The NCAA News - News and Features

May 18, 1998

Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse focuses on Internet

Reducing costs and improving customer service are main goals of group

The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Committee discussed Internet access and reviewed the hiring process for the new director of the clearinghouse during its May 5-6 meeting in Anaheim, California.

The committee studied the possibility of developing a site on the World Wide Web with the goals of ultimately reducing costs and improving customer service. A list of priorities was created for the site, including the posting of the student-release form and clearinghouse brochure, institution request lists, weekly status reports and lists of NCAA approved core courses.

Initial discussions indicated that placing the student-release form and the clearinghouse brochure would be a fairly simple step; however, the committee would need to review security and cost implications before developing the site.

The committee asked the clearinghouse to provide additional information regarding Internet access at the committee's August meeting. The committee requested a recommended course of action based upon ACT's own experience with Internet usage in other areas of their operation.

The committee also reviewed the procedure for filling the director's opening due to Calvin Symons' resignation. The committee urged the clearinghouse staff to identify potential candidates and encourage those individuals to apply.

Two committee members along with an NCAA staff member will assist in the search. It is anticipated that a successor may be appointed by the end of June and that there will be an opportunity for Symons to assist with the transition since his resignation date has not been finalized.

In other items, the committee reviewed drafts of four surveys that have been developed to solicit input from member institutions, high schools, parents and students regarding clearinghouse operations, customer service and other issues of importance relating to initial eligibility.

The committee anticipates results from the surveys to be available this fall.

The committee also reviewed a summary of results from evaluation cards that high schools completed as part of the "1998 Playbook." More than 1,600 responses were received, most of which expressed positive comments regarding the new core-course review process.

In a related issue, the committee noted that the Playbook procedures were developed based on the premise that high schools have the most knowledge of what is being taught and that they will uphold academic integrity. The committee continues to be concerned about high schools that submit courses that clearly are not core courses, and with those schools that grant students an inordinately high number of core courses within a short period of time and award grades that are inconsistent with the student's overall academic record.

Those issues will be discussed with the high-school constituencies and the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the Division II Academic Requirements Committee.