is a fun way to change the nature of soccer. Bladder balls move erratically, which makes the game extremely entertaining to play and watch. In the end, with such game modifications, all students—the athlete and nonathlete, the fit and the out-of-shape—leave the game feeling happy, exuberant, and excited for the next event.
Included in the level of fitness and skill is the topic of weight. As intramural directors, how can you get over- and underweight or frail students to participate? The first step is to create a nonthreatening, fun program, as explained earlier. The next step is to be inclusive in your planning and promotion. Just as the voices of women and the disabled should be heard when designing your intramural activities, so should the voices of the frail and overweight. Ask for their input and include them in the decision-making process. Then, when it comes to promoting your activities, including these students can be as simple as featuring them on posters and other intramural visuals, and inviting them to participate by using language they will relate to.
Another idea is to consider developing activities at different competitive levels. For example, create two leagues for each activity: a recreational league for less-skilled and unfit players and a competitive league for competitors with well-honed skills and fine-tuned bodies. Because the structure of an event or activity tends to dictate its nature, you must predefine the competitiveness of each league, contest, or game and then plan accordingly when developing each program. The competitiveness of each activity will be determined by such factors as the rules, team requirements, promotion, and even awards. If the stakes are high, such as when the victor is awarded a prestigious trophy, for example, competition will likely be higher.
Race, Skin Color, and Ethnicity
The color of people’s skin, the language they speak, and their nation of origin ought to make no difference in their involvement in intramurals. Unfortunately, studies show mixed reports on racial and ethnic integration. In one study, students of color who attended predominantly white institutions frequently perceived the intramural environment to be hostile, while their white counterparts experienced less hostility in interracial environments (Helm, Sedlacek, and Prieto 1998).
This doesn’t have to be the case. In a report from another study, this one at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, one student noted that playing on a multiracial volleyball team gave “different perspectives on individuals and, I guess, their interest in the game and approaches in playing the sport. One kid lived in Japan when he was younger and had a different perspective on how the sport is played. Basically it made the whole sport more interesting and gave different perspectives” (Cotton, Kelley, and Sedlacek 1999).
As an aside, it is worth noting that William Wasson, the founder of the National Intramural and Recreational Sport Association, was African American. In the fall 1994 issue of the NIRSA Journal, which was devoted to the history of NIRSA, Peter Graham, long-time intramural advocate at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, noted that NIRSA “constitutes visible evidence that men and women, black and white, majority and minority can jointly perceive common goals and work toward their attainment in a spirit of cooperation and harmony—a spirit sadly lacking in many segments of our society” (Graham 1994, 21). Let’s hope Graham is correct when it comes to intramurals.
Intramural programming should not reflect a “leisure apartheid,” as one paper suggested (Academy of Leisure Sciences 2001). Instead, intramural directors would do well to listen to the voices of minorities to better understand how to integrate your intramural programming and ensure that the needs of all people are met.
Sportsmanship
The second component of fair play is sportsmanship. Called “fair play” and “sportsmanlike conduct” by many, sportsmanship refers to how a game is played. Sportsmanship, which seeks meaningful participation for everyone, requires that all participants respect the rules, respect the officials and their decisions, respect their opponents, and maintain self-control at all times. The following sections discuss each of these requirements and suggest ways of ensuring that sportsmanship is developed, encouraged, and included in your intramural program.
Respect Rules
Game rules are intended to keep everyone on the same page, so to speak. If some participants follow the rules but others do not, the result is likely to be chaos and frustration. To make intramural activities a positive experience for all, intramural directors would be wise to consider the following suggestions.
>	Encourage participants, particularly young children, to devise their own games with their own rules, including their own incentives and sanctions for fair or unfair play. This helps them to take personal responsibility both for their actions and for the success of the game or activity.
>	Hold team meetings with team captains prior to the start of league play. These meetings should reinforce the mission of sportsmanship in the intramural program and serve as a forum to explain, discuss, and demonstrate the rules.
>	Hire and train officials to know the rules of each game they are officiating.
>	Discipline or eject participants who flagrantly violate the rules.
Respect Officials and Their Decisions
Officials should serve as ambassadors of the intramural mission. To help them do that,
>	train officials to respond consistently, decisively, and assertively;
>	develop an evaluation and rating scale for officials, correlating their compensation to this ranking;
>	give officials credibility by providing professional uniforms and equipment;
>	support officials in their jobs, including expelling or otherwise disciplining players who argue with their decisions;
>	post game rules for all participants to see and schedule enough time before games so that officials can highlight important rules for players; and
>	require officials to attend team captains’ meetings.
Respect Opponents
Without an opponent, there is no competition. Although fierce competition should be discouraged in most intramural activities—unless, of course, you have a separate competitive league—a little healthy competition can be fun for participants, and it usually adds excitement to the game. Encourage participants see their opponents as partners in the cause of fun and active movement, not obstacles in the way of getting the prize. This will require walking a fine line, but the following suggestions (Byl and VanderWier 1995) should help.
>	Remind participants, and team captains at captains’ meetings, of your intramural mission: for example, in chapter 2 the last part of the mission statement at State University stated that intramural contests are to be “exciting and encouraging recreational game.” Players need to encourage other each other, on their own team and the competition.
>	De-emphasize winning and encourage the spirit of play.
>	Prevent or curb hostility by assigning two players who are disrespectful of each other to the same team.
>	Do not permit verbal abuse of any kind. It may be helpful also to remind players of your institutional harassment and discrimination policy.
>	At the beginning and end of a game, encourage all participants to shake hands or give “high fives.”
>	Encourage participants to congratulate all players on good plays, regardless of which team a player is on.
>	Reinforce the golden rule: encourage participants to treat all players as they would want to be treated. That means, participants should not interfere with, bully, or take advantage of any player, opponent or teammate.
>	Discourage behavior such as showing off and always trying to get the most points or penalties. Remind players that the goals of the game are to have fun, improve their skills, and feel good.
>	Demonstrate the importance of sportsmanship—and your commitment to it—by rewarding sportsmanship, either in place of winning or in addition to winning. Involve participants in the process by having one team award a member of the opposing team and vice versa at the end of every game.
Body Contact  Because a lack of respect for opponents is often at the root of body contact, which all too often becomes aggressive and excessive, a word of caution is warranted. Institutions at all levels experience many problems with rough games such as basketball and hockey, in which body contact is part of the game. If participants have difficulty treating their opponents respectfully in these games, it may be necessary to remove some of the physical contact. In touch football, for example, diving, setting picks, and blocking are not allowed, yet the game is still enjoyed by thousands. Hockey can also be played as a noncontact sport. One way to reduce contact in hockey is to limit the number of players on the ice. Rather than five players and a goalie, have only three players and a goalie. With fewer players on the ice, participants will not be as likely to come into physical contact. Plus, they will tire more quickly and, therefore, be less likely to get into rough or overly physical play.
Maintain Self-Control at All Times
Clearly, intramural directors, officials, staff, and even team captains cannot control participants. Players must be responsible for and control themselves. The best way to ensure that participants maintain self-control is to spread the message that self-control is the responsibility of each individual and then set up policies that enforce it. For example:
>	Provide officials and players with game rules and standards of conduct before the start of each activity or game.
>	Alert team captains that they should be on the lookout for their teammates losing control or behaving in an unsportsmanlike manner. Like officials, team captains can be given the discretion to insist that a player take a break or sit out of a game.
>	Have team captains sign a “Spirit of Competition” agreement like the one shown in figure 6.3. This agreement identifies the key points of sportsmanship and, perhaps more important, places the responsibility for sportsmanship on the team captain by having him or her sign it. Directors may want to take this agreement one step further by alerting team captains that their entire team could be suspended for a game (or a tournament) if their players are habitually aggressive or violent.
>	Train officials on handling players who may be losing control. For example, officials can be trained in the following sequence: (1) give a time out or suggest that the player take a break; (2) impose a minor penalty, (3) impose a second penalty, and then warn the player that another offense will mean being ejected from the game; and (4) eject the player.

Spirit of Competition
Captain’s Agreement
Captain’s Name/ID# 	
	(Please print)
Team Name/Sport 	
	(Please print)
I agree to and will education my teammates on the following.
	•	That the true essence of sport is to strive for personal achievement and excellence through full and honest effort.
	•	To be committed to participating in sport with integrity, and to striving to win only by legitimate means.
	•	Pledge to learn, understand, and adhere to both the written rules of my sport, including the eligibility and conduct terms, and the accepted rules of fair play.
	•	Believe that violence and physical intimidation are harmful to sport and refuse to use such tactics.
	•	Understand that officials, teammates, and opponents are all integral to sport and are worthy of my respect.
It is my responsibility, as a captain, to maintain self-control of myself and my teammates. We will accept officials’ decisions without argument, play with intensity but without animosity and behave graciously in triumph or defeat.
	
Signature
	
Date (day/month/year)
Fair Play – it’s your response-ability!
Figure 6.3  Intramural team captain fair play agreement.
Courtesy of Ontario College Athletic Association, 1185 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 505, North York, Ontario, Canada, M3C 3C6. Phone: 416-426-7043.

This last one, training officials how to handle out-of-control players, is especially important. Ejecting players from a game should be used sparingly but consistently. The following behavior should result in player ejection.
>	“Mouthing off,” swearing or using profanity, or using other inappropriate language toward a player or official.
>	Deliberately mistreating or damaging equipment (i.e., breaking hockey sticks and throwing bats).
>	Initiating a flagrant violation with the intention of hurting someone.
>	Fighting, which in intramural sport includes the intention to throw a punch (this typically results in a four-month suspension from intramural activities).
Sportsmanship and the Law
There is no law endorsing or enforcing sportsmanship, certainly, but there are laws against violent behavior. For example, assault and bullying. Thus, as intramural directors, you need to prevent violence by developing and enforcing policies to discourage it.
Many institutions have a zero tolerance policy on violence. The most common type of violence in an intramural setting is, of course, fighting. In developing a violence policy, then, first you must determine what constitutes a fight. For the safety of all participants, staff, and volunteers, including officials, it’s wise to state that violence includes fighting before, during, or after an event or game. From there, your definition of fighting will likely vary. Some institutions include throwing a punch (i.e., not necessarily making contact) in the classification of fighting. Others go as far as including taunting or provoking a fight. However you define fighting, make sure your definition is clear to and understood by everyone.
Once you formulate a violence policy, you must put into place procedures for enforcing it. The typical punishment for fighting in intramurals is a four-month suspension from all intramural activities. For less-severe infractions, this could be limited to the rest of the season in a certain activity. For more-severe and habitual infractions, you may want to expel the offender from all intramural participation. Note: Some institutions reduce the length of or lift the suspension if the offender completes an anger-management course. These are usually offered by local community organizations such as public health departments and continuing education departments of hospitals.
Suspensions from intramural activities appear to go against the mission of intramurals. But remember, most mission statements maintain that intramurals is for everyone. If violent behavior goes unchecked, other participants are robbed of fun and are discouraged from participating. Thus, to protect the safety and enjoyment of many, it is best to discipline or suspend a few. (See chapter 13 for a full discussion of suspensions, which includes a suspension notification form in figure 13.4 on page 228.)
Fair Play: The Policy
Now that the components of fair play have been defined and understood, what to do next? That is, how do you go about developing a fair play policy? Fortunately, the process is fairly simple and straightforward. It involves the following seven steps.
Step 1: To begin, understand that a fair play policy must be comprehensive in design and consistent with the stated mission of your program. Considering the components of inclusion and sportsmanship presented in this chapter will be a good start to creating a comprehensive fair play policy. From there, research the topic more thoroughly. (Visit the European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe Web site [http://culture.coe.fr/Infocenter/txt/eng/espcod.htm] for an example of a fair play policy.)
Once you thoroughly understand the topic and have a good idea of what your fair play policy should include to fit the needs of your program, revisit your mission statement. Does it include the essence of fair play (sportsmanship and inclusion)? Although “inclusion” and/or “sportsmanship” may not be specified, it is likely that the principle is there. If your mission statement contains “for as many students as possible” (or “for all who want to participate” or a similar phrase), for example, the words imply the essence of fair play.
Step 2: Once you are fortified with a solid understanding of and a commitment to fair play, the second step is evaluating your current program. Of course, if you are designing a program from scratch, you won’t have anything to evaluate. You will, however, have something to consider in creating your program. Measurements of inclusion are best taken by looking at participation numbers. How many males and females show up for activities? Which ethnicities are represented? How many people with disabilities participate? Measurements of sportsmanship are easily gleaned by attending a few events or activities or games. Are participants enjoying themselves? Do fights erupt often? Do players leave the field feeling invigorated and energized or hostile and angry?
Step 3: If you find problems—specifically, inequities in participation or flaring tempers during games—it’s time to find out why. Seek out students and representatives from underrepresented groups. Ask them why they don’t participate, or if they know of any barriers that would prevent their peers from participating. Like the activities themselves, true inclusion necessitates shared awareness, shared commitment, and collaborative decision making. Likewise, poll participants to determine whether sportsmanship is alive and well in your program or something sorely lacking. Officials may also have some useful observations to add. For example, perhaps the stakes are too high at certain games or in certain leagues.
Step 4: Armed with this information—the more specific, the better—you can begin the process of formulating your policy. This stage of policy formulation is largely planning. Much like the process of writing your mission statement, explained in chapter 2, planning a fair play policy starts with prioritization. Work with the problems and solutions you identified in steps 2 and 3, making a list of all problems and specific strategies to resolve them. Depending on the number of problems you find, it may be helpful to start big and work your way down. For example, it would be extremely inefficient, if not completely ineffective, to work on promoting your program to people in wheelchairs if the facilities are not accessible.
Step 5: Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to begin to implement that plan by writing your fair play policy. Write a comprehensive statement describing your intention. You can outline your plan for achieving total inclusion and uniform sportsmanship in this policy, or you can simply specify the policy requirements. As was explained above, specifics are important. Do not note that all people, regardless of age, gender, skin color, race, and so on, should be included in intramural activities and leave it at that. Give the numbers: “all co-ed teams must comprise 2/5 of either gender” or “at least one minority must be on every team that competes in the volleyball league.”
Step 6: By having a formal, written fair play policy in place, you will now be able to physically implement your plan. First and foremost, it’s important to understand that achieving total adherence to your policy will take time. Indeed, this is why it is so important to incorporate fair play into your mission statement. As you and your staff go about the day-to-day operations of your intramural program, your mission statement will serve as an active reminder of what you’re striving for. Specific implementation strategies have been offered throughout this chapter and are partially summarized in the next section, “Putting Fair Play Into Practice.”
Step 7: As is the case with all goal setting, to be effective, the creation and implementation of a fair play policy requires constant monitoring and periodic evaluation. If your policy is specific, it should be fairly simple to monitor simply by using participation statistics and attending some activities. Participant questionnaires (see figures 14.1 and 14.2 on pages 237 and 238) are also helpful. (The topics of monitoring and evaluation will be discussed more fully in chapter 14.)
Part of the evaluation process is revision. Because the makeup of your student body—indeed, society at large—is fluid, the inclusion component of your fair play policy will likely change over time. For example, maybe your current plan includes ways to attract more African Americans to your program. At some point, we hope, you will have achieved that goal. Or perhaps another minority will represent a larger percentage of the student body and will have to be targeted. In addition, when one group feels welcome, often a different group feels excluded. The sportsmanship component of your policy may also be in need of revision at some point. If, for example, your participation numbers drop and do not recover after eliminating the competitiveness of certain intramural sport activities, you may want to consider creating a competitive league to get former participants back. As intramural directors, you will need to continually work at encouraging and incorporating fair play—for the sake of your program, certainly, but more importantly for the sake of those who will benefit by being involved in fun, active movement with others, namely, program participants.
Putting Fair Play Into Practice
Fair play is about more than creating inclusive and fair policies and practices. Leaders, officials, and participants all need to take responsibility for doing their part. The following sections identify some of the ways these three groups can put a fair play policy into practice.
Leadership
As intramural leaders, you will have an important role to play in making fair play a reality. In addition to devising policies and enforcement procedures, you should publish fair play guidelines, create promotional campaigns to communicate the principles of fair play, and support further research into the topic. The following are practical suggestions to help you in the process.
>	Publish clear, comprehensive fair play guidelines.
>	Emphasize the joy of participating over winning.
>	Raise awareness of fair play within your intramural program with a fair play promotional campaign. A poster from just such a campaign is shown in figure 6.4. You can involve participants in this campaign by holding a contest to see who can come up with the best fair play slogan, poster, or other promotional tool. (To model the emphasis of participating over winning, of course, you should probably give an award to every submission and perhaps a special prize to the top three entries.) Then, place all the entries on the walls near the gym or in another central location as a reminder of the importance of fair play.

Figure 6.4  Fair play poster.
Courtesy of Ontario College Athletic Association, 1185 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 505, North York, Ontario, Canada, M3C 3C6. Phone: 416-426-7043. Art work by Kristine Verbeek.

>	Establish fair play awards to reward respect and sportsmanship (more on this to come in chapter 9).
>	Support all staff and participant attempts to promote fair play, such as pregame fair play talks.
>	Research the topic of fair play to expand your understanding and generate new ideas for encouraging fair play in your program. For example, keep abreast of journals and even newspapers as they discuss problems in sport and suggest solutions.
>	Monitor and evaluate the impact of your fair play initiative by measuring violent penalties and paying attention to referee’s reports on the games. (Evaluation is discussed in chapter 14.)
>	Plan to keep at it. Fair play, like any intramural endeavor, will take time to develop fully. Work with your evaluation results to incorporate more fair play initiatives into your program from year to year.
Officials
Being on the front lines with participants day in and day out, officials have a unique opportunity to encourage and enforce fair play in all intramural activities. As intramural directors, you will have the responsibility to help them do so. The first step is ensuring that all officials are adequately trained and prepared to officiate. As explained earlier in this book, there’s nothing more likely to inflame aggravation and frustration than an inconsistently and/or incompetently called game.
In addition to offering basic training in the rules of those sports they will be officiating, you will also need to explain rule modifications, unusual equipment or play, and other ways you have built inclusion and sportsmanship into intramural programming. For example, if gender equity is a requirement for all teams in a baseball league, officials must know this ahead of time and be trained in what to do if teams show up without enough male or female participants.
Finally, you can provide officials with ways to enforce your standards of fair play. For example, ask officials to rate teams on their adherence to fair play rules during a competition. (Team captains can also participate, each captain rating the players on the opposing team.) A simple scoring system can be used in such evaluations: a team earns one point if players’ fair play attitudes were commendable, earns zero points if their attitudes were simply okay, and loses one point if their attitudes were poor (Varley 1994, 7). Officials then turn in their evaluations after each game and the intramural director or other intramural staff person keeps track of these points throughout the season. If a team ends the regular playing season with a negative score, it is disqualified from the play-offs. And if two teams are tied in the standings, the team with the highest fair play score is ranked ahead of the team with the lower fair play score.
Participants
Of course, participants are really the ones on the front lines. More than anyone else, at times it seems players represent the tone and standards of an intramural program. In other words, intramural leadership can devise fair play standards and policies, and officials can encourage and enforce these standards and policies. But if spectators continually see players antagonizing one another and notice that people with disabilities, women, and minorities rarely if ever participate, the notion of fair play will be little more than an ideal certain people pay lip service to.
The bottom line: all participants must approach intramural activities with the spirit of fair play, including sportsmanship and inclusion. During sign-up and registration, participants should adhere to inclusion policies and try to encourage minorities, females, people with disabilities, and other populations underrepresented in intramurals to get involved. Before games and activities, team captains should meet with officials and other participants to introduce themselves and discuss last-minute instructions. The rules of respect (rules, officials and their decisions, and opponents) and self-control should be posted prominently in all intramural facilities, and players should follow them. If players are unsure about an official’s call, they can ask their team captain to politely ask for an explanation. Participants should compliment one another for demonstrating fair play and not encourage or otherwise condone actions that violate fair play principles. Above all, participants should set a good example by treating others the way they wish to be treated themselves.

An Athlete’s Prayer 
I thank you, O god, for giving me a body that is specially fit and strong, and for making me able to use it well.
In my training, help me not to shirk the discipline, which I know that I need and that I ought to accept.
In my leisure, help me never to allow myself any indulgence that would make me less fit than I ought to be.
When I compete with others,
Help me, win or lose, to play fair.
When I win, keep me from boasting; when I lose, keep me from making excuses.
Keep me from being conceited when I succeed, and from being sulky when I fail.
Help me always with good will to congratulate a better athlete who beat me.
Help me to live so that I will always have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
—Source: unknown.

Chapter Summary Exercises
Having considered the importance of policies for maintaining and developing fair play, it is time to consider developing your own policies. In addition to the suggestions throughout this chapter, the following three exercises will help you.
	1.	Visit a playing field or gym at a grade school and high school (ask permission from the principal), as well as a university during lunchtime. Take notes on what children of different ages are doing. Can you identify age-specific characteristics? Are their noticeable examples of inclusion or exclusion?
	2.	Recall your own intramural experiences. Describe situations in your experience at grade school, high school, and college where there was evidence of exclusion. What was, or what should have been, done to rectify the situation?
	3.	Spend some time thinking about sportsmanship as it was defined in this chapter. Then start to develop your own ideas of how you would incorporate sportsmanship into your intramural program. List specific elements you want to include, and outline procedures for enforcing each element.
	4.	Using the steps outlined in this chapter, as well as the prioritization and revision process outlined in chapter 2 in developing your mission statement, formulate a fair play policy that includes both inclusion and sportsmanship components. For each component of your policy, be sure to list specific strategies for accomplishing and monitoring it.
References
Academy of Leisure Sciences. 2001. White paper #2: Leisure apartheid. [Online]. Available: www.eas.ualberta.ca/elj/alswp2.html
Americans with Disabilities Act. 1990. Public law 101-336, July 26, 1990, 104, Statute 327. [Online]. Available: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/kinder/pages/ada_statute.htm.
Byl, J., and J. VanderWier. 1995. Encouraging fair play in college intramurals. CAHPERD Journal 61 (2): 26-27.
Cotton, V., W. Kelley, and W. Sedlacek. 1999. Situational characteristics of positive and negative experiences with same race and different race students. [Online]. Available: http://www.naspa.org/resources/complete.cfm?ID=1&display=full.
European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe. 1992. Code of sports ethics fair play: The winning way. Europe of Cultural Cooperation. [Online]. Available: www.culture.coe.fr/Infocenter/txt/eng/espcod.htm.
Fair Play Canada. 1994. Fair play—It’s your call! Ottawa, Ontario: Fair Play Canada.
Gaskins, D. 1996. A profile of recreational sports student employees. NIRSA Journal 20 (3): 43-77.
Graham, P. 1994. The old and the new, the past, present, and future of the NIA. NIRSA Journal 17 (1): 21-22.
Helm, E.J., W. Sedlacek, and D. Prieto. 1998. The relationship between attitudes toward diversity and overall satisfaction of university students by race. Journal of College Counseling 1: 111-20.
Human Services Institute. 1992 Trying to play together: Competing paradigms in approaches to integration through recreation and leisure. Cambridge, Mass.: Human Services Institute.
International Paralympic Committee. 2001. Goalball. [Online]. Available: www.lboro.ac.uk/research/paad/ipc/goalball/goalball.html.
Lundy, K. 1999. Community vs. elite sport: The elusive balance. Sydney, Australia. [Online]. Available: http://www.katelundy.dynamite.com.au/access&.htm.
Phillips, M. 1992. The experience of disability and the dilemma of normalization. In Interpreting disability: A qualitative reader, edited by P. Ferguson, D. Ferguson, and S. Taylor. New York: Teachers College, 213-32.
Proescher, L. 1996. Participant satisfaction in intramurals. NIRSA Journal 20 (3): 20-24.
Riley, R., and N. Cantu. 1997. Title IX: 25 years of progress. [Online]. Available: www.ed.gov/pubs/TitleIX/part5.html.
Smith, S. 1995. Personal meaning in intramural basketball. NIRSA Journal 20 (1): 36-44.
Statistics Canada. 2001. National longitudinal survey of children and youth: Participation in activities. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.
Tharp, L. 1994. The effect Title IX has had on intramural sports. NIRSA Journal 19 (1): 29-31.
Vanden Boor, M. 2000. Ultimate medical dodgeball. CIRA-Ontario Input (March): 6.
Varley, Jane. 1994. Campus recreation protest and conduct board. CIRA Input (December): 7.
Wilhite, B., and D. Kleiber. 1992. The effects of Special Olympics participation on community integration. Therapeutic Recreation Journal 26 (4): 9-20.
Resources
Books, Periodicals, and Videos
Byl, J. 2002. Co-ed recreational games: Breaking the ice and other activities. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Presents numerous games and ideas for equalizing competition.
Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled. Sharing the Fun: A Guide to Including Persons with Disabilities in Leisure and Recreation. [Online]. Available www.lin.ca.
A practical guide about enabling people with disabilities to participate in community leisure and recreation. Made available through The Leisure Information Network.
Palaestra.
P.O. Box 508
Macomb, IL 61455
Telephone: 309-833-1902
Web site: www.palaestra.com
Published in cooperation with the United States Paralympic Corporation of the United States Olympic Committee and the Adapted Physical Activity Council of the America Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. This journal is about encouraging sport, physical education, and recreation forum for people with disabilities.
Recreation Nova Scotia. 1999. Inclusion: A Sense of Belonging. [Online]. Available: www.lin.ca.
Video and presenter’s guide offering a candid discussion among teens about inclusion Made available through The Leisure Information Network.
Organizations and Web sites
Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD)
720 Belfast Road, Suite 104
Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 0Z5
Telephone: 613-244‑0052
Toll-free: 1‑800‑771‑0663
Fax: 613-244‑4857
Web site: www.ala.ca
Provides resources for offering inclusive active-living programs for Canadians with disabilities.
Americans with Disabilities Act Document Center
Web site: http://janweb.icdi.wvu.edu/kinder/index.htm
Explains the legal requirements for accommodating people with a disability. There are also additional links to information, networks, and job accommodations.
The Arc
National Headquarters
1010 Wayne Avenue, Suite 650
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 301-565-3842
Fax: 310-565-5342
e-mail: info@thearc.org
For more information on integrating those with mental disabilities, check out the helpful Web site at the The Arc, (http://thearc.org) especially the sections dealing with integration in recreation.
Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS)
N202-801 King Edward Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
Phone: 613-562-5667
E-mail: caaws@caaws.ca
Web site: www.caaws.ca
One of two leading organizations promoting women in sport in Canada and the United States. CAAWS encourages girls and women to get out of the bleachers, off the sidelines, and onto the field by offering conferences, grants, newsletters, and public lobbying.
European Cultural Co-operation of the Council of Europe
Web site: http://culture.coe.fr/Infocenter/txt/eng/espcod.htm
Offers an example of a fair play policy, including who the key players are.
International Badminton Association
4 Manor Park
Mackenzie Way
Cheltenham, Glos, United Kingdom GJ51 9TX
Phone: 44-011-1242-234904
Fax: 44-011-1242-221030
E-mail: info@intbadfed.org
For more information on badminton for disabled people, particularly the rules, (http://www. worldbadminton.com/ifb_laws.html#a5).
The Leisure Information Network
1185 Eglington Avenue East, Suite 502
Toronto, ON Canada M3C 3C6
Phone: 416-426-7176
E-mail: info@lin.ca
Web site: www.lin.ca
Publishes Active Living Alliance, which focuses on active living through physical education that maximizes opportunities for students with a disability.
National Capital Wheelchair Tennis Association
880 Wellington Street, Unit 4
Ottawa, ON Canada K1N 6K7
Phone: 613-569-7632
Fax: 613-569-8507
E-mail: ncscd@magma.ca
For more information on wheelchair tennis and particularly the rules see: http://ww.magma.ca/~ncwta/trules.html
National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD)
1640 West Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-6904
Phone: 1-800-900-8086
E-mail: ncpad@uic.edu
Web site: www.uic.edu/orgs/ncpad/
Encourages persons with disabilities to participate in regular physical activity by gathering, evaluating, and disseminating information on physical activity and disability science. NCPAD offers a variety of resources, including fitness and health professionals and research on disability and physical activity.
Women’s Sports Foundation
Eisenhower Park
East Meadow, NY 11554
Phone: 516-542-4700
E-mail: wosport@aol.com
Web site: www.womenssportsfoundation.org/templates/index.html
The other of two leading organizations promoting women in sport in Canada and the United States, providing resources, grants, and action opportunities for women in sport.