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Show ora February Forum Pxg4 1CC3 arts Create 6WMti:e3rr rs Mew ReqjoIiremeiaiiS aver(ACT) exam, and earn a 2.0 grade-poicourses. academic school 11 high age in The requirements will be phased in over three low years to allow freshman athletes to offset test scores with h igh grades or vice versa. nt by Jessica Snyder (CPS) College coaches and athletic directors predict the NCAAs new academic requirements for freshman athletes will create "whiter football and basketball teams and give larger schools a sharper recruiting edge over smaller schools. Members of the National Collegiate Athletic to, adopt a Association recently voted 206-9- 4 controversial plan to require freshman athletes to earn certain minimum scores on college entrance exams, and have a 2.0 grade-poin- t average in 11 specified high school courses. At the NCAA convention in New Orleans, black educators objected that the standardized test score measure effectively will keep minority students off teams and out of college. Educators have long argued standardized test questions tend to be culturally biased, dwelling on experiences and concepts associated with middle-clas- s upbringings. "The NCAA had good intentions and a lousy product, says Timothy Walter, supervisor of academic support program the student-athlet- e of at the University Michigan. Theres definitely going to be a whitening of major schools Walter said. You might see other schools breaking off and a movement of minority kids to a few schools. The requirements, which will affect NCAA Division I and I A schools, eventually will require freshmen athletes to score at least 700 on the combined Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or 15 on the American College Testing , iA freshmen must have high school In 1986-8GPAs of 1.8, SAT scores of 740 or ACT scores of 17 to be eligible to play or even practice on NCAA varsity teams. A freshman scoring only 660 on the SAT or 13 on the ACT must have a 2.2 high school GPA to qualify. a freshman with a 1.9 high Then in 1987-8school GPA must score 720 on the SAT or 16 on the ACT, or have a 2.2 GPA with scores of 680 or 14 on his or her entrance exam to be eligible. Freshman athletes not meeting minimum standards must sit out both practice and play until their sophomore year. Smaller schools will be more upset by this," says Nelson Townsend, athletic director at Delaware State College, which has 22,000 students. Smaller institutions can ill afford to bring in an athlete, give him a full scholarship and watch him not play, he explains. "Only the rich institutions can take advantage of that 7, 8, Whether its a white kid from the Hills of West Virginia or a black kid from New York City, youre going to have discrimination against the poor. Coach Karen Langeland of Michigan State University favors the new academic requirements. I may have an ideal perspective, but I dont think it will have an effect except in a positive way, she says of the new freshman requirements. A smaller pool of athletes will be available, she concedes, But I dont think that will a nn n A i L J - J lieamnis necessarily give an edge to bigger schools. It better able to recruit. She does confirm one of Townsends fears in adding Michigan State may stockpile ineligible freshman athletes on a limited basis. If there were a real blue-chi- p athlete, wed consider that, she says, estimating the school could award one out of every five scholarships to promising but academically deficient will be whos athr Michigans Walter thinks the problem can be avoided by requiring universities to supply support programs. Dont keep students out. Thats an administrators way out and an elitist approach. oV J L TT1 -- r 1 1 W t 1 policy. Delaware State will be doubly hit, Townsend predicts, because it recruits many of its students from major urban areas. Inner-cit- y high school students score lower on standardized entrance students, he says. exams, as do some rural-are- a dispro-portiontel- y THE ROAD TO A COLLEGE DEGREE IS EXPENSIVE AIR FORCE ROTC CAN PAVE THE WAY There are a lot of scary stories about the cost of college education these days. Many high school students arent planning to attend college because they dont have the money. BUT WAIT! Air Force ROTC can help. With Our scholarship programs, we will pay for your college tuition, books, along with certain fees AND pay you $100 per month for living expenses. After you receive your degree youll be eligible for a commission as an Air Force officer. If you can qualify, Air Force ROTC can mean a college degree and a brighter future for you. Find out more. For your country and yourself, make Air Force ROTC a part of your plans. Contact: For Further information, please call Capt Short at V 3, 2009 581-62- 36, or visit us in Upivi Gateway to a great way of life. Room m ANYONE INTERESTED IN A TRY-O- UT CONTACT: PHIL JOHANSON NTRAMURAL OFFICE PAYNE GYMNASIUM Vf A rc |