NCAA
recommends academic integrity
By Alexis Kindig
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal
State Long Beach reviewed recommendations
the last of three meetings regarding the
National Collegiate Athletics Association
certification process Thursday afternoon.
The university recently finished its self-study
reports and is preparing to send them to
the NCAA.
Doug Robinson, the chairman of the certification
steering committee and vice president of
Student Services, went over the recommendations
compiled by the four certification subcommittees.
The subcommittees focus on governance and
rules, academic integrity, fiscal integrity,
and equity and sportsmanship.
Among the proposed improvements is a plan
to increase the gap between athlete graduation
rates and the rest of the student population
to 10 percent by 2005. In other words, Robinson
said, if the graduation rate for non-athletes
is 40 percent, the rate for athletes should
be 50 percent.
Bill Shumard, director of athletics, said
the current gap in grad rates is about 6
percent, with about 74 percent of student
athletes graduating. However, only freshmen
who come in on a sports scholarship are
counted in these statistics.
Other recommendations include recruiting
and advertising across a wide demographic,
and making sure the university’s affirmative
action policies are always in compliance
with governmental standards. The school
already does these things but could do better,
Robinson said. He also said that the NCAA
is especially focused on the issue of equity
among athletes and staff.
Other suggestions included improving academic
advising for athletes and to monitoring
class attendance by athletes.
The full report will be made available to
the public sometime in January or February,
Robinson said. NCAA representatives will
visit the campus April 8 through 11, 2003.
“I’m confident that we’ll pass with flying
colors,” Robinson said.
Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson
also expressed his approval of and confidence
in the certification process.
“We’re not just talking about 300 students
[the approximate number of CSULB athletes],
we’re talking about a very, very large window
to the public that athletics provides.”
He stated that he thinks the improvements
made will make for a “better athletic program
and a better university.”
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