NCAA Certification

Governance and Commitment to Rules Compliance Subcommittee

October 24, 2005

Meeting Minutes

Subcommittee members present:  Beverly, Davis, Kestner (chair), O’Bruba, Roller, Shipka, Snowberger, Walker

The Academic Integrity subcommittee held its second meeting from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m..

Copies of the meeting agenda were distributed. Minutes from the October 10 meeting were distributed and approved by consensus. Two items from to the October 10 meeting related to action item #2 were addressed:

• Copies of the full admissions policy as found in the YSU Bulletin were distributed as Attachment A.  This includes admissions policies for transfer and international students.

• It was found that the admissions language specific to student athletes first added in the 2000-2001 YSU Bulletin was inadvertently left out of the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 Bulletins.  Jean Engle will be contacted to ensure that the copy is added to the on-line Bulletin as soon as possible and to the next printed copy of the Bulletin.

The committee continued its consideration of action items related to Operating Principle 2.1:

    8.  With regards to the certification of initial eligibility of student-athletes, the following process is in place at YSU:
          - Individual coaches submit the Clearinghouse Institutional Request to the Compliance Office, which in turn submits the prospect’s name to the NCAA Clearing house.
          - The Compliance Office monitors the status of the clearance until final certification.
          - Members of the Athletic Eligibility Committee (AEC) confirm the final certification.  (Current AEC members are:  Terry Fullum, Academic Administrator; Denise Walters Dobson, Academic Administrator; Jane Kestner, Faculty Athletic Representative and Associate Dean)

With regards to the eligibility of transfer student-athletes, the following process in place at YSU:
          - If possible, athletic academic advisors look at the transcripts of potential transfer athletes to do an initial determination of eligibility
          - The Associate Director of Athletics/Compliance (ADA/C) seeks a release request form from the previous institution, verifying transfer exception & academic requirements from the previous institution.
          - The ADA/C requests transcript from Admissions and provides it to the AEC.
          - The AEC reviews the transfer equates & transcripts and verifies that the student meets the appropriate academic rule.
          - Any AEC member has final signature authority to approve academic eligibility, consensus is preferred.

The accuracy of these procedures was confirmed by Marilyn O’Bruba.

     9. With regards to the continuing eligibility of student-athletes, YSU has the following procedures in place:
          - Athletic academic advisors monitor student records during the academic year and secure Satisfactory Progress Forms from the appropriate advisors.
          - Athletic academic advisors prepare the initial reports that are submitted to the AEC for review
          - The AEC reviews the permanent record, curriculum sheet at Satisfactory Progress Form of each student-athlete and if necessary creates a percentage degree evaluation for the student.  AEC monitors remedial hours, 6 our rule, major declaration etc. at the end of each academic term.
          - Any member of the AEC has final signature authority to approve continuing eligibility, consensus is preferred.

The accuracy of these procedures was confirmed by Marilyn O’Bruba and Jane Kestner.

     10. With regards to the graduate rates of student-athletes and various student athlete sub-groups who receives grants-in-aid in comparison with students in general and sub-groups of students in general, the committee reviewed NCAA Graduation-Rates Reports 2002, 2003 and 2004.  These reports show the graduation rates for all YSU students and subgroups by gender and ethnicity and for all YSU student-athletes and student-athlete subgroups by gender and ethnicity.  Student athlete graduation rates are also shown subdivided by sport.

The committee finds the following positive data:

• For each of the three years reported, student-athletes overall graduate at a higher rate than students in general at YSU.

• Both male and female student-athletes overall graduate at higher rates that male and female students in general at YSU.

• When comparing the graduation rates of various ethnic groups, student-athletes in each ethnic group graduate at either higher or comparable rates at students in the general student populations from these ethnic groups.

The committee finds the following few exceptions to the overwhelmingly positive data when data from individual sports are examined:

• In the sport of baseball, for the year 2004, 0% of black freshmen cohort graduated and 0% of the black 4-year cohort graduates, this was in comparison to 20% of the general student black male freshmen and 18% of the general student four-year cohort of black male students.

It is noted that these data are a function of a cohort of only one black student-athlete in each case.  Conclusions are not appropriately drawn from a sample size of one.

• In the sport of baseball, for the year of 2002, 29% of white freshmen eventually graduated, compared with 34% of the student white male freshmen cohort.

It should be noted that 3 white student-athletes left the team in Spring 1997 thus affecting the graduation rate.

In the same year, the total team graduation rate in baseball was 19% compared with the 34% general male student graduation rate.

It is noted that there has been improvement in graduation rates of the baseball players in years 2003 and 2004.

• In other men’s sports (golf & tennis) for the year 2004, no student athlete from the freshmen cohort graduated, compared with 34% of the general student white male freshmen.  In 2002 this was also the case for both the freshmen and 4-year cohorts (in this case compared with 39% in the male four-year cohort).

Again it is noted that conclusions are inappropriate due to a student-athlete sample size of 1.

• In women’s track for the year 2004, the graduation rate from the black freshmen cohort was 0% compared with 21% from the general student black female freshmen.

Again it is noted that conclusions are inappropriate due to a student-athlete sample size of 1.

The committee has been informed by the Assistant Director of Athletics that the department has initiated a new evaluation process for coaches that includes consideration of student-athlete graduation rates as well as athletic performance.  It is anticipated that the new NCAA point system that takes graduation rates into account will also help increase graduation rates of student-athletes in all sports.

The next meeting of the Academic Integrity subcommittee will be held Monday, November 7 at 2:15 p.m. in the DeBartolo Dean’s Conference Room.  Reminders and an agenda will be emailed a few days before the meeting.

Submitted by Jane Kestner