The National Collegiate Athletic Association barred Southern Methodist University from playing football next season and restricted its schedule for the season after that. The penalties are intended to eliminate a program that was built on a legacy of wrongdoing, deceit, and rules violations. (MLW)

Since 1985, when Memphis State University was cited as having the lowest graduation rate in the nation for basketball players and was accused of exploiting Black athletes, academic and athletics administrators have instituted a strict academic support program for all athletes, with encouraging results. (MSE)

To help improve the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics's image, its leaders have proposed a package of restrictive measures for consideration at its annual meeting. The regulations would set freshman-eligibility standards, tighten academic-progress rules, put limits on sports seasons and financial aid, and create competitive…

While only five colleges sponsor all-student wheelchair basketball teams, and budgets and public awareness are very limited, the sport's proponents believe it is doing a service for both its athletes and the general public. (MSE)

After a six-month investigation that found a pattern of academic abuses in North Carolina State University's men's basketball program, the University of North Carolina system's Board of Governors has adopted a broad package of sports reforms. Some of these recommendations are presented. (MLW)

Memphis businessman Avron Fogelman has established a foundation that will allow former Memphis State athletes who failed to graduate to pursue their education after their athletic eligibility has expired. He encourages former university athletes to return to college and assists the scholarship recipients in getting jobs. (MLW)

Many college athletes have been involved in crimes this year, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies. The incidents are more likely than before to be made public. Coaches and administrators disagree about disciplinary policy, but some institutions are responding with educational programs for athletes. (MSE)

The University of Virginia admits proportionately more blacks and children of alumni than other groups. Some other groups also get preferential treatment in admissions: athletes, musicians, artists, applicants from rural areas, children of faculty, female scientists, and other minority group members. (MSE)

Academic discipline cases at Auburn and Arizona State have focused attention on special treatment for athletes. In both cases, stiff penalities imposed on athletes by faculty or student-faculty committees were radically cut back by top administrators. (MLW)

Although over 56 percent of freshman athletes graduated within 5 years (compared to 48 percent of all students), basketball players had a graduation rate of only 39 percent and football players 47 percent. Tables detail findings at Division I colleges and compare public and private colleges. (DB)

A national survey indicates nearly 18 percent of all athletes admitted to big-time college and university sports programs in 1989 were given special admissions treatment. There is widespread disagreement about policies and standards for admitting athletes. Issues include appropriate college preparation, selective admission in the disciplines, and…

At least 600 athletes failing to meet minimum academic standards to compete in college sports as freshmen are enrolled in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I institutions. The second annual NCAA survey shows that this year, as last, a high percentage are Black. (MSE)

The difference in academic success between male and female basketball players may be directly attributable to the fact that female players spend five more hours a week preparing for class than males. Women think of college more for the educational value than as an opportunity to develop sports skills. (MLW)

Although African Americans comprise almost one-quarter of all scholarship athletes at Division I colleges and universities, they constitute only 6 percent of full-time undergraduates there. Figures trouble academics, experts on race, and other higher education observers. The trend may reinforce stereotypes and demoralize students. More aggressive…

A survey of 203 colleges and universities investigated disparities in spending on men's and women's sports. Survey data on the distribution of men and women students and athletes and differential spending (amounts and percentages) on athletics scholarships, programs, and recruitment are displayed in tables and analyzed. (MSE)