UIndy student athletes maintain high GPAs
The University of Indianapolis has prided itself on its student athletes’ high grade point averages. UIndy, which is home to numerous sports, stresses the importance of academics each year and emphasizes responsibilities as students over responsibilities as athletes.
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Sue Willey, said that it’s every student athlete’s duty to take advantage of the opportunity to receive a quality college education.
“The University of Indianapolis has a total of 21 sports teams,” Willey said. “I meet with each team prior to their season and discuss the number one priority of UIndy athletics is academics. I stress the importance of student-athletes taking ownership of their education.”
The National Collegiate Athletic Association focuses as an organization on the preservation of academics within the athletic field. Furthermore, the NCAA sets standards and requirements for athletes entering into secondary education, while also providing requirements for students to stay eligible within their sports.
A prospective athlete enrolling in a Division II school must meet and adhere to the following requirements: graduation from high school, completion of 16 core courses, a minimum grade point average, a qualifying score on either the Scholastic Assessment Test or American College Testing, respectively the SAT and ACT and a certificate from the NCAA Eligibility Center.
To remain eligible, the NCAA also has set requirements that all athletes must adhere. Athletes must complete at least 24 credit hours in one academic year. Also, the NCAA provides the minimum GPA for student athletes to remain eligible.
Each of these requirements will vary depending on the standards of the institution, and sometimes will be dependent on the specific coach of the team. Even though the NCAA establishes the minimum GPA, the University of Indianapolis has higher standards.
Julia Madeira, a junior studying international relations and business, and a member of the women’s swim team, said that her team has high standards.
“The minimum GPA for the swim team is 2.0, but student athletes on scholarships must have a grade point average of 2.8,” Madeira said.
Many schools provide and require athletes to participate in study tables, to assist them in balancing academics and athletics.
“Students are only required to attend study tables if their grades fall below the GPA established by the coach” Willey said.
UIndy’s emphasis on the importance of education to its student-athletes, shows in the results. Last month, when the NCAA released its most recent Division II graduation rate data, UIndy had an Academic Success Rate average of 80 percent during a four year period from 2002 through 2005. The results were eight points higher than the national average, with 14 of 21 UIndy teams finishing above 75 percent.
