NCAA evaluates graduation policies

The NCAA has proposed a new set of academic standards it believes will give a clearer picture of how well schools are graduating their student-athletes.\nThe proposal, which was unveiled last week, will no longer count athletes who transfer from an institution in good standing against that institution's graduation rate. Current federal statistics consider anyone that has transferred to or from a college to not have graduated. \n"The current rates are accurate, but they don't tell the entire story," said Amelia Noel, associate athletic director for student athlete services. "It is so valuable that we have a more comprehensive picture." \nFor example, if an athlete were to transfer from Purdue University and graduate from IU, he or she would not be considered a graduate from either university by the old standards. Under the new proposal, this would change.\n"If they don't make the right decision about where they go to college as a freshman, it shouldn't be held against them or the institution," Noel said.\nThe new graduation rate measurement is only a small part of the NCAA's larger proposal. NCAA President Myles Brand is spearheading a campaign to begin measuring an "annual academic-progress rate."\nThis progress rate would be an assessment of how well NCAA institutions are keeping athletes eligible for competition in addition to looking at their graduation rates. Schools that are doing a poor job holding up on the "student" end of the term "student-athlete" would be penalized, with possible punishments including lost scholarships or a ban on postseason play.\nOn the other hand, schools that are exceeding standards could potentially be rewarded for their efforts. However, officials are still brainstorming about what they could offer in terms of incentives.\nGiving programs additional scholarships is an idea that has been mulled over, but women's tennis coach Lin Loring is among those who believe such a system would be particularly messy.\n"It would be hard to enforce giving extra scholarships," Loring said. "That would be a nightmare. Most coaches I have talked to are against that."\nLoring does think that a clearer system of measuring graduation rates would benefit non-revenue sports the most, because transfers in those sports do not have to sit out for a year as they do in football and basketball.\n"You don't see transfers often in basketball and football, but it's epidemic in other sports," Loring said.\nUniversity of Oregon professor Jim Earl co-chairs the Coalition of Intercollegiate Athletics with IU professor Robert Eno. Their organization has worked closely with the NCAA in creating the proposals.\nEarl said the legacy of Brand's quest to reform collegiate athletics could be made or broken on this issue.\n"If he can't convince the NCAA to go with this extremely modest step and proposal, we'll know his plans for reform are in big trouble," Earl said.\nThe NCAA Division I board of directors will vote on the proposal in April.\n-- Contact staff writer Alex Hickey at ahickey@indiana.edu.