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The NCAA News - News and FeaturesThe NCAA News -- August 16, 1999 Presidents tackle major issues at summer meetings
Division I: Board declines to make changes in initial-eligibility rules
BY GARY T. BROWN After review of a report from a group of consultants analyzing data on the impact of current initial-eligibility standards, the Division I Board of Directors has declined at this time to make any changes in the Division I requirements. The decision was reached during the Board's August 5 meeting. The Board has been giving special consideration to Proposition 16 (the Division I initial-eligibility legislation) since March 8 when a federal judge in Philadelphia declared the requirements invalid in a case brought by four African-American student-athletes who failed to meet the standardized test score cutoff required for NCAA freshman eligibility. On March 30, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit granted an NCAA motion to stay the ruling pending appeal. The Board also learned that the Third Circuit has set September 14 as the date for hearing oral arguments from the plaintiffs and the NCAA. It is unlikely that a decision by the court will be made before the next meeting of the Board in October. "I'm confident that we will ultimately prevail in the courts on the principles we've articulated as to the appropriateness of higher education setting its own standards," said Graham B. Spanier, president of Pennsylvania State University and chair of the Board of Directors. "One of those principles is the desire of our institutions to continue to use test scores in evaluating the readiness of our students, for athletics or admissions purposes." Spanier indicated that the Board intends to consider the possibility of refining the standards on an ongoing basis, but saw no compelling reason to change the standards at this time. The Board did, however, direct the consultants and research staff to continue their analysis of data, including impact of the standards on the new cohort of freshmen entering Division I schools this fall. Basketball report The Board also reviewed the final report from the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues that was completed in mid-July. The report, a culmination of the working group's year-long deliberations, summarizes the group's examination of issues regarding the welfare of the basketball student-athlete, low graduation and high attrition rates of men's basketball student-athletes, the basketball recruiting process, image of the sport, the influence of gambling and agents, early departure of basketball student-athletes, and playing and practice seasons. The group was appointed by the Board in August 1998 and charged with making appropriate recommendations, legislative or otherwise, to be reviewed through the Division I governance structure. The primary recommendations in the report are included under three core areas:
While the Board did not take action on any of the specific recommendations in the report, it did endorse the substance of the working group's recommendations and referred them to the Management Council and other bodies within the Division I governance structure for the development and review of legislation during the next legislative cycle with the goal of full implementation by the summer of 2000. "The sentiment of the Board on this particular report was that we agreed with the general concepts, and while some of the Board members would have liked to have gone even further, the Board feels that this is an excellent start," Spanier said. Budget items The Board reviewed and approved the 1999-00 Division I budget submitted by the Division I Budget Subcommittee. The approved budget includes a prioritization of funding requests for the 1999-00 academic year from the Championships/Competition Cabinet. The cabinet had prioritized its requests after learning that the $800,000 allotted by the Executive Committee's Budget Subcommittee for 1999-00 included $550,000 in championships enhancements that the cabinet had asked for on an annual basis. Those enhancements were included for one year only in the 1998-99 budget from year-end Division I monies but were intended to become part of the championships budget allocations in subsequent years. Therefore, the Board approved the cabinet's funding priorities for the following Division I championships initiatives:
The cabinet also had asked for $50,000 to establish an officiating improvement program in women's softball. Toward that end, the Board recommended that the Executive Committee approve $20,000 in unallocated funds to be included in the overall officiating improvement budget. In other actions, the Board:
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