A plan to reduce scholarships for all Division I student athletes who are performing poorly in the classroom was recently approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Board of Directors.

Sports teams with an expected graduation rate of less than 50 percent will now be open to strict penalties based on the new plan. A team who continually falls below the 50 percent rate will receive penalties ranging from a loss of scholarship money to suspensions from games, Steve Malchow, spokesperson for University of Wisconsin Athletics, said.

Penalties will be based on student athletes’ individual academic performance, which is calculated from the Academic Performance Rate (APR).

The APR will be calculated for each athlete at the end of every semester. APR rates will only be considered for those students who are currently eligible, considered full-time students and are expected to continue their education until graduation, according to the NCAA website.

Eventually, the APR of each athlete will be used to calculate a Graduation Success Rate for each specific sport. This number cannot fall below 50 percent for programs to avoid penalties.

UW student athletes should not be highly affected by this new plan, according to Malchow.

“Our numbers over the course of time show that we are at a good standard,” Malchow said. “It doesn’t appear [the change] will have much effect if we continue to operate at the current standards.”

Malchow said the percentage of UW student athletes graduating for the fall 2004 semester was 68 percent. Spring 2004 semester calculations were 89 percent.

“This was a school record,” Malchow said, adding, “We’ve never been below 50 percent.”

Malchow said UW’s student athlete success can be attributed to the department’s recruitment of successful students who are also excellent on the playing field. The Athletic Department also provides a staff of tutors and support people for all of the athletes.

According to the NCAA website, if a penalty restricting the athletic scholarships is enforced, the scholarship may not be passed on to a new student athlete. Additionally, the restriction must last for one year before the student can again be considered for receiving another scholarship.

However, the NCAA Board of Directors set a limit at 10 percent on the amount of financial aid that could be lost for a specific sport.

UW sophomore Kellie Larson said the plan was an overall good idea because, ultimately, an education should be the main focus of any student’s college career. She said sports, although important, should not be the main concern of the community.

“The plan says a lot about the school if they are willing to adapt a program like that,” Larson said. “It shows the school is making academics a priority over the success of the sports teams.”

Graduation-rate numbers will be calculated using the new formula beginning next month, and the plan will go into effect in the next couple years, Malchow added.