NCAA to examine freshman eligibility requirements

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Rob Ianello UA football recruiting coordinator

With proposals ranging from eliminating the use of SAT and ACT scores to placing more emphasis on high school grade point averages, NCAA officials will meet later this month to work toward a resolution.

Bill Morgan, the University of Arizona's assistant athletic director for compliance, said even if the NCAA changes its requirements, incoming freshmen must still qualify under institutional guidelines.

"UA's requirements have traditionally been much higher than the NCAA regulations," he said. "Any changes that the NCAA makes in their requirements won't change Arizona's prerequisites."

The UA requires incoming students to have a 3.0 GPA in 16 high school core courses, compared to NCAA guidelines which require a minimum 2.0 GPA in 13 core courses.

The past system had a scale allowing student-athletes with low GPAs to qualify if they had higher SAT scores. With an SAT below 820, however, students would be denied admission regardless of their GPA.

Lawyers for four black high school athletes argued that SAT and ACT test scores are biased and unfair to minority students athletes, and stated that the governing body should install a nondiscriminatory eligibility policy.

The court decided March 8 to eliminate the use of standardized testing for incoming athletes. Two weeks later, the NCAA was granted a delay to come up with a policy that would not discriminate against minority student athletes.

UA football recruiting coordinator Rob Ianello said the SAT and ACT are "culturally, racially and socially biased."

One of the modifications being discussed to eliminate the bias in the testing would include giving as much weight to GPAs as SATs by using a "sliding scale."

More weight would likely be given to overall performance in high school because test scores carry twice as much weight as overall high school achievements.

For example, a student with a 1.8 GPA and a 1400 SAT score might qualify, as would a student with a 3.6 GPA with a 400 SAT score.

Jane Jankowski, public information coordinator for the NCAA, said the organization is weighing its options and leaving all options open.

"I think they will either throw out test requirements completely, or institute a two-way sliding scale," Jankowski said.

Jankowski said the legislative body of the NCAA will meet later in April to discuss possible solutions and hope to have a resolution by August.

Morgan said regardless of the NCAA's decision, the type of student-athletes recruited by the UA should remain the same.

Once players clear UA's admission standards, they are still subject to the requirements of the university's "satisfactory progress" program.

The program requires student-athletes to complete 24 units each year. Upon entering their third year, student-athletes must have 25 percent of their degree requirements completed.

The following years require 50 percent and 75 percent of degree prerequisites to be finished. Morgan said this makes it impossible for student athletes to load up on unnecessary courses.

"If they spend their first two years taking underwater fire prevention, then they are done," he said.

Morgan said that when all is said and done the university has the responsibility to recruit students that can compete not only on the field, but also in the classroom - regardless of incoming requirements.

"One of the things that we stress is that we have to bring youngsters that can compete with the rest of the students on campus," he said. "And that is not easy because there is a good amount of competition in the classroom at UA."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.