HBCUs Hit Hard by NCAA Sanctions
Filed in Breaking News, Racial Gap on June 14, 2013
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has released its latest Academic Progress Rates (APR) for colleges and universities. The ratings are calculated using eligibility, retention, and graduation rates of student athletes. Teams that do not reach certain thresholds of academic success are penalized by the NCAA.
Eighteen teams were penalized by being declared ineligible for postseason competition in the 2013-14 academic year. Of these 18 teams, 15 were teams at historically Black colleges and universities. While HBCUs are bearing the brunt of the most stringent sanctions, the NCAA states that the average APR rate for HBCUs has risen 15 points over the past two years. NCAA Executive Vice President Bernard Franklin, stated “Over time, these institutions will continue to flourish and meet the needs of their student-athletes.”
The sports teams facing sanctions at HBCUs are:
Alabama State University: baseball, football, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball
Florida A&M University: women’s volleyball
Grambling State University: men’s basketball
Mississippi Valley State University: baseball, football, men’s basketball
Norfolk State University: men’s indoor track, men’s outdoor track
Savannah State University: football
Southern University: men’s indoor track, men’s outdoor track
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff: men’s basketball
A blessing in disguise.
Could this mean that there is LESS grade favoritism for student-athletes at HBCU’s than other colleges?