Athletic department undergoes year-long study
By Allison Lefkowitz
Daily Bruin Staff
As part of a National Collegiate Athletic Association
certification program, UCLA’s athletic department is undergoing a
year-long study examining areas including academic and financial
integrity, rules compliance and a commitment to equity between
men’s and women’s sports.
Stemming from a pilot evaluation program in which UCLA took
part, the NCAA decided to examine all Division I schools over a
five year period and assign the equivalent of an academic
accreditation. Division I is a category of schools with large
athletic programs offering players scholarships.
The certification determines if the school’s athletic program
meets the association’s standards. UCLA is part of a second wave of
schools to be examined.
Chancellor Charles Young appointed UCLA administrators including
committee chair Peter Blackman, vice chancellor of capital
programs; Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, vice chancellor of academic
affairs and Edward Alpers, dean of the College of Letters &
Science, to the study’s steering committee.
The study, according to Young, "aims to ensure honesty and
integrity in athletics operations."
Subcommittees, some including the voices of student athletes,
are reviewing each area and will present written reports to the
steering committee in January.
The main committee will then evaluate these reports and pass on
the information to the NCAA. Evaluations will be made based on
standards, known as operating principles, defined by the
association.
At the conclusion of the study, a group of reviewers composed of
peers from other colleges and conference offices will conduct an
evaluation of the athletic program based on the reports and on
personal visits to the campus.
They will then report to the NCAA, and the athletic department
will be placed on one of three certification levels: certified,
certified with conditions or not certified. Depending on the status
conferred, each school will need to correct any problems or risk
possible NCAA ineligibility.