Work Session #2: Ensuring Integrity in the Academic Experience of College Athletes: Issues and Approaches for Faculty

Chair:  Virginia Shepherd, Vanderbilt University
Presentations:  Ed Lawry, Oklahoma State University; Mike Wasylenko, Syracuse University
Friday, October 10, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

The COIA "Framework for Intercollegiate Athletics" includes a section on issues of academic integrity that includes the following two items:

-- Grading and program integrity.  At some schools athletes are given preferential treatment to ensure continuing eligibility, either through academically unchallenging programs or differential grading practices.  Such practices can only be addressed at the institutional level.  Faculty at all schools should be provided with data concerning the majors and academic performance of all athletes, disaggregated to the highest degree permitted by law and distinguished by sport; procedures should be developed that allow faculty to determine  there are no pressures to lower academic standards, and that permit abuses to be easily reported.  

-- Academic advising and related services.  Because athletes have such heavy burdens on their time, schools typically provide them enhanced support. Advising programs supervised through the Athletics Departments are a common source of academic violations.  COIA recommends that Athletics Department advisors be appointed in the regular campus advising system, report through the academic advising structure, and be assessed by an academic-side review. 

The goal of this work session will be to develop an inventory of issues and approaches that will help our Coalition move towards recommended models of faculty oversight that colleagues in Division I-A schools can adapt to their particular situations, in  addressing campus issues of academic integrity related to athletics.  Unlike the other two COIA workshops, we do not envision the possibility of a true work product from this discussion.  However, we do hope that a written summary of points raised in the session will lead to further discussions and the possible development of concrete proposals during the Spring term.