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The NCAA News -- December 20, 1999

Certification decisions rendered on 15 Division I institutions

The NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification has announced decisions concerning the certification status of 15 Division I member institutions.

Fourteen institutions were certified and one institution was certified with conditions.

Those institutions receiving a designation of certified were: the University of Alabama at Birmingham; Boston College; Cornell University; George Washington University; Hofstra University; the University of Illinois, Champaign; the University of Louisiana at Lafayette; the University of Louisiana at Monroe; Morehead State University; Ohio University; Providence College; Rice University; Southwest Texas State University; and the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

The University of California, Santa Barbara, was certified with conditions.

The committee said that before UC Santa Barbara can be considered for full certification, it must submit a gender-equity plan and a minority-opportunity plan in writing after having developed those plans through a process that reflects broad-based campus participation and formal university approval.

The committee has requested that the plans be forwarded by September 1, 2000.

The colleges and universities completed a year-long certification process, which all Division I members will undergo by 2000. A total of 284 institutions have now received certification-status decisions.

Program's purpose

The certification program's purpose is to ensure integrity in the institution's athletics operations and to assist athletics departments in improving their program. Legislation mandating athletics certification was adopted by a vote of Division I members at the 1993 NCAA Convention as a key part of the Association's reform agenda.

A designation of certified means that an institution operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with operating principles adopted by the Division I membership.

A designation of certified with conditions means that a college or university generally operates its athletics program in substantial conformity with the Division I operating principles but problems identified are serious enough that full certification is withheld until those problems have been resolved.

A designation of not certified means that the institution is not operating in substantial conformity with the Division I operating principles. Problems identified are considered by the committee to be very serious or pervasive.

If an institution is given the certification status of certified with conditions or not certified, action must be taken by the institution in a specified period of time before its certification status can be changed. If it fails to make an effective effort to correct problems within the time frame set by the committee, the institution may be placed in a restricted membership category for a year. If problems remain unresolved at the end of that year, the committee may reclassify the institution as a corresponding member and no longer an active member of the NCAA.

An institution can request, within 15 days after the date of the public release of the certification decision, a hearing before the Committee on Athletics Certification. If it is still not satisfied, the institution may appeal to the Division I Management Council.

Certification process

The certification process, led by the school's chief executive officer on each of the campuses, included members of the university/college faculty and staff. In addition to those members, athletics department personnel also served on the committee and subcommittees responsible for the self-study. This provided an opportunity for other members of the campus community to learn about and to evaluate the athletics program.

Certification examines the athletics department's governance and commitment to rules compliance, academic and fiscal integrity, and commitment to equity. The self-study committee on each campus analyzed these four areas and submitted a report.

After the institution submitted its self-study report, a peer group of administrators from other NCAA member institutions visited each campus and interviewed various institutional personnel. The peer group then reported back to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, which rendered the final decision.

The certification process is separate from the NCAA's enforcement program, which investigates allegations that member institutions have violated NCAA rules. A decision of certified does not exempt an institution from concurrent or subsequent enforcement proceedings. The NCAA Committee on Infractions can ask the Committee on Athletics Certification to review an institution's certification status as a result of the completed infractions case.

The members of the Committee on AthleFtics Certification are: Otis Chambers, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay; Alan B. Chaves, Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus; Robert A. Chernak, George Washington University; Barbara Church, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Joseph N. Crowley, University of Nevada; Tom Davis, Sam Houston State University; Paul Dee, University of Miami (Florida); Kathleen Hallock, Colonial Athletic Association; Jerry Kingston, Arizona State University; Chris Monasch, America East Conference; Alfonso Scandrett, North Carolina A&T State University; Andrea Seger, Ball State University; James E. Walker (chair), Middle Tennessee State University; Richard L. Wallace, University of Missouri, Columbia; and Brenda Weare, Conference USA.