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The NCAA News -- September 28, 1998

Division I cabinet supports current eligibility standards

Group will conduct ongoing review

The Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet has voted to retain the current initial-eligibility requirements for Division I and to continue reviewing data on how the standards affect the eligibility of high-school seniors.

The action came at the cabinet's September 9-10 meeting in New Orleans, supporting a recommendation from its Initial-Eligibility Subcommittee. The subcommittee has been studying data for the past year on the effect of the current standards, commonly known as Prop 16.

In its report to the cabinet, the subcommittee noted a number of encouraging trends related to the current rule, including evidence of institutions' recruitment of students with stronger academic records, a continued rise in graduation rates and increased awareness of current academic requirements. For these reasons, the cabinet concluded that there was no compelling reason at this time to suggest a change to the current initial-eligibility standards and recommended that the membership gain more experience with the current standards by regularly monitoring their impact before suggesting any changes.

At its June meeting, the cabinet and subcommittee had agreed to launch a summer-long educational effort to inform the Division I membership and governance bodies about the research. The cabinet also proposed four models for consideration related to the standards.

Model 1 retained the current rule. Model 2 extended the initial-eligibility index to include the current group of partial qualifiers in the qualifier category. Model 3 extended the index to balance the weight given to test scores and grade-point averages, and Model 4 fully extended the index.

The educational effort included a document sent to the membership on the four models, research results from the current rule and a survey of the membership on the models. In August, a videoconference also was conducted on the research for Division I governance bodies .

In its September deliberations, the cabinet reviewed additional data from NCAA researchers and considered comments from the membership, information from the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, and a recommendation from the NCAA Research Committee. The additional data were in response to questions received after the four models were circulated regarding graduation rates, the impact of the increased number of female student-athletes on the percentage of eligible African Americans and grade inflation.

Initial data from the first class of high-school seniors affected by Prop 16 showed an increase in the level of ineligible prospects over previous iterations of the standards for all recruited seniors (from 6.7 percent in 1995 to 10.5 in 1996). For African-American prospects, the increases had been even more dramatic -- from 17.2 percent in 1995 to 26.6 percent in 1996.

New data shared with the cabinet for the first time at its September meeting showed declines for both groups for the 1997 class -- from 10.5 to 7.6 for all students and from 26.6 to 21.4 for African-Americans.

The cabinet noted that the Division I membership survey clearly supported retaining the current model. Included in the comments were observations that:

  • Some institutions have altered their recruiting practices to identify and select students whom they feel are academically stronger.

  • More students met the standards last year than did the previous year.

  • Graduation rates continue to rise.

  • Knowledge about the standards continues to increase because the current standards have remained consistent.

    Before accepting the subcommittee's recommendation, the cabinet rejected a number of motions for consideration of other models. The cabinet's decision to retain the current standard, pending additional data, will be forwarded to the Division I Management Council, along with a recommendation that the Council receive a full report from NCAA researchers and representatives of the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee at its October meeting.

    Other proposals

    In other action, the cabinet agreed to sponsor 10 proposals recommended by the Division I Financial Aid Committee that would increase financial aid awards in women's cross country and track, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, softball, water polo, rowing, and gymnastics.

    However, the cabinet declined to sponsor legislation that would have increased the number of awards in men's and women's cross country and track or to support legislation proposed by the Big 12 Conference that would have increased all financial aid for women's sports by 25 percent. The cabinet noted that across-the-board increases do not adequately reflect an evaluation of the needs of each sport.

    In response to the Management Council's referral of a review of the operation of the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse in an attempt to reduce costs, the Initial-Eligibility Subcommittee asked the Clearinghouse Committee to forward by Thanksgiving a report outlining possible alternatives.

    In its discussion, the subcommittee noted that it did not support an idea to permit institutions to reimburse the clearinghouse fees for some students, noting the recruiting advantages that could exist for some schools. It did agree to examine further the criteria currently used to approve waivers of the fees.

    The subcommittee also did not support a proposal to consider using the clearinghouse to certify the eligibility of student-athletes in only certain sports, and it questioned whether there are any reasonable solutions to reducing the number of certifications for prospects who never show up on campus.

    The Continuing-Eligibility Subcommittee recommended that in reviewing waiver requests under Bylaws 14.1.6.2.3 and 14.1.7.3, the Management Council should allow competition beyond the 60 days provided for in the legislation if at the time the student-athlete graduates, he or she has completed at least half of the season and the 60-day time period would not allow the student-athlete to compete through the entire season.

    The cabinet also supported the subcommittee's recommendation that there should be no limit on the amount of time in which a transfer student must request a waiver of the residence requirement.

    Legislation

    In legislative action, the cabinet agreed to:

  • Sponsor legislation to prohibit individuals who have been found or pled guilty to sports bribery, point shaving or game fixing from having involvement as an operator, staff member or participant in an NCAA-approved summer basketball league or event.

  • Ask the Council to amend proposed legislation (No. 98-21) to permit a two-year college transfer student-athlete to use an associate or equivalent degree that is academic or technical in nature, but not vocational.

  • Sponsor legislation that would expand the women's basketball summer evaluation period in 1999 only to June 25 through July 31 and require that schools designate a maximum of 24 evaluation days during that period, while maintaining the current Amateur Athletic Union evaluation exceptions. The proposal also would allow a coaching staff to place one telephone call to a prospect between April 24 and May 15, one additional call between June 21 and July 1, and three calls during the month of July, with no more than one call per week.

  • Sponsor legislation to permit a student-athlete to regain a season of competition when a coaching staff member carelessly costs the student-athlete a season of competition by directing him/her to participate in a contest when the staff member is unsure of the student-athlete's eligibility status and the student-athlete is subsequently determined to be ineligible for competition.

  • Sponsor legislation to specify that contemporaneous medical documentation must be submitted with any hardship waiver request.

  • Sponsor three pieces of de minimus legislation that would decrease the number of circumstances in which an institution is required to declare a student-athlete ineligible as a result of a violation where the student-athlete did not receive a benefit and little or no recruiting or competitive advantage occurred.

  • Sponsor 39 pieces of restitution legislation designed to eliminate the ineligibility component for those violations of NCAA rules in which a student-athlete or prospect receives an extra benefit valued at $25 or less.

  • Recommend a 5.4 percent inflationary adjustment to one of the alternatives for satisfying the Division I financial aid minimums, effective September 1, 1999.

    With regard to other legislative proposals referred by the Management Council, the cabinet agreed to support the following items:

  • No. 98-98, which would provide institutions with greater flexibility in meeting the minimum Division I sports sponsorship and financial aid requirements. (The cabinet agreed to suggest that the Council delete the phrase "exclusive of football, if offered" in Part B.)

  • No. 98-53 regarding off-campus contacts and evaluations for Division I-A football.

  • No. 98-54, which would expand the spring evaluation period in football to include April 15 through May 31, would permit one telephone call to a prospect during that period, and that would require schools to select a continuous 30-day period to conduct evaluations and phone calls.

  • Nos. 98-73 and 98-74 that would require a partial qualifier or nonqualifier who transfers to a member school from a two-year college to have successfully completed six credit hours of nonremedial English in order to be immediately eligible for institutional financial aid, practice and competition during the first academic year. (The cabinet clarified that the English courses must be accepted as transferable degree credit at the certifying school.)

    The cabinet declined to support the following legislative proposals:

  • No. 98-55, which would eliminate the numerical limits on evaluating prospects in Division I basketball.

  • No. 98-56, which would permit an institution to bank a maximum of two unused official visits annually in basketball and would specify unused visits may be used only during the subsequent academic year.

  • No. 98-70, which would eliminate the restrictions that apply to the number of occasions and the manner by which institutions publicize the commitment of prospects who have signed a National Letter of Intent, or for those institutions that do not subscribe to the program, prospects who have signed a written offer of admission and/or financial aid.