Jul 01, 2008
Although long over due, the Athletics department is beginning to take the NCAA's allegations that it "lacks institutional control" seriously.
For the past two years, FIU has been hit with penalties from the NCAA for poor academic progress rate (APR) scores, misapplying financial aid and allowing ineligible student-athletes to compete in competition.
APR scores are used to measure how well Division I student-athletes are performing academically during a four-year period. If a team scores less than 925 consistently, the NCAA's punishments can range from scholarship losses to termination from Division I.
From 2003 to 2007 men's basketball, football, baseball, men's track and women's swimming scored under 925.
Even though Athletics has installed various support systems to help student-athletes succeed while at FIU, students continue to fail. Since APR scores are calculated during a four-year period, it may take sometime for the cumulative scores to improve.
But the department is heading in the right direction in addressing the problem by hiring additional compliance officers, giving more athletes resources at the Student-Athlete Academic Center and hiring an APR specialist.
Going to such extremes is the only way to make this problem go away. If the problem persists, the NCAA can ban teams from postseason completion or even relegate it to Division II status.
Being downgraded back to Division II would be a major blow to a University that has invested so much money into advancing its atheletics program.
By focusing so much attention on Athletics, the University is hoping for a return on it's initial investment in the future. Here are just some expenses: a new stadium, a new logo, new coaches, new equipment, support staff and the Student-Athlete Academic Center.
Even though coaches may be frustrated with APR scores, it helps student-athletes get help in the classroom. This ultimately holds the coaches and their players to higher standards.
APR ensures that student-atheletes gain an education along the way, since many critics argue that schools use athletics as a means of producing a lucrative revenue stream, without student- athletes seeing a penny for their labors.
On the other hand, universities argue that student-athletes are being rewarded with a degree they are earning while in college.
Unless APR scores begin to be taken seriously, the value of these degrees will always be held in question.