Third option added to financial aid recommendations The Special Committee t&view In its preliminary report, which were adopted) or a minimum of 60 three sports, it would have to award Second optlon the NCAA Membership Structure was presented to the Council in percent of the allowable grants in at least IO full grants for men and 1 I The second option permits a min- has developed recommendations April, the special committee had each of six sports for men and six for women; and if indoor track or imum aggregate expenditure of for three options that a Division 1 developed two options, both of for women (if the current sponsor- outdoor track is counted as one $250,000 for financial aid in men’s institution can choose to satisfy which have been incorporated in ship requirement for all subdivisions sport, an institution using the sport sports and $250,000 in women’s proposed minimum financial aid the latest recommendations. of Division I except I-A remains). to meet minimum financial aid re- sports, exclusive of grants awarded requirements. First option Those institutions that use the quirements would have to count the in football and men’s and women’s The recommendations, which Under the first option in the final sports of indoor track, outdoor equivalent of at least seven full basketball, provided the aggregate were developed during the special recommendations, a Division I in track and cross country to meet the grants for men and eight for women. is not less than the equivalent of 19 committee’s June 5 meeting in Dal- stitution would have to award a minimum financial aid criteria If a Division 1 institution uses full grants for men and 19 for las, will be presented to the NCAA minimum of 50 percent of the max- would be required to award the only cross country of the three to women. Council at its August l-3 meeting imum allowable grants in each of equivalent of at least I2 full grants meet the minimum financial aid If men’s basketball is not offered and will become part of the corn- scvcn sports for men and seven for for men and 13 full grants for criteria, it would be permitted to at an institution, the minimum ag- mittee’s full report on membership- women (if the minimum sports- women in these sports. award a maximum of five full grants gregate expenditure must be structure issues. sponsorship rcquircment increase If an institution counts two of the for both men and women. See i’lird, page 2 Official Publication of the National Collegiate Athletic Association June 13,1990, Volume 27 Number 24 Division I athl .etes are grad uating at higher rate thar I student body Student-athletes at NCAA DiviL The charts on page I2 show the In the charts on page 12 showing sion I member institutions graduated graduation rates for Division I graduation rates and adjusted grad- at a higher rate than the general schools by region and by sport. uation rates, the NCAA’s formula student body over a five-year period Another chart also shows the me- for determining graduation rates is ending in September 1988, accord- dian high school grade-point aver- to divide the number of students ing to data compiled by the NCAA ages and median scores on the SAT who graduated in 1988 by the research staff. and ACT for freshmen entering number of students who entered in The graduation rate for student- Division 1 schools in 1988-89. 1983 and multiply that figure by 100 athletes was 47.4, compared to 47.2 The four geographical regions to determine institutional percent- for the student body as a whole. The used in the charts are Region I ~ age. The median percentage of all 1989 Academic Reporting Compi- Northeastern (Districts I and 2). institutions in the group is then lation prepared by the research staff Region 2-Southern (District 3), reported. includes 289 Division I schools. Region 3 Midwestern (Districts 4 To achieve an adjusted graduation The 1988 graduation rate for and 5) and Region 4-Western rate, the same formula is followed, those students who entered college (Districts 6, 7 and 8). except those students who left the in 1983 declined in both categories Of the three subdivisions of Divi- institution in good academic stand- compared to the l981-to-1986 class, salon I, Division 1-A was the only ing and those whose enrollment which had graduation rates (of 50 one of the three in which the student- continues are not counted. Students percent for student-athletes, and athlete graduation rate was lower who transfer into the class are 47.3 for the student body. than that of the student body (44 counted. The NCAA research staff attrib- percent to 49). Division I-AAA had “Student-athletes who compete utes the decline to the rising cost of the highest student-athlete gradua- for four years and turn pro and ) education and to the fact that many tion rate at 54.9 percent. leave the institution in good academic baccalaureate programs now require “The NCAA uses a very strict standing do not have to be counted six years of study. definition of graduation,” Petr said. by the institution,” Petr said. Todd A. Petr, NCAA assistant The graduation-rate formula is dic- Division I-A public schools director of research. said the rates tated by the provisions of Bylaw showed a median graduation rate of The clincher for both groups have been declining 30.1. The legislation was adopted in 25 percent for men’s basketball ath- smce the NCAA began compiling 1985 to provide a means by which letes and an adjusted graduation data in 1986. an institution’s CEO could compare rate of 4.0 percent. At private Divi- Dave Fleming was credited with a save in GeorgiaL 2-l However, Petr said it has been a the academic records, performance sion I-A schools, the rates were 33.3 victov over Oklahoma State for the College Wodd Serfes consistent finding that the gradua- and graduation rates of student- and 66.7. championship. Fleming gave up one hit over the final three t’ton rate for student-athletes has athletes with students generally at In Division I-A football, the rates innings and Was named to the tJ//-iOwTl~f7let7i &a/77- SH been higher than that of the student his or her institution and with other at public schools were 34.6 and 54.8 stop on page 6. body. institutions within Division 1. See Division I, page 13 New process speeds up decisions House approves bill in membership’s eligibility cases on graduation rates For many years, the NCAA proc- intern. The foregoing might be an unu- H.R. 1454, knownasthe”Stu- H.R. 1454 would require disclo- ess for eligibility-restoration appeals Before the change in the process, sual example, but it indicates the dent Right-to-Know and Cam- sure by colleges and universities was time consuming and inconven- an eligibility appeal might have problems that could be encountered, pus Security Act,” was passed by of their revenues and expenses, ient for all parties involved. gone something like this, according and often were, when the Eligibility the U.S. House of Representa- athletics-related revenues and Then, at the Association’s 1987 to Robert A. Oliver, chair of the Committee handled all appeals dur- tivcs on a voice vote June 5, expenses, student graduation Convention, the eligibility staff was Eligibility Committee: ing a weekly telephone conference. setting up a possible conference rates defined in at least two dif- empowered for the first time to act It is Christmas Eve and a school Now, if a basketball player were between the House and Senate fercnt ways, student-athlete gra- on appeals in eligibility cases instead discovers a violation of an NCAA to lose his eligibility in a similar to reconcile their differing ver- duation rates. campus security of the Eligibility Committee having rule that results in one of its basket- situation, one call to Justus at the sions of the bill. policies and law enforcement, to handle all appeals cases. ball players losing his eligibility just national office and the use of a The version of the bill passed campus crime statistics, and pol- Since that time, approximately before a Christmas tournament. facsimile machine for a written ap- by the House covers a number of icies related to alcohol and illegal 1,400 eligibility-restoration appeals The school decides that circum- peal very likely would settle the subjects in addition to the re- drugs. have been received from the mem- stances warrant an appeal for resto- matter on the spot. porting of student graduation Earlier this year, the Senate bership. Only 36 rulings in those ration of the player’s eligibility. However, if a school disagrees EiteS- the purpose of the origi- passed S. 695, known as the cases have been appealed to the The Eligibility Committee is not- with a ruling by the eligibility staff, nal proposed legislation drafted “Student-Athlete Right-to-Know Eligibility Committee, and in all but ified. Then, all members must be an appeal can be made to the I l- by Reps. Tom McMillen, D- Act,” which addresses only gra- about a dozen of those cases, the rounded up on the holiday eve to member Eligibility Committee, Maryland, and Ed Towns, D- duation-rate disclosure and con- Eligibility Committee has upheld participate in a telephone conference which has subcommittees to deal New York. tains none of the additional decisions by Director of Eligibility to hear the appeal.