NCAA Officials Consider Prop. 42 Modification : Idea to Allow Aid to Athletes Who Fail to Meet Academic Standards Is Explored

Freshmen who fail to meet the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.’s controversial Proposition 42 academic requirements might still receive athletic scholarships under an idea the organization’s Presidents Commission has decided to explore, a spokesman said Friday.

“The idea is to modify Proposition 42 to provide an individual the opportunity to receive need-based financial aid, the kind that would be available on the same basis to other incoming students,” said Ted Tow, a NCAA assistant executive director.

“But the commission reaffirmed its support of the principle of Proposition 42, that academic standards for initial eligibility in athletics should be strengthened. The commission is concerned, however, that individuals who have been considered partial qualifiers should not be deprived of the opportunity to attend college because they are precluded from receiving financial aid.”

The passage of Proposition 42 at last January’s NCAA convention was controversial, and led to Georgetown basketball Coach John Thompson boycotting several games in protest. Essentially, Proposition 42--to take effect in August of 1990--eliminates the partial qualifier provision of Proposition 48. A partial qualifier is one who has an overall 2.0 high school grade-point average but fails to meet other Proposition 48 standards, the minimum score on college entrance tests or a 2.0 in college preparatory courses.

Partial qualifiers have been able to receive scholarships but were barred from playing or practicing as freshmen. Under Proposition 42, they would be denied all scholarship aid. Tow said the commission, at its meeting earlier this week in Chicago, asked the staff to prepare modifying legislation for the 1990 convention. The legislation is expected to most directly affect minority students who traditionally score lower than other groups on the standardized tests.

“We’ll have something for the commission to review at its October meeting,” Tow said. “If need-based financial assistance were awarded to a recruited prospect, it would be counted against a school’s financial aid limits. In other words, an institution can have only 95 football players on scholarship, and a freshmen receiving the need-based aid would count against the scholarship limit.”

The commission will not be the only group with legislation regarding Proposition 42 on the 1990 agenda.

“The common wisdom is that there could be several proposals, ranging all the way from delaying implementation of 42 to rescinding it,” Tow said. “That is what we hear from the membership.”

Tow said the commission also decided to support an effort by Sen. Bill Bradley (D-New Jersey) to require schools to disclose their athletes’ graduation rates.

“That’s something else we’ll be working up for the October meeting, with the intention of submitting it to a vote of the membership at the January convention,” Tow said.

“The idea is to make the information available during the recruiting process. The next step is to specify the definitions, the format and the extent of the disclose. How widely will it be disclosed? Just to the prospect and his parents, or to the general public?”