SIUC study of athletics program available

The University is nearing the end of a year-long self-study process to determine whether SIUC complies with operating principles adopted for the conduct of intercollegiate athletics in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The operating principles include:

• Academic Integrity
• Governance & Commitment to Rules Compliance and Equity
• Student-Athlete well-being.

A key element of the self-study process is broad-based participation. Representation from across the campus and community are in each of three subcommittees and the steering committee.

The entire campus has an opportunity to view the report and provide feedback. The committee is in the process of placing discussion drafts of each section of the report on the SIUC's Intercollegiate Athletics Web site.

The University community is encouraged to go to the Web site to review sections of the report of interest and offer any feedback before final submission. The report will be submitted to the NCAA on Monday, May 8. If you have questions, you may contact Kathy Jones, associate director of intercollegiate athletics, at 453-5279 or at ckjones@siu.edu.

Peter C. Alexander, dean of the SIU School of Law, is chair of the NCAA Certification Self-Study Steering Committee.

This is the second self-study for SIUC since the concept of accrediting athletics programs was adopted by the NCAA's Division I membership in 1993.

Once SIUC concludes its study, an external team of reviewers will conduct a two-day minimum evaluation visit on campus. Those reviewers will be peers from other colleges, universities or conference offices. That team will report to the NCAA Division I Committee on Athletics Certification, another independent group. The committee will then determine the University's certification status and announce the decision publicly.

Programs are either (a) certified; (b) certified with conditions; or (c) not certified.

The NCAA is a membership organization of colleges and universities that participate in intercollegiate athletics. The primary purpose of the Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body. Activities of the NCAA membership include formulating rules of play for NCAA sports, conducting national championships, adopting and enforcing standards of eligibility, and studying all phases of intercollegiate athletics.