In an effort to change the way colleges recruit student athletes, the NCAA approved changes to rules governing academic standards for Division I sports eligibility -- a move that has everyone from university presidents to sports columnists talking.
New standards that went into effect on Thursday lower the existing minimum SAT requirement for students with higher GPAs and force student athletes already in college to meet more stringent graduation requirements.
"We've created academic profiles that prospective and enrolled student-athletes must meet to earn the privilege of competing in intercollegiate athletics," Division I Board Chairman Robert Hemenway said in a public statement. "If you continue to meet the profile you will graduate. If you don't fit the model, you won't be participating in college sports."
University Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said that although there has been debate over whether it is the NCAA's role to impose such standards, he expects the changes will be approved.
"This is all part of the same package," Littlepage said. "There is a feeling that there needs to be national standards to improve the graduation rate of student athletes."
Littlepage also said "it is no surprise they approved it -- it has been a topic of discussion for years."
Along with disputes over the NCAA's sphere of jurisdiction, there has been argument over the benefits of changes to standards.
The new rules make several changes, some increasing and some decreasing academic requirements. Student athletes already enrolled now will have to finish 40 percent of required courses by the beginning of their third year, 60 percent by the beginning of their fourth year and 80 percent by the beginning of their fifth year. Previous rules dictated that athletes only had to complete 25 percent of their course work after two years and complete an additional 25 percent each year after that.
Eligibility for acceptance no longer will hinge on a minimum SAT score, formerly set at 820. Students with SAT scores as low as 400 (the score awarded for correctly filling in your name) now will be academically eligible if they have a GPA above 3.55 in core courses.
Students also must take 14 credits of core courses, up from the previous lower limit of 13.
Littlepage said the changes are meant to shift focus from standardized testing to classroom performance, which many believe is a better gauge of collegiate performance.
"In many cases a broad-based core program is a much better indicator of future success," Littlepage said. "As far as I have read, there is general sentiment that the NCAA misuses the [SAT] test."
President John T. Casteen III said he thought the changes were steps in the right direction.
"No respectable college uses [SAT] cut scores. We don't, and we never have. This new scaled score will be harder for sports writers to understand, but otherwise it makes for more effective schooling and better admission decisions," Casteen said. "I see all three changes as steps in the right direction, and I think that students who are athletes will benefit from them."
Some have argued that the switch will lower academic standards, as high school grades are not necessarily uniform nationwide. Critics of the proposed changes to NCAA academic standards cite examples of schools allowing student athletes to achieve high marks regardless of low academic success.
Former University Athletic Director Terry Holland, who nows serves as a special assistant to Casteen, said he fears the unintended consequences of increasing academic standards while removing objective criteria.
"When you ratchet up standards you put a lot of pressure on the high schools," Holland said. "If you are a high school English teacher about to give a student athlete a 'C' and you have a coach saying please give him a 'B' or he won't be able to play at college, it can increase academic fraud."
Holland said that as standards are increased, typically the same number of students are admitted to schools.
"Some will say that kids are stepping up to the challenge," Holland said. "But the truth is the same students are getting into schools."
Holland also argued that intense competition for top players puts pressure on schools to accept NCAA standards that might be lower than their own.
"They are stamping these kids as certified," Holland said. "That makes it hard for schools to say they won't take them."
Littlepage and Holland said they did not think the entrance changes will affect the University, as University academic demands require achievement above the minimum standards.
"I don't think a student presenting a 400 SAT score would succeed here," Littlepage said.
Read More
Melina Kibbe to leave U.Va. Health for Texas after tumultuous term
By Ford McCracken | 9 minutes agoKibbe’s departure marks the end of an ongoing battle between U.Va. Health employees and their senior leadership.
Letter from 12 deans to Board of Visitors goes unanswered for almost two weeks
By Naima Sawaya | 2 hours agoAt the time of publication, the academic deans had received no response from the Board regarding their offer to meet with the Board “as soon as possible.”
Sen. Tim Kaine speaks to U.Va. students, discusses Ryan resignation and more
By Grace Traxler | YesterdayIn an informal Q&A session, audience members asked about threats to federal research, the future of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University, potential shifts in the Democratic Party and more.
