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The NCAA Can’t Win When It Comes to Academic Reform

Jul 10, 2009, 6:30 PM UTC

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Frank Deford may think the NCAA is an “evil overseer to its athleticâ†µminions” -- yes,â†µhe literally said that word-for-word and wasn’t kidding even a littleâ†µbit -- but at least they’ve been trying to make the “student” in theâ†µstudent-athlete thing more relevant of late.â†µ
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â†µA couple of years ago, the NCAA introduced the Academic Progress Rate, aâ†µnationwide program that monitors graduation rates and punishes schoolsâ†µthat fail to meet a fairly generous minimum (60 percent). To date, it’s mostlyâ†µhit smaller schools that don’t haveâ†µthe resources to take in the academically questionable and shepherd themâ†µthrough college, but this offseason three Big Ten basketballâ†µprograms -- Indiana, Purdue, and Ohio State -- got socked with reductions. It’s notâ†µjust a tool to beat up on Cleveland State anymore.â†µ
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â†µThis has been met with considerable praise:â†µâ†µâ‡¥“Right now,” says Gerald Gurney, president-elect of the more thanâ†µâ‡¥1,000-member National Association of Academic Advisors forâ†µâ‡¥Athletics, “academic reform needs to be reformed.”â†µâ‡¥
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â†µâ‡¥It isn’t the first time Gurney, a senior associate athleticsâ†µâ‡¥director at the University of Oklahoma, has raised his voice. Butâ†µâ‡¥his year-long position with the advisers group gives him a newâ†µâ‡¥national platform, and he says he’ll use it to push the NCAA forâ†µâ‡¥changes. His concern, he says, is “commonplace ... for those on theâ†µâ‡¥ground working with student-athletes.”â†µâ†µ...and by “considerable praise” we mean “complaining.”â†µ
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Gurney’s main concern is cheating of the sort that saw Florida State getâ†µ(lightly) sanctioned:â†µâ†µâ‡¥“Think about the terror a poorly prepared student-athlete must feelâ†µâ‡¥... in the classroom. Imagine how that affects their daily lives,”â†µâ‡¥heâ†µâ‡¥says. “It’s a far more formidable opponent than anything they’llâ†µâ‡¥face on the court or on the field. Is there any doubt we have higherâ†µâ‡¥incidents of academic dishonesty?”â†µâ†µHis argument: a half-dozen years ago the NCAA moved from oneâ†µstandardized-test minimum from sea to shining sea to a “sliding scale”â†µthat took your GPA into account. Rock a 3.7 and the minimum test scoreâ†µyou have to achieve to become eligible is far lower than someone limpingâ†µaround with a 2.2. If you’ve ever seen a crappy movie about high schoolâ†µathletes you know that high school grades can be vaguely positiveâ†µsuggestions about the potential of Johnny Quarterback if he ever showed upâ†µin class. Therefore this represents a significantly lower hurdle for aâ†µlot of athletes to clear.â†µ
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â†µLess Qualified Students + Higher Pressure To Graduate = Cheatin’. Okay,â†µyeah, I see where he’s going there, and think he’s right that academicâ†µfraud cases will see an upswing in the future.â†µ
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â†µBut isn’t that preferable to a world in which no one cheats because itâ†µdoesn’t matter enough to care? I’d like to see NCAA schools forced to spendâ†µa lot of money keeping their athletes on track for a degree. I’d likeâ†µsmaller schools that willfully take players they know they cannot keepâ†µeligible to be punished for having those players fail to make it. If anâ†µincrease in cheating is the price, I’m willing to pay it.â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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