KAPPAS IN SPORTS
Journal: When people think of the NCAA, they often think of investiga- tions. High profile investigations such as The University of North Carolina, The University of Miami, Penn State etc. Do those investigations fall under your jurisdiction? Remy: The committee on infractions is the committee that hears all of the cases. They heard Miami, they’ll hear North Carolina, they’ll hear Louisville. There are three of those, one for each division. Divisions one, two, and three. My staff is responsible for staffing the committee on infractions. The commit- tee itself is made up of senior represen- tatives within the membership as well as external people, so for example, former Attorney General of the United States Alberto Gonzalez is on the committee on infractions and at the same time, the commissioner of the SEC, Greg Sankey, is on the committee. So, the group is made up of people from my organiza- tion, but the people that make the final decisions on the cases are independent. Journal: Tell us what you can about the most memorable case you’ve dealt with so we can get some insight on the types of things that you deal with directly. Remy: On a day to day basis, I’m not going to be handling the development or the argument of a particular case. But when you think about all the things the NCAA has to deal with in terms of potential infractions or actual infrac- tions by member institutions, I suppose one of the things I was closely involved with was the challenges that arose at Penn State. The Board of Governors which is the highest ranking governing body in the association is who made the decisions on Penn State, as opposed to the committee on infractions. I am the primary liaison to the board of gover- nors. So as the board was challenged with what was new, and unique, and different in evaluating Penn State, and what had arisen there, we had to look at things a lot differently than we would look at a traditional case.
Journal: What aspect of your position would you say is most rewarding person- ally? Remy: Watching the student athletes who come to our member institutions grow, develop, learn and achieve some of their own personal objectives as they become more mature individuals ready for life. The college athletic model is what we like to say is the pathway to opportunity. And I believe that. Those student athletes that are participating in sport on their respective campuses, and at the same time taking advantage of academic opportunities presented to them demonstrate a fabulous path to life success. There’s a young Nupe named Kendall Spencer who was almost an Olympian long jumper who was the first student to serve on the Division 1 Board of Directors. As I watched him interact with university presidents from some of the most powerful institutions in America, I quickly came to appreciate how participation in sport had enhanced who this young man already was. Journal: Now, let’s talk Kappa! What led you to pursue Kappa back in 1987 on the campus of a university where there was no Kappa? Remy: Wow! That’s a great question. It was like a calling, and I don’t for a min- ute want to belittle those who are called to preach the scripture of the Lord, but the truth of the matter is that there were a group of young men on that campus, at that time who had a similar perspective about life and the world. Similar goals as to what they wanted to do in the future. And the same kind of attitude that I think has been helpful to a lot of brothers in their successes in life. As we began talking to each other and discovering who each other were, we realized that the Greek opportunities that were available on the campus at the time weren’t for us. This didn’t hap- pen over night. This was a journey that started my first week on campus that didn’t come to fruition until 3 and 1/2 years later, with most of the same guys that started on that journey with me in
my freshman year.
Journal: Fantastic! How would you say your being successful in your quest to get Kappa impacted your successes in your professional career? Remy: Tremendously! I talked earlier about Judge Nathaniel Jones being a mentor of mine and a Laurel Wreath Laureate. Now, we did not connect be- cause of Kappa. We connected through the law. But nonetheless, appreciating what Kappa has brought to both of our lives was amazing. And in my profes- sional development, as I moved along in every stage of my career, I’ve come across brothers who are in the fraternity who are like-minded and successful, who challenge me to be better, or who can relate to my path. Now if you’re talking about the early days of Kappa on campus, you know I met some of the best friends I have in life during those days. There were 16 of us on that line. One has gone on to Chapter Invis- ible. But the 15 of us remaining on this earth are still as close as we were back in 1987. Being on campus at that time with these brothers, all of whom are suc- cessful in their own right, who pushed each other to be better, you couldn’t have asked for a better environment to learn how to be successful in profession- al life. Knowing that when you walk into the boardroom, or the court room, or the operating room, that you have been tested, you have been pushed, you have been stretched by your own brothers as you bonded in college for me has always been helpful in my lifespan. Remy: I have two sons. One is a Nupe. Recently initiated last year down at the University of Central Florida. The first line that had been brought back to that chapter after it had been dormant for years. Interestingly, his plight trying to get into Kappa was strikingly similar to mine. Journal: Tell us about the feelings you had with your son crossing into our Journal: Tell us about your family life.
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