Division II Adopts New Academic Standards

The three divisions within the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. have rarely made a significant move together.

Typically, one of the divisions makes a move, then the others sit back and watch for a year or two before deciding whether to follow.

On Thursday, it was Division II’s turn to follow. Its delegates adopted Proposition 64, a measure mandating the same athletic eligibility standards for freshmen first promulgated by Division I a year ago in New Orleans.

Under the new rules, incoming freshmen must have at least a 2.0 grade-point average in 11 academic courses and college board scores of either 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test or 15 on the American College Test.

The measure, which will go into effect in the fall of 1988, was passed by a vote of 93-70 after two hours of political maneuvering and lectures.

Proponents of the proposition expressed fears that Division II would be, or had already become, a dumping ground for athletes who didn’t meet Division I academic requirements.

Delegates backing Proposition 66--a proposal that would have required only a 2.0 grade-point average of freshmen--argued that Division I requirements were too stringent and relied too heavily on test scores. Most of its backers were from rural Midwestern and Southern schools.

Raymond Burse, president of Kentucky State and a proponent of Proposition 66, cited a need for academic reform, but not at the cost of a large quantity of potential student-athletes.

“It eliminates too many kids from a chance at an academic experience,” Burse said. He quoted one study that found that almost 50% of black high school graduates would not have qualified under the new rule.

Bob Morman of the Central Collegiate Athletic Assn., who called the new rule “a fad,” pointed out that Division II had gone without the 2.0 grade-point average rule Division I adopted in 1972. “They didn’t call us a dumping ground then,” Morman said, “so why should they now?”

The possibility of the public looking at Division II schools as academically inferior to Division I was a prime consideration for many in favor of Proposition 64.

“I don’t think our institutions want to become second-class academic citizens. I don’t think we can afford that label,” said Arend Lubbers, president of Grand Valley (Mich.) State.

Cal State Northridge Athletic Director Bob Hiegert acknowledged the importance of being image-conscious, but said a school’s graduation rate was most important.

“If you measure your success as an academic institution by graduations,” he said, “then you should be concerned that your student-athletes come in with the necessary skills to take them in that direction.”

Still, most Division II schools across the country already individually have standards higher than those adopted Thursday--though some athletic departments grant admittance waivers to freshmen who do not meet guidelines.

Entrance requirements at all schools in the Cal State University system are on a sliding scale. Students with a 2.0 grade-point average will need a SAT score of 1,400 or an ACT of 33 beginning in the fall of 1988.

At Kentucky State, students need the equivalent of a 2.5 grade-point average in a core-curriculum of 18 courses and an ACT score of 17 to gain entrance.

Proposition 64 was the only amendment to the NCAA’s bylaws approved on Thursday. The CCAA finished the day 1 for 2 after its proposal to restrict the eligibility of an athlete over the age of 20 was soundly defeated.

A controversial measure that would have allowed tryouts in some Division II sports failed, 86-78, after speakers expressed concern about insurance liability as well as the ethics of the proposal.

A proposal to establish a quiet period for two days before and after the first opportunity to sign a spring letter of intent for women’s basketball was also voted down.

Division II delegates will join with their Division I and Division III brethren for a general business session today at which dozens of measures that affect all three divisions will be voted on.