The president on the Foreign Policy choices, both around as weve talked about with isil, but also in terms of being stronger against putin in russia. Start calling early in march for these kind of stronger opposition to his activities in ukraine and around europe. And its that reason that virginians know my record. Its that reason why, again, in this campaign im so proud to have the support of more republican, former republican legislators than when i ran the first time. If his claim had merit, i dont think that would be the case. What it is, though, is the kind of political sound bite attack charge that comes from somebody who spent their career as a partisan operative. We have two more live debates tonight on our companion network, cspan. Friday night live at 7 30 eastern from the 17th Congressional District of it gets under way 8 00 eastern. And in the debate with harkin and ernst, thats live on cspan. Then sunday, michigans governor rick snider will face mark shower. That will be live 6 00 on sunday. With live coverage of the u. S. House on cspan, here on cspan 3 we compliment the coverage by showing you the most relevant hearings and events. And then on the weekends this is the home of American History tv. The civil wars 150th anniversary, visiting key locations, discover what artifacts discover about americas past. The presidency, looking at the policies and legacy of our nations commander in chiefs. And our new series, real america, featuring archival films through the 30s through the 70s. Follow us on twitter and like us on facebook. Not one democrat did i see at the hearing on freeing Sergeant Tahmooressi from the mexican prison. I wonder why. And ive called the president many times in the last months and sought the release of this man, and it seems to me that the president could have picked up the phone and with one call affected that release. I really dont think he cares. I just got done watching your cspan regarding the gentleman, the marine in mexico. I need to compliment you and tell you that this is the best evidence that ive ever seen or heard from any session on the television about the corruption that we have to deal with in the politics, particularly the president and all the things that he is doing wrong, and particularly what hes allowing to happen on the border between mexico and the United States. I was watching the town hall meeting earlier. From arizona. Veterans administration, hospital there. My heart was just broke at all the veterans and what theyve been going through there. Someone has to do something out there. Its just a mess. And it was really interesting to see just each and every one of them on tv today and the heartache that them and their families have been going through. And i pray that something will be done to help these people. They deserve it, they fought for our country and our freedom. Thank you. And continue to let us know what you think about the programs youre watching. Call us at 2026263400. Or send us an email. Like us on facebook. Follow us on twitter. Friday night on cspan 3, American History tv exams spying in the u. S. , and well start at 8 00 eastern with a tour of the cia museum and a look at spying during the civil war. And after that german espionage against the u. S. During world war two. A little later a conversation about the soviet spies of the cold war. The Senate Commerce committee over the summer held a hearing on College Sports programs. They examined campus sexual assaults and whether student athletes should be paid, the head of the ncaa and author taylor branch. This hearing will come to order, and i want to thank all of you very much for coming here. Youre a bit squeezed in there. But water is on the house, so be comfortable and be glad. College sports has an absolutely extraordinary position in the culture of our country. Not only do College Sports inspire incredible fan passion across the country, but they provide a very important way for young men and women to, as is written, do athletics as an avocation and get an education. Were going to talk about that today. Many young people, however, athletes provide an avenue to college which otherwise wouldnt have existed, and we understand that. College athletes and athletics are rooted in the notion of amateurism. And the history of that is very interesting and important going back to the founding in 1906 and the rest of it, going back, actually, to a greek concept of amateurism. Playing College Sports is supposed to be an avocation. Students play College Sports for the love of the game, not for the love of money. That is the ideal. But many people believe this notion of College Sports is being undermined by the power and the influence of money. I remember a meeting i had in my office with the three top executives of espn, and it was one of those meetings in which i didnt say a word because they just went around in circles, each talking about what a great Business Model they had, how they had control and power that no other broadcast system would ever have, and how thrilled they were with it and how they were going to make it even stronger. There is a growing perception that College Athletics, particularly division i football and basketball are not avocations at all. What they really are is highly profitable commercial enterprises. They believe that. Critics of big Time College Athletics say the goal of these programs are not to provide young people with a College Education but to produce a winning spot in the brief financial awards for their schools. It is not, however, about the students. Theyre part of what generates the money. Its about capturing the billions of dollars of television and marketing revenues that College Sports do generate and will generate even more. Colleges and universities say these revenues benefit College Athletes and their student bodies at large. But i think we have to consider whether the lure of such riches could corrupt the basic mission of Athletic Programs. Winning teams get higher payouts than losing teams, which creates a strong incentive to win, an incentive which land grand public universities and others are more than happy to follow. And win at any cost. Much of the money is often funnelled right back into those sports programs in the form of milliondollar coaching salaries and state of the art facilities, many of them paid for by the taxpayers to perpetuate the cycle of winning. I think somewhere in my reading here, about 48 million of all the 900 million that nca gets from, you know, their broadcasting, march madness and all the rest of it, a very small portion goes specifically to academics. But even thats hard to figure. Because nobody has the figures. They work for them, they make the decisions, he carries out what they want, and yet i think the discussion is how does he carry out what they want . What powers do you have, mr. Emmett, for actually carrying out what you think is a good idea . Youve been president of three major universities at different places, and i would think that your passion for education would need to show itself. Athletics to me are meant to serve schools and their public duty to educate students, not the other way around. Thats the way its always put forward and thats the way it should be. Dr. Mark emmet is here to present the position of the colleges. Some declined to come here, but you did, and im grateful for that. I believe you were put at the helm because you have incredible credentials, and i think we all appreciate that youre tremendously compensated. I think im just very skeptical that the ncaa can never live up to the lofty mission that you constantly talk about and which is written and printed in speeches and statements and responses to penn state this or Something Else that. You know, the mission nothing comes before education is always there but the actions dont appear to be. I dont see how the ncaa will ever be capable of truly making a safe, good education experience for students their number one priority. I want you to tell me that im wrong, that i am wrong, and that im particularly wrong about the future. But ill be a tough sell. I think we believe that the ncaa has largely been left to its own to determine what forms are appropriate and how to accomplish its mission. As we continue to learn more about what goes on in some major universities and colleges, we want to know if the ncaa is seriously considering how College Athletes are faring under this system. Not just living as they do, but injured as they often become, wracked by poverty. If they dont do well, maybe their stipends are cut off, and is there a mandated fouryear scholarship. All these things are put at play. How are young men who strap on their helmets on a football field in front of a thousand paying customers, how are they doing . How are our young men who lace up their shoes and play basketball for march madness which consumes the nation and is deliberately spread out over a long period of time so that no kid 10 years or older can ever hope to do any homework because theres always basketball on. Are colleges and universities living up to their end of the bargain and providing them with a good education . Are these Young Athletes entitled to any of the billions of dollars that are reaped from their Athletic Services . And when young men and women are putting their bodies at risk, do they have Adequate Health insurance . I dont know. I dont know. And i never go into a barber shop or anything without asking, do you have health insurance, and i know the answer is going to be no. I care about health care, and im unhappy when people who work in places where they dont make a lot of money dont have health insurance. Do the schools and athletic leagues minimize the risk of concussions and injury, and what about if theyre injured before graduation, can he or she finish out their studies or does the scholarship run dry . Well, a couple months ago, we all heard the deeply troubling comments of chavez pier, the most valuable player in the 2014 basketball tournament in the midst of a tournament that generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the ncaa and its members, he talked about how sometimes he didnt have enough to eat during college. How did the college benefit mr. Napier the nights he had to go hungry . There he is, trying to turn an example of a famous athlete and turn it into a large problem. Im not trying to do that, i think it is a problem, and the whole sense of giving students a safety net and a sense of confidence that if they dont turn out to be as good of running backs or point guards or whatever and they dont make the team or theyre let off in their third year, are they dropped . Do they get scholarships or what happens . I dont know. The title of todays hearing is promoting the wellbeing and academic success of College Athletes. I want to have an open and frank discussion on this subject and im going to try my best to. The ncaa has the same goal as i do. Dr. Emmett is going to tell us that the ncaas goal is to promote sports as a means of achieving academic excellence. Today i want to explore whether the ncaa is fulfilling its mission. We still hear too many reports of fraudulent academics, we still hear too many tragic stories of College Athletes that have absolutely nothing to show for the services they provided even though they helped generate millions and millions of dollars. This subject is often discussed, but im here to tell you that if, per chance, the democrats should control the Congress Next time, and nobody is quite sure of that. John thune has one idea, bill nelson has another idea and you. Yeah, okay. And then i think we want to continue this. We want to make this a continuing search of this oversight committee. We have jurisdiction over sports, all sports, all sports. And we have the ability to subpoena, we have the ability to we created a special investigations unit. Were very into this subject. I personally am, i think our members are. So this is a part of a process here. So im going to have some tough questions for our panel as the ncaa and its members schools, are they a cartel . Have they become an enterprise which is no different than the corporate witnesses who have appeared before this committee or is the ncaa truly different . And does the 100year Old Organization in fact have the best interestsf our College Athletes. I turn now to my very distinguished ranking member, senator john thune, from the state of south dakota. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for holding the hearing today, and i want to thank our panelists for the opportunity to examine the current state of collegiate athletics. And, like you, i look forward to hearing from our witnesses, including the president of the National CollegiateAthletic Association is how the members of its institutions are fulfilling the commitments made to our collegiate student athletes. Im an avid sports fan. I know all the members of this committee are as well. As a former basketball player in high school and college and a proud father of a daughter who competed at the division i level, i certainly recognize the participation in organized sports not only requires physical and mental strength but also teaches teamwork and other skills that serve you throughout life. However, the College Student athlete is and should be a student first. Colleges and universities must remember and prioritize their academic obligation to student athletes. As the popularity of College Sports has grown, particularly the popularity of College Football and mens and womens basketball, so, too, has the profitability of many collegiate programs. In the current environment, the stakes have been raised both for the student athlete who wants to succeed and for the university who has a financial interest in winning games. Increasing revenues for some games and the broadcast rights have become more common. Revenues for ticket sales are also significant and alumni want to see their teams win and may be inspired to contribute to winning programs. It is a driven organization to integrate collegiate athletes into Higher Education so the education of a student athlete is paramount, end quote. However, some institutions appear unable to balance the core Academic Mission of the university and the commercial considerations that often accompany College Athletics, particularly in highprofile sports. Many feel the commitment to the student athlete is falling short. Another point of contention involves athletic scholarships and whether the practice of offering annual as opposed to multiyear scholarships unfairly puts the student athlete at risk of losing their scholarships as a result of poor performance or injury. While multiyear scholarships may provide an advantage, they may disadvantage smaller schools that cant match certain institutions. We will hear from ncaas most vocal critics today. While im sure todays hearing will highlight important issues, i hope we will not lose sight of the positive impact that amateur athletics have made on the lives of countless student athletes. We must remember that College Athletics is not just about football and basketball. The general director of south dakota recently shared the interviews he conducts annually to evaluate the schools Athletic Program from the Vantage Point of the athletes themselves. He underscored two stories that stood out from this past year of interviews with athletes. He reiterated how a sophomore diver at usd recovered from open heart surgery to qualify for a dive in the championships, a feat that would not be possible without the work of a dedicated training staff, academic support, coaches, team and family. He also noted the moving story of a sophomore swimmer who leaned on friends, family and teammates to help her through the tragic loss of her father who passed away early in the season. With this support, hannah was able to return to the pool and achieve lifetime best times in the Summit League championships. As the usdaa Athletic Director put it these are examples of what college means, if you strip away the buck, you are left with student athletes who often have to overcome personal, social, economic, athletic adversity all just to compete but they frequently do wit passion and determination na makes us all proud end quote. Thats from the Athletic Director of the university of south dakota. Recognizing challenges exist. Its my hope the Member Institution the student athletes, themselves and other stakeholders, will Seek Solutions to promote the education, health and seek to preserve amateurism. This is an area where congress can provide a forum but the solutions are mostlikely to come from those most wage involved in the education and development of student athletes. Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing. I look forward to hearing and having an opportunity to question our witnesses. Thank you. Thank you, sir. What were going to do now is were going to hear the testimony and then both senator mccaskill and senator booker, both of whom are sterling and wonderful people are going to get very, very angry at me because im going to charge into the regular order and im going to allow senator coates to ask the first question, which rights all the rules of the committee. Well, im mad. That will make you a b