The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Board of Directors has decided not to re-examine a rule limiting the committees on which the Division I-A football conferences are entitled to hold a majority. Critics of the rule saw inequities in committee membership that would cause major teams to be governed by decisions of members…

A new study shows the percentage of black coaches of big-time basketball and football teams lags far behind both the percentage of black athletes on those teams and the percentage of head coaches in professional leagues for those sports. Some feel racial attitudes, a strong old-boy network, and black coaches' low profiles are barriers to hiring…

In its annual convention, the National Collegiate Athletic Association approved details of an organizational restructuring, granted athletes the right to work during the academic year, and offered fifth-year eligibility to students unable to compete in their freshman year. More trust was experienced by delegates than in previous years. Students…

In Cohen vs. Brown University, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling favoring maintenance of college women's sports programs. The decision makes it clear that institutions should equalize athletic opportunities for men and women, but fails to resolve the debate over whether anti-discrimination statutes require numerical parity between men and…

In 1996, Oregon State University had the highest athlete graduation rate in the country, at 95%. Neither faculty nor alumni are impressed with the rate because the athletic teams are not performing well. The athletic director is committed to improving athletics while recruiting bright athletes and rigorously maintaining academic standards. (MSE)

Incidents of point-shaving and placing and accepting bets are evidence that professional gamblers are influencing college sports and campus life. Because of student athletes' competitive nature, they may be more likely to engage in gambling. The National Collegiate Athletic Association and individual colleges are examining and addressing this…

A National Collegiate Athletic Association study has found that the average athlete on a top college football or men's basketball team enters college in the bottom quarter of his class. Critics say the pursuit of success in athletics is corrupting higher education. Some attribute this pattern to racial bias in testing that skews athletes' test…

The high percentage of female undergraduate students at predominantly black colleges and universities makes it difficult for many Division I institutions to meet the male/female proportionality standards for athletics programs. Concentration of African-American athletes in just a few sports is also a factor. Some institutions are dropping sports…

Of the black athletic directors in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 20 work at historically black institutions. Black athletes, however, have a large presence overall in these programs. One black administrator sees significant challenges in both hiring black directors and performing crucial aspects of the job, such as…

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will loosen its academic standards for college athletes with learning disabilities. By agreement with the Justice Department, the NCAA will certify special education classes offered to high school students with learning disabilities toward its initial-eligibility requirements, rather than…

The National Women's Law Center alleges that 25 colleges and universities are violating federal anti-discrimination law (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) by giving female athletes a disproportionately small amount of sports-related financial aid. In 1995-96, 27 institutions achieved "substantial proportionality" in financial…

Twenty-five years after passage of Title IX, federal legislation barring sex discrimination in athletics in federally-funded schools, females make up 37% of college athletes and receive 38% of athletic scholarships at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I schools. Women's participation in college sports has increased four-fold.…

Controversy over limited representation of women on a key committee of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the Division I Management Council, has renewed concerns that big-time football conferences are not committed to diverse membership on such panels. The division's board of directors rejected the first female nominees and suggested…

A recent study found universities pay substantially higher salaries, sometimes twice as high, to head coaches of men's athletic teams than to head coaches of women's teams. Findings raise questions about how coaches' salaries are set. Some see sex discrimination; others view salary differences as reflecting degree of coach responsibility. Most…

A confidential national survey of Division I athletics departments (n=87 universities) conducted by the University of Texas (Austin) found men's basketball coaches the highest-paid, with football coaches second. The report contains blind lists of salaries and compensation packages paid to each of 70 employee categories (administrators, coaches,…