The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- August 16, 1999

Clearinghouse committee set to phase out modem, fax access

Now that access to NCAA Online has allowed member institutions to access weekly status eligibility reports on individual student-athletes, the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Committee has proposed that the requirement for modem access be eliminated by January 1, 2000.

The recommendation, developed at the committee's August 2-3 meeting in South Lake Tahoe, California, follows a large-scale implementation of Clearinghouse functions onto the NCAA Web site that has alleviated or dated former avenues of access.

In addition to modem access being eliminated, access via facsimile and mailing services also will be phased out by January 1, 2000.

The committee's proposal was facilitated by the success rate of institutional access online. Because most institutions currently use the Web site to access their weekly status reports, the committee anticipates that reaction to the elimination of modem access will be light. However, the committee has alerted the Division I Initial-Eligibility Subcommittee of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the Division II Management Council of the recommendation and has asked that those two groups monitor reaction from member institutions should any alternatives need to be considered.

The proposal also is in keeping with a charge from the Board and Division II Presidents Council to increase savings and reduce operating costs associated with the Clearinghouse.

The committee discussed other applications concerning the Web site, including online registration and deactivation options regarding student-athletes on an institutional request list (IRL). Also seen as cost-savings initiatives, the committee anticipates that the application to provide institutions a deactivation option will be available this fall. The committee believes this particular online option is a necessary step in trying to emphasize online access for institutions. However, the committee agreed to continue to allow activation and deactivation options through the mail until further notice.

The committee also discussed online registration but took no action, noting that ACT and SAT had only minimal online registration (5 percent and 15 percent, respectively). The committee asked the Clearinghouse staff to determine at what percentage would a cost-savings benefit be realized before determining when to phase out fax and mail-in registration.

Cabinet proposals

The committee also reviewed legislation proposed by the Core-Course Review Committee and supported by the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the Division II Academic Requirements Committee regarding core-course standards.

One proposal would revise the definition of a core course and its 75 percent instructional content requirement. The recommended definition was developed after a meeting between representatives from NCAA committees and various high-school associations. It does not compromise the original intent of the core-curriculum legislation.

The cabinet also supported legislation that would allow the use of correspondence and independent study courses to meet the core-curriculum requirement under certain conditions. The new bylaw would be responsive to the pace of technology and recent educational reform movements regarding the manner in which education is delivered.

Legislation also is being proposed that would (a) eliminate the distinction between Level I and Level II math courses in the Division I core-curriculum requirements; and (b) make the Division I math requirement consistent with that of Division II by requiring a prospective student-athlete to have completed two years of math courses at the level of Algebra I or above. The proposal would be responsive to the integrated approach to teaching math at many secondary schools.

All three proposals, supported by the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse Committee, will be presented to the Division I Management Council in October for initial approval and to the Division II membership at the 2000 NCAA Convention. If the legislation is adopted, the committee believes it would create more opportunities for the entering class of 2000, as well as subsequent classes, to achieve the 13 core-course requirement.

High-school documentation

In another action, the committee will recommend to the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and the Division II Academic Requirements Committee that a cutoff date be established for changes to be made in high-school documentation effective for graduates who already have received a final certification from the Clearinghouse.

The Clearinghouse staff estimates that it receives an average of 100 calls daily from high-school administrators with changes in high-school documentation that would affect the prospective student-athlete's final certification. Currently, those changes must be made through a waiver process in order to change a prospect's final certification. The committee is concerned, however, about such decisions that apply retroactively and asked the cabinet and the academic requirements committee to consider a cutoff date for the submission of the 48-H form, and to establish an appeal procedure to approve legitimate requests for changes to post-final certification documentation rather than through waivers.

The committee agreed to provide the two academic-review groups with data regarding the volume of such cases and to provide suggestions for an appropriate cutoff date for the groups' consideration this fall.

Other highlights

Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse CommitteeAugust 2-3/South Lake Tahoe, California