As I read about the Division I academic-reform measures that have been adopted, I find myself thinking that while something should indeed be done to transform college athletics, the focus on rules may lack the transforming power to create effective change.

Having been a collegiate athlete in the Pacific-10 Conference and an academic advisor for universities at multiple levels of the NCAA, I know the pressures that exist to perform at a level that meets the public's standards, meets an institution's standards and meets the NCAA's standards. While the focus on making rules stricter and academic standards higher attempts to get at the problem of graduation rates and schools that cut corners, it actually solves just one dimension of the problem.

There already are stiffer regulations on athletes than on the general student body. Stricter rules and punishments may scare some departments into changing some things, but they will not solve the inherent problem that exists. There were strict policies and rules in place at Enron, too, yet people given the choice in a pressure situation to act ethically made the wrong choice and attempted to cover it up. The problem at Enron was not the rules, but the lack of company-wide values that the entire corporation and people believed in and were determined to support.

When we choose to focus on rules only, we lose the people -- the athletes -- the passion for which they play, and the passion for which they should want to perform in the classroom. There needs to be a solution that goes beyondthe rules, one that starts with the way athletes are recruited, the expectations placed upon them when they are recruited, and what is done to instill values in them once they begin school. Now that reforms are in place, the NCAA needs to look at maintaining a total system and not fall back into merely gate-keeping.

There typically are three types of student-athletes. The first group excels without coaxing or guidance to maintain grades and graduate. The second tends to become overwhelmed by the pressure to maintain academic progress, and they begin to lose sight of trying to find their passion. They focus instead on finding ways to get by. The third group bucks the system. Because they have never been engaged in a passion for life other than their sport, they see academic life as too difficult and are inclined to give up. Many choose to turn pro instead of graduate, or drop out because they see the road outside the institution as being much easier since they have "star" confidence and recognition. With no passion for what to accomplish in life other than athletics, why worry about majors, why take classes -- and why not just opt out of school when the academic pressure gets too high?

Unfortunately, this third group tends to include some of the top athletes, whom coaches are working feverishly at keeping eligible without addressing their real problems. These are the athletes who need to be reached sooner in order to change their focus and thus their performance in school. Trying to reach them at the point they decide to leave is too late.

Indeed, reform is not about rules, but about a culture.

When I am advising student-athletes, I get them excited about a career, not a major. I help them identify their passions and how they can turn those passions into a way of life. When an athlete identifies with a career, school becomes a means to an end. Grades are irrelevant; they know they need the information to reach their larger dreams. They begin to ask questions about what class will be better, not what class will be easiest.

I had the privilege recently of working with student-athletes from 16 Division I programs from various conferences and sports. What amazed me about the successful programs was the effort the coaches made to connect with their athletes as people, to help them identify their strengths. They saw the importance of developing the total athlete, not just their athletics performance.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, women's basketball coach Pat Summit in a recent leadership seminar emphasized her need to know each of her athletes individually to find out how to best motivate them. She goes to the extent of using personality assessments to help her. She is an example of someone who has been successful not just because she has a winning program, but because she has created winning attitudes in her players that last a lifetime. Why not instill some of her experience and winning ways in other programs?

To bring about real change in athletics, there needs to be more than just a focus on rules. While they maintain order, they do not instill performance. The NCAA needs to take a hard look at the leadership that drives the top programs and find ways to bring out the same leadership in the other schools.

If there is to be effective reform, there needs to be some grass-roots movement to bring the successful programs together and share ideas on how to motivate all student-athletes to succeed academically. That success will come if student-athletes are passionate about performing as well in the classroom as they are about performing well on the fields and courts.

Pamela Brooks is a certified consultant who works with companies on staffing and team-building issues. She formerly played volleyball at the University of Washington, and she has served in several academic capacities at Washington; Boise State University; the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point; and Elmhurst College.