NCAA to scrutinize CSULB

49er athletics to volunteer for two-year self-examination

The Cal State Long Beach athletic department will be undergoing certification this year from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the governing body for intercollegiate events.

Dave O'Brien, director of sports, athletics and recreation, said the NCAA began implementing the certification program in 1990 because it "felt it would be good for the universities, as well as for the public, to know that the athletic departments are being conducted in an appropriate manner, consistent with the university regulations."

The mandatory certification process takes two years for completion and should be done once every five years thereafter. Each

institution was given the choice of when to begin its certification cycle, and CSULB decided to undergo certification this year.

O'Brien stressed that CSULB "volunteered for this because we wanted to make sure we're conducting our business the right way. It's not a result of anything that we've done wrong or it's not the NCAA choosing us to look at because they're suspicious of anything."

A 15-person steering committee, consisting of CSULB faculty, staff, student athletes and non-athletes and alumni, will perform a self-study to evaluate the school's performance based on NCAA guidelines.

The steering committee is divided into four sub-committees, with each concentrating on one of the following areas: a) governance and commitment to rules compliance, b) academic integrity, c) fiscal integrity, d) commitment to equity.

According to an NCAA outline, the governance and commitment to rules compliance sub-committee examines whether the athletic department follows the university's rules and NCAA regulations on matters such as departmental structure and administrative functions.

The academic integrity sub-committee asks whether student athletes are going to class, succeeding in the classroom and graduating.

The fiscal integrity sub-committee deals with how the athletic department handles its budget.

Associated Students President Suzie Aramesh said the commitment to equity sub-committee checks to see if "all athletes are treated equally, regardless of race, gender or sport."

Vice President of Student Services Douglas Robinson said the steering committee will make a report based on the findings of the sub-committees. Robinson also said he expects the report to be finished by summer 1995 and to be turned in to the NCAA by October of that same year.

O'Brien said that once the NCAA receives and studies the reports, a peer review committee of about five people drawn from different walks of academic and athletic life will give an evaluation and recommendations on what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong."

When the certification process is completed in 1996, the NCAA will give the athletic department one of three possible ratings: a) certified, b) certified with conditions, and c) not certified.

"Being certified sends a signal to the campus and to the external community (of Long Beach) that we have a good athletic program," said Robinson.

According to the "NCAA Division I Athletics Certification Program Outline," a rating of "certified with conditions" means that while the athletic department complied to most operating principles, it still had serious problems in some areas.

The outline also states that a "not certified" rating puts the school into a restricted membership category, making it ineligible to participate in NCAA championships.

As far as Robinson and O'Brien are concerned, however, that is not a likelihood for CSULB.

"I'm very confident that we're going to be certified," O'Brien said. "Our intention is to have this athletic department be the best one in the nation in every respect."