POLICY ON ELIGIBILITY AND CONTINUATION

 

 

I.          GRADE POINT AVERAGE STANDARDS FOR ELIGIBILITY AND CONTINUATION

 

A. In order to be eligible for practice and competition in athletics during the first year, a student-athlete must meet all applicable Big Ten and NCAA rules.

 

B. To be eligible for competition in any term following the conclusion of summer school of student’s first year, a student-athlete must meet all applicable Big Ten and NCAA rules and per this policy maintain a cumulative Big Ten grade point average of no less than 2.00.

 

C. If the student-athlete is eligible under Big Ten and NCAA rules on the first day of the term but does not meet the requirement in IB, the student-athlete shall become eligible for competition during the term when the student reaches the 2.00 standard. (For example, an incomplete is completed after the first day of class such that a student-athlete’s cumulative Big Ten would now be at least a 2.00).

 

D. Student-athletes who fail to meet requirement for competition will maintain their eligibility for athletic financial aid if they meet the Big Ten Conference standard for receipt of such financial aid.

 

II.        STANDARDS FOR MAINTAINING CREDITS:

 

A.  All student-athletes must register for a minimum of 26 credits during the regular academic year (fall and spring semester).

 

B.  Exemptions from the minimum credit rule may be made for extenuating circumstances by the director of the McNamara Academic Center (hereafter, MAC) in consultation with the athletics director.

 

C.  Student-athletes must receive approval from the director of the MAC prior to withdrawing from a class.

 

D.  In order to be eligible for competition during any year, a student-athlete must meet all applicable Big Ten and NCAA rules with respect to credit completion and progress towards a degree.

 

REPORTING:

 

Each term the director of the MAC will provide the Faculty Academic Oversight Committee On Intercollegiate Athletics (FAOCIA) a grade report which includes the number of student-athletes per team whose Big Ten grade point average falls below the 2.00 standard and an academic plan* for each student-athlete included on that list. In the fall of each year the director of the MAC will provide the FAOCIA a graduation report detailing the graduation data for each team for the previous six years.

 

WAIVERS:

 

The faculty members of the Faculty Academic Oversight Committee On Intercollegiate Athletics, by majority vote upon appeal from the Athletics Director, may waive the provisions of IIB, and/or the 2.00 standard of IB for an individual student-athlete. Waivers may be granted on the basis of improved academic performance and not on the basis of athletic skill.

 

This policy shall apply to all student-athletes, including transfer students. Calculation of a transfer student’s CUMULATIVE BIG TEN grade point average shall be in accord with normal University practice (e.g., grades earned at the coordinate campuses will continue to be factored into the GPA).

 

PROCESS FOR REQUESTING A WAIVER

• The athletics director must make a written request to the chair of FAOCIA to waive the 2.00 standard.
• If warranted, the chair of FAOCIA will schedule a meeting at which the student-athlete and coach will be asked to present the circumstances and any other mitigating circumstances..
• The athletics director, MAC director and academic counselor should also be present at this meeting..
• After all circumstances have been presented, the voting members of FAOCIA will go into closed session and vote on the request..
• The committee’s decision to waive or not waive the request will be communicated in writing to the athletics director, coach, student, academic counselor and the director of MAC..
• The staff to the committee will communicate in writing, to the registrar’s office, the committee’s decision.
• Any student-athlete who has been suspended for academic reasons will not be considered for a waiver.

 

Waivers for student-athletes who are leaving the university

 

• The athletics director must make a written request to the chair of FAOCIA to waive the 2.00 standard.
• If warranted, the chair of FAOCIA will schedule a meeting at which the athletics director and coach will present the circumstances. Presence of the student-athlete is strongly encouraged but not required.
• The director of the McNamara academic center and academic counselor should also be present.
• After all circumstances have been presented, the voting members of FAOCIA will go into closed session and vote on the request.
• The committee’s decision to waive or not waive the request will be communicated in writing to the athletics director, coach, academic counselor and the director of the MAC.
• The staff to the committee will communicate in writing, to the registrar’s office, the committee’s decision.
• Any student-athlete who has been suspended for academic reasons will not be considered for a waiver.

 

The FAOCIA will consider the following factors in its deliberations:

• Student-athletes cum GPA
• Reasons for leaving
• GPA of previous semester
• Other

 

INDIVIDUAL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE CONTRACT

 

The FAOCIA’s decision to restore the eligibility to a student-athlete who has fallen below the 2.0 required by the University of Minnesota but is above the 1.8 GPA required by the Big Ten in the second year or 1.9 in the third year, may include an individual academic performance contract. If a contract is warranted, the following steps will be taken:

• The chair of FAOCIA, or the chair’s representative, will design an academic performance contract for the student-athlete. A majority of the members of the FAOCIA must review and approve the initial contract. (Subsequent revisions of the contract may or may not be voted on at the discretion of the FAOCIA members.)
• The chair of FAOCIA will schedule a meeting to review the contract with the student-athlete, coach, academic counselor and athletics director. The contract is to be signed by the student-athlete, coach, academic counselor, athletics director, and chair of FAOCIA.
• The academic performance contract will be specific in listing tasks, deadlines, and methods of reporting efforts and/or progress. While the ultimate responsibility is with the student-athlete, specific monitoring responsibilities may be assigned to the coach, the academic counselors, and others. For example, the student-athlete may be required to meet with the FAOCIA to review progress.
• If deemed necessary, the chair of FAOCIA and/or the faculty representative may consult with present or past faculty of the student-athlete and other academic counselors.
• The chair of FAOCIA shall distribute copies of the contract to the student-athlete, the coach, the academic counselor, the athletics director, and the director of academic counseling. A copy of the contract will be kept on file in the office of the staff of the FAOCIA.

 

 

*SEE NEXT PAGE FOR REQUIREMENTS OF ACADEMIC PLANS (THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THE ACADEMIC CONTRACT.)

 

The effective date of this regulation is July 1, 1987.

 

Approved by the FAOCIA fall semester 2001 and 2002; approved by the Assembly Steering Committee, spring, 2003

 

Revised and approved by the FAOCIA and the Twin Cities members of the Faculty Consultative Committee, spring 2006.