Findings from a Self-Study prepared in anticipation of the 1999 athletics certification visit from the NCAA:

1. The intercollegiate athletics program with its recent move to Division I has played an important role in achieving the University's goal of bettering student life and improving the total educational experience of all students. The intercollegiate athletics program is helping to create a sense of community among faculty, staff and students as well as foster a feeling of institutional pride. In this regard, student-athletes are totally integrated in the student body and are often more involved in campus activities than other students.

2. The academic profiles for student-athletes who are admitted to IUPUI compare favorably and with few exceptions exceed the profiles of the entire entering class of IUPUI students. Graduation rates (requires Adobe Acrobat for viewing) for student-athletes generally equal or exceed graduation rates of the student body as a whole. The NCAA provides a summary Graduation Rates Report for all Division I schools.

For the entering class of 1999-2000, student-athletes on athletically-related aid compared favorably with all entering students:

3. Student-athletes receive no special treatment in the admissions process.  Authority for admissions and certification of academic standing is vested in the same bodies that are charged with these responsibilities for all students.

4. The academic support system for student-athletes relies heavily on SAMP as well as the support system available for all IUPUI students.  SAMP is administered by the Compliance Coordinator. Academic support is formalized for student-athletes to ensure satisfactory progress toward the bachelor’s degree.

5. Adequate policies exist to minimize conflicts between athletic and academic schedules. Scheduling of athletic competitions and practices are reviewed by the Athletics Advisory Committee to ensure that athletics schedules comply with these policies.

Establishing Eligibility

The Eligibility Committee must determine the academic eligibility for all student-athletes. This group is comprised of the following: Faculty Athletics Representative, Director of Admissions, Assessment, and Recruitment Services, Director of Student Financial Aid Services,  Assistant Director of Athletics/SWA (ex officio), Compliance Coordinator (ex officio), and Registrar (chair).

Admissions Standards for Student-Athletes

The NCAA requirements for new student-athletes include a high school degree with a minimum gpa in a successfully completed core curriculum which include at least 14 academic courses (also known as "core" courses) in 2005, 2006 and 2007. The completed core curriculum must include 16 academic courses in 2008.

An entering freshman must achieve a minimum combined score on the SAT/ACT and gpa in the core courses while in high school. This score is on a sliding scale where a lower SAT/ACT must be offset by a higher core gpa and vice-versa.

The NCAA uses a National Clearinghouse which reviews all high school records for entering freshmen who have no previous college attendance. The Clearinghouse determines whether or not an entering freshman has met the requirements for competition and receipt of athletics-related financial aid.

Transfer students must meet specific NCAA regulations in order to compete.

Continuing Eligibility

In order to compete, student-athletes must maintain satisfactory academic progress towards a degree.

1. The student must complete a minimum of six credit hours in the previous semester full-time enrollment.

2. The student must be enrolled for at least twelve credit hours each semester.

Items 3 through 6 apply to students who enroll first-time full-time prior to August 1, 2003

3. The student must complete an average of twelve credit hours each semester of enrollment with no more than 25% of these hours earned in summer school. This means that if a student does not complete twelve credit hours in a particular term, the hours may be made up in a summer session with a maximum of six credits over the course of the summer.

4. A student must have completed 25% of the degree requirements with a cumulative gpa of 90% of the degree-school's minimum gpa requirement by the beginning of the student's fifth semester.

5. A student must have completed 50% of the degree requirements with a cumulative gpa of 95% of the degree-school's minimum gpa requirement by the beginning of the student's seventh semester.

6. A student must have completed 75% of the degree requirements with a cumulative gpa of 95% of the degree-school's minimum gpa requirement by the beginning of the student's ninth semester.

Items 7 through 13 apply to students who enroll first-time full-time on or after August 1, 2003

7. The student must pass 24 credit hours prior to the start of their 3rd semester following their initial full-time enrollment.

8. The student must pass 18 credit hours since the preceding two semesters.  Summer hours may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

9. During the first two years of enrollment, a student who has not designated a specific degree program may use credits acceptable toward any degree program.

10. A student must be required to have a designated program of studies to a specific degree by their 3rd year or 5th semester of enrollment.  Any credits, from this point, must be used to meet the progress towards the student’s designated degree requirements.

11. A student entering their third year of enrollment must complete at least 40% of the course requirements in the student’s specific degree program.

12. A student entering their fourth year of enrollment must complete at least 60% of the course requirements in the student’s specific degree program with a cumulative gpa of 100% of the degree-school’s minimum gpa requirement.

13. A student entering their fifth year of enrollment must complete at least 80% of the course requirements in the student’s specific degree program with a cumulative gpa of 100% of the degree-school’s minimum gpa requirement.

Academic Performance of Student-Athletes

Recruiting Calendar

The recruiting calendar describes the dead periods, evaluation periods, quiet periods and contact periods for various sports at IUPUI.

Role of Compliance Coordinator

Bret Shambaugh serves the role of Compliance Coordinator for the institution’s department of intercollegiate athletics.  As Compliance Coordinator he reports to the IUPUI Registrar and as the coordinator of student-athlete academic support services, he reports to the Dean of University College. Bret may be reached at bshambau@iupui.edu or at 317-278-1648. His responsibilities include:

1. Coordination and monitoring the activity of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics as it relates to both the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mid-Continent Conference as well as IUPUI's Guide to Rules Compliance.

2. Coordinating academic advising for student-athletes enrolled in University College

3. Monitoring academic advising for student-athletes in the degree-granting schools to ensure not only satisfactory academic progress but also compliance with continuing athletics eligibility.

4. Serving as the contact person for faculty and others in regard to the academic performance and progress of student-athletes. This includes making sure athletes are attending class, that athletes are completing all course requirements, and in general providing a point of contact for faculty who have concerns or comments about the student-athlete's performance in class. Coaches are allowed to contact faculty members to discuss a student-athlete's class attendance and attitude towards his or her studies, but may not contact faculty to discuss a student-athlete's grade.

Student-athletes minimize potential conflict between practices, competitions and class time through early counseling and careful monitoring by the Student-Athlete Academic Advisor. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics policy states unequivocally that no student-athlete may miss class due to team meetings, strength and conditioning work, or practice. Excused absences at the discretion of the individual class instructor are allowed for travel to and from away contests or to compete in home contests. Coaches are encouraged to schedule in such a manner that the team as a whole will not miss a total of 10 class days and individual student-athletes will not miss more than 4 sessions of the same class. Exceptions may be granted in the case of NCAA post-season competitions that cause the sport to exceed the limits. These exceptions must be initiated by the Academic Advisor and presented by the IUPUI Director of Athletics to the Athletics Committee for approval.

The Compliance Coordinator conducts regular Rules Education sessions for the coaches and staff in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Any member of the IUPUI faculty or staff is welcomed to these sessions. Contact the Compliance Coordinator at lmgeiger@iupui.edu for more information or let her know you'll attend. Rules Education sessions are held monthly throughout the academic year.

As a faculty member, you will be sent a memo entitled "Student-Athletes Missing Class for Intercollegiate Competition" approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester. This will list any specific dates a student-athlete would miss class due to travel or competition. You will be asked to review this schedule and determine how you would handle these absences. If the absences will pose a significant problem in the student completing course requirements, please note this on the form and return it as soon as possible. The academic advisor will work with the student to find another course.

In the seventh week of the semester, you will be sent a "Questionnaire Regarding Student-Athletes in the Classroom." Please complete this form and return it as soon as possible to help the Academic Advisor identify any problems which need extra attention or assistance such as tutoring.

Faculty Governance

In 1998, the Indiana University Faculty Council passed an Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Policy. Included in that policy was the establishment of an Athletic Coordinating Council for the university with faculty constituting two-thirds of its membership. For more information visit the Intercollegiate Athletics Programs Policy.