Yale has completed a comprehensive study of its athletics program as part of a certification process established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA for Division I member institutions. The certification process was established by the NCAA in 1993 to ensure the integrity of college athletics programs.
Yale's self-study was directed by a steering committee appointed by President Richard C. Levin in the summer of 1995. A peer review team drawn from NCAA member institutions will visit the Yale campus Jan. 21-24 to meet with students, administrators and faculty and to evaluate the self-study process. The review team will report to the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, which will decide whether to certify Yale's program.
The University's self-study was undertaken to determine Yale's compliance with principles the NCAA has established to guide college athletics. The principles were designed to promote compliance with NCAA rules, integrity in the financing of athletics, integrity in the education of athletes and a commitment to equity in athletics. Through the self-study process, the University generally found itself to be operating its athletics program in accordance with the principles established by the NCAA, and in a fashion consistent with the overall mission and purpose of the University.
The role that athletics plays at Yale is largely defined by the fact that there are not separate admissions and financial aid processes for student-athletes, said Worth David, the former master of Branford College who chaired the University's NCAA certification steering committee.
"We believe strongly that athletic teams are to be drawn from the student body; that is, athletes should lead the same full and complete life at Yale as all other students," he said.
Rules compliance
Yale noted in the study that responsibilities and reporting lines for compliance with NCAA rules are clearly spelled out for all members of the University community, and that there is a clear and comprehensive education program for rules compliance for athletic staff members and students. In addition, the Yale athletics program is fully under the control of the University, with decision-making in athletics based on presidential policy in consultation with the Yale Corporation. The Federation of Yale Athletics, an umbrella organization for Yale sport associations, is also overseen by the University.
Academic integrity
Yale's study emphasized that the University's athletic philosophy and institutional practices aim to integrate student- athletes into the general student body. For example, standards of admission and calculation of eligibility for need-based financial aid for student-athletes are the same as those for non-athletes. Student- athletes are also held to the same degree requirements, and the exceptionally high graduation rates for recruited student-athletes (over 90 percent) mirror, and in some years actually exceed, the graduation rates of the general student body. Furthermore, athletic practices and competitions are scheduled to minimize conflict with student-athletes' academic obligations. There is also a loan program to make laptop computers available to student-athletes traveling to competitions away from campus.
As a member of the Ivy League, Yale also complies with the league requirement that student-athletes be representative of the undergraduate student bodies to which they are admitted. Compliance with this principle is monitored through the Academic Index, a system that ranks the academic records of student athletes.
Fiscal integrity
All revenues and expenses for athletics fall under the accounting and financial control of the University, the self-study notes, and the Department of Athletics' budget is developed by the Provost through the same process used for every other department of the University. The University provides financial support for a broad range of intercollegiate, club and intramural sports for men and women, with $12 million of the University's $16.2 million athletic budget for the 1995-96 fiscal year coming from unrestricted University funds.
Commitment to equity
In examining the issue of equity, the self-study found that, "Yale demonstrates a commitment to the fair treatment of student- athletes, and to all aspects of their physical, intellectual and social well-being." The report notes that gender equity in athletics at Yale proceeds from a mandate of the Yale Corporation to admit women to Yale through a gender-blind admission process and provide them with equal opportunity in every facet of Yale life. Since Yale College became coeducational, the University has established 17 varsity athletic programs for women.
Regarding racial equity, the report states that the University desires a greater minority presence among its varsity athletes and in the staffing of the Department of Athletics.
The report also states that the Chair of the Faculty Committee on Athletics will appoint a Minority Issues Subcommittee and a Gender Equity Subcommittee that will monitor progress in their respective areas.
Certification
The purpose of the NCAA certification process is to ensure integrity in intercollegiate athletics by opening the affairs of athletics to the university community and the public, setting standards or operating principles for athletics, and imposing sanctions for institutions that fail to conduct a comprehensive study or correct problems. The NCAA may choose to certify an institution, certify with conditions, or not certify -- which may make an institution ineligible for NCAA championships. The NCAA believes that the self-study requirement promotes an institution's self-awareness of the role of athletics, affirms worthwhile aspects of an athletics programs and identifies opportunities to improve athletics.
In addition to Mr. David, the Yale steering commitee that directed Yale's self-study, chaired by Worth David, included Thomas A. Beckett, director of athletics; Richard H. Brodhead, dean of Yale College; Carolyn S. Campbell of the Ivy League (ex-officio); Barbara N. Chesler, associate director of athletics; Dr. James P. Comer, the Maurice Falk Professor Child Study Center and Child Psychiatry; Melanie Ginter '78; Joseph W. Gordon, dean of undergraduate studies; Penelope Laurans, assistant to the president for special projects, associate dean of Yale College and lecturer in English; President Richard C. Levin; Colleen Lim, associate director of athletics; Joel Smilow '54; J. Lloyd Suttle, associate provost; Betty Trachtenberg, dean of student affairs and associate dean of Yale College; and Stanton Wheeler; master of Morse College and the Ford Foundation Professor of Law and Social Sciences.
For more information on athletics self-study
Yale's NCAA Athletics Certification Self-Study Report may be found on the Internet at:
http://www.yale.edu/ncaa
If you have questions or comments about either the report or the NCAA certification process, you are invited to attend one of the meetings that will be held in the Branford College common room, 74 High St. The first will be on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.; the second, on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 4 p.m. A third meeting, to be announced at a later date, will be held during the first week of the spring semester.