On Tuesday, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) announced penalties against two schools in the State University System of Florida. FAMU and Florida International University (FIU) both received sanctions.
According to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) protocols
established by the NCAA, FAMU’s volleyball team has fallen to Penalty Phase II
status. FAMU men’s basketball and men’s indoor/outdoor track and field have been
placed on Penalty Phase I status.
The penalties are based on a four-year average. Teams on
Penalty Phase I status are required to reduce their practice time in order to
allocate four additional hours to mandatory study hall, life skills classes
and/or time management exercises. Penalty Phase II status means that a team must
reduce its practice time and sit out of postseason play.
Due to the sanctions, FIU’s
basketball team and FAMU’s volleyball team are ineligible for the championship
crowns in their respective conferences during the 2013-2014 season. They are
also blocked from the NCAA championship tournaments.
FAMU Athletics has adopted a six-part corrective action plan
for addressing the deficiencies in APR:
1) Enhance the tutorial program by hiring staff with more
specialized background in academically challenging subjects such as science and
math;
2) Increase the frequency by which we receive academic
progress reports. This will assist in identifying students who may have
additional needs;
3) Expand the use of current academic playbook program. The
program is designed to closely monitor those student athletes who are
considered at-risk;
4) Conduct bi-weekly meetings with coaches and their at-risk
student-athletes, along with FAMU Athletics’ academic and compliance staff.
These meetings serve as a tool to monitor the progress of those identified
student athletes;
5) Allow tutors to travel with teams to competitions that
have student-athletes away from campus 48 hours or more; and
6) Incorporate an orientation program to assist transfer
students with their transition to a university environment both academically
and socially.
In September 2012, FAMU Athletics opened its Academic Center
for Excellence (ACE), which is housed in the Gaither Athletic Complex, and
consists of a computer lab, academic advisors and tutors.
Michael Smith, FAMU’s interim director of athletics,
believes that the center is key to improving the academic success of athletes.
Since opening, the center has contributed to the graduation of 71
student-athletes.
“We are dedicated to making sure our student-athletes have
the best opportunity to succeed academically,” Smith said. “The academic center
was a major enhancement for the department. Therefore, we are confident we can
achieve our desired results to have all of our sports academically compliant
with the NCAA, and give student-athletes the opportunity to earn their degree.”