DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 318 312 HE 023 300

TITLE Student Athlete Right-To-Know Act. P.port Togetherwith Minority Views. One Hundred F.J.rst Congress.First Session.

INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. SenateCommittee on Labor and Human Resources.

REPORT NO 101-209PUB DATE Nov 89NOTE 12p.

PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; *College Athletics; *College

Graduates; *Disclosure; *Federal Legislation;*Federal Regulation; Higher Education; Recordkeeping;Reports; Student Rights

IDENTIFIERS Proposed Legislation; *Student Athlete Right toKnow

ABSTRACTSenate Bill 580, the Student Athlete Right-to-Know

Act, requires institutions of higher education receiving Federalfinancial assistance to provide certain information concerninggraduation rates of student - athletes. The report from the Committeeon Labor and Human Resources recommends (by a 15-1 vote) to the fullSenate that the Bill be passed as amended. It presents the amendmentin full and information on the history of the legislation, backgroundand need for the legislation, major provisions of the Bill, votes incommittee, cost estimate, the regulatory impact statement, asection-by-section analysis, and a minority view. Justification forthe Bill is seen in the poor graduation rate for most studentathletes and the small probability that a given student athlete willgo on to a professiolal athletic career. The Bill will requireinstitutions of higher education to report the following: the numberof students at the institution, the number of students receivingathletically related student aid, the average 4-year graduation ratefor all students, the average 4-year graduation rate for studentsreceiving athletically related student aid and the number andpercentage of students receiving athletically related student aid whoearned a bachelor's degree or its equivalent within 10 years ofentering the school. The minority opposing opinion views the Bill asinappropriate for the Departmert of Education and excessivelyburdensome on both the reporting institutions and the Department.(DB)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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101sT Comm1st Session SENATE

Calendar No. 392REPORT101-209

STUDENT ATHLb.711; RIGHT-TO-KNOW ACT?Nei

NOVIISIBIR 16 (legislative day, NOVIDEBIR 6), 1989.Ordered to be printed

?NA

VZ Mr. KENNEDY, from the Committee on Labor and Human

4:4 Resources, submittal the following

ri.T4 REPORTtogether with

MINORITY VIEWS

[To accompany S. 580]

The Committee on Labor and Human Resources, to which wasreferred the bill (S. 580) to requir institutions of higher educationreceiving Federal financial assistance to provide certain informa-tion with respect to the graduation rates of student-athletes at suchinstitutions, having considered the same, reports favorably thereonwith an amendment and recommends that the bill as amended dopass.

CONTENTS

I. History of the legislationPsi*

II. Background and need for the legislation8

NM. M*r provisions of the bill8

. vs in committee6

V. Cent estimateVI. RflulatorY im statement

'h

VU. Sectionbrsect on analysis9

MI Minority views 19

The amendment is as follows:Strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the

following:SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the "Student Athlete Right.toanow Act".

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

t'''') 89-010 °awe of Educational Research and Improvement

csi EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION

CI is document has been reproduced asCENTEFI (ERIC)

received from the person or Organization

originating it

Ft Minor chimes have been made to improve

reproduction outtlify

BEST COPY AVAILABLEif Points of vie 4 opinions elided in this doctr

merit do not necessehly represent emitOEM posn Or policy. 4

2SEC. 8. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that(1) education is fundamental to the development of individual citizens and theprogress of the Nation as a whole;(2) there is increasing concern among citizens, educators, and public officialsregarding the academic performance of student-athletes at institutions of highereducation;(3) an overwhelming majority of college presidents (86 percent) in a 1989survey said that the pressure for success and financial rewards in intercolle-giate athletics interferes with the educational mission of the United States' col-leges and universities;(4) every year more than 10,000 students are awarded athletically related stu-dent aid by institutions of higher education;(5) prospective student athletes and their families should be aware of the edu-cational commitments prospective colleges make to athletes; and(6) knowledge of the graduation rates of student-athletes would assist prospec-tive students and their families in making an informed judgment about the edu-cational benefits available at a given institution of higher education.

SEC. 8. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER t:SUCATION.(a) REPORTS TO THE SECRETARY.Each institution of higher education which re-ceives Federal financial assistance and is attended by students receiving athleticallyrelated student aid shall annually submit a report to the Secretary of Education(hereinafter referred to as the "SecretarT") which contains

(1) the number of students at the institution of higher education who receivedathletically related student aid for football, basketball, and all other sports com-bined, broken down by race and sex;(2) the number of students at the institution of higher education, brokendown by race and sex;(8) the average graduation rate for the 4 most recent graduating classes ofstudents at the institution of higher education who received athletically relatedstudent aid for football, basketball, and all other sports combined, broken downby race and sex;(4) the average graduation rate for the 4 most recent first-time, full-time grad-uating classes of all students, broken down by race and sex; and(6) the number and percentage of students receiving athletically related stu-dent aid who earned a bachelors degree or its equivalent within 10 years of en-tering the school.

(b) &anon NourtcATtoN.When an institution described in subsection (a) offersa potential student-athlete athletically related student aid, such institution shallprovide to the student and his parents, his guidance counselor, and high schoolcoach the information contained in the report submitted by such institution pursu-ant to subsection (a).(c) SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES.If an institution of higher education described insubsection (a) finds that the information collected pursuant to subsection (a), be-cause of extenuating circumstances, does not provide an accurate representation ofthe school's graduation rate, the school may provide additional information to thestudent and the Secretary.(d) COMPARABIX INFORMATION:--Each institution of higher education described insubsection (a) may provide supplemental information to students and the Secretaryshowing the graduation rate when such graduation rate includes students and stu-dent-athletes in good academic standing who transferred into, out of, or otherwiseleft, such institution. The Secretary shall ensure that the data presented to the stu-dent and the data submitted to the Secretary are comparable.

SEC. 4. REPORT BY SIECRIFT, 2Y.

(a) IN GENERAL.--The Secretary shall. using the data required under section 8,shall compile and publish a report containing the information submitted under sec-tion 8, broken down by(1) individual institutions of her education, and(2) athletic conferences by the National Collegiate Athletic Ass*dation and the National ,ation of Intercollegiate Athletics.

(b) REPORT AVAILABILITY.Tho Secretary shall make available copies of the reportrequired under subsection (a) to any individual or secondary school requesting acopy of such report.

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SEC. 5. INFORMATION.

The Secretary may, at his discretion, obtain the informat'..n required by sectii,n 8from a private, not-for-profit organization when, in the Secretary's opinion, such col-lection will reduce the paperwork burden imposed on higher education institutions.SEC. S. TWO-YEAR COLLEGE DATA.

The Secretary shall, in conjunction with the national Junior College Athletic As-sociation, develop and obtain data on graduation rates from two-year colleges thataward lthletically related student aid. Such data shall, to the extent practicable, beconsistcnt with the reporting requirements set forth in section 8 of this Act.SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

For the purpose of this Act(1) The term "athletically related student aid" means any scholarship, grant,

or other form of financial assistance whose terms require the recipient to par-ticipate in an institution of higher education's program of intercollegiate athlet-ics in order to be eligible to receive such assistance.

(2) The term "institution of higher education" has the same meaning givensuch term by section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.1141(a)).

(8) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Education.(4) The term "graduation rate" means the percentage of students with no pre-

vious collegiate participation who enter an institution of higher education asfull time, regularly meticulated, degree seeking students in a specific year andgraduate with a bachelor's degree, or the equivalent, within 5 years.

I. HISTORY OF THE LEGISLATION

The Student Athlete Right to Know Act was originally intro-duced as S. 2498 in the 100th Congress by Senators Bill Bradleyand Edward Kennedy. A companion bill H.R. 4797 was sponsoredin the House of Representatives by Congressmen Ed Townes andTom McMillen. No action was taken on either measure.

The bill was reintroduced in the 101st Congress on March 5,

i1989 as S. 580 by Senators Bradley and Kenne0. An identical billwas ntroduced as H.R. 1454 in the House of Representatives.

To help inform congressional deliberations about this legislation,the House Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education asked theGeneral Accounting Office (GAO) to review the current availabilityof data that the proposed legislation would require the schools toreport. This report was completed and filed with the Subcommitteeon March 17, 1989.

The Senate Labor Committee asked the GAO to examine the re-porting burden that the proposed legislation would impose on col-leges and universities. This report was completed and submitted tothe Senate on September 11, 1989.

On September 12, 1989, the Labor Committee held a hearing onthe proposed legislation. The Committee heard testimony fromformer athletes and college coaches about the need to increase theattention given to academics.

Following the Committee's hearing, Committee staff met withrepresentatives of higher education and college athletics to discussthe provisions of the proposed legislation. The Committee met in amarkup session on November 1, 1989. At this meeting, the Commit-tee adopted an amendment in the nature of a substitute and votedto report S. 580 by a 15-1 vote.

II. BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR THE LEGISLATION

College athletics has a long and proud history. In recent years,public awareness of and interest in college sports has steadily in-

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creased. Attendance at col' le sporting events has skyrocketed andthe audience for major fo Loan bowl games and the "Final Four"basketball championship is measured in the millions.

Yet as college sports have become more popular, problems haveemerged. Many of the problems are caused by the large amounts ofmoney-350 billion according to one estimatethat are involved.The potential income from college athletics is so great that theeducational mission of the university is too easily forgotten.

Many colleges and universities have been affected. Between 1952and 1985, 30 of the 33 NCAA basketball champions were placed onprobation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).In the 1980s, nearly half the NCAA Division IA schools have beencensured, sanctioned or put on probation. Twenty-three institutionsare currently subject to NCAA sanctions.

The enormous amounts of money involved in athletics also dis-torts the decisions made by student athletes. Many young athletessee that professional athletes earn more in one night than a highschool teacher does in a year. Too many athletesespecially infootball and basketballforsake their education in exchange forthe chance to become a professional athlete.

Many of these athletes are disadvantaged minority youths. Alltoo often, they, along with their parents, buy into a dream thatsports will lift them from poverty to riches anti fame. In pursuingthis dream, many student athletes squander the educational oppor-tunities available to them and do not receive the education prom-ised by the college. Some college recruiters unduly pressure theseyouths and exploit their vulnerability.

In reality, few athletes will go on to professional careers. In1986-87, 12,000 young college men played college basketball, only161 were drafted into the National Basketball Association and fewwill play for more than a few years. The dream is, for almost allcollege athletes, an impossible dream.

A report _prepared for the Committee by the General AccountingOffice (GAO) concluded that the graduation rate for men's basket-ball and football players at the NCAA largest member schools (Di-vision I) were lower than the graduation rate for all students. Forexample, at 97 Division I schools with a basketball program, 85schools had a graduation rate of 0 to 20 percent for their basketballplayers, while 4 schools had a similar graduation rate for all stu-dents. By contrast, only 8 schools graduated more than 80 percentof their basketball players.

Among Division I schools with a football program, 14 schools hada Lraduation rate of less than 20 percent for their football players,while only 5 schools had a similar rate for all their students.

"It's a national scandal", says Rev. Timothy Healy the formerPresident of G Ueorgetown niversity. He calls the situation "anabuse of kids, to hold them for four ears and toss them away likea dirty towel." According to sociol t Harry Edwards of the Uni-versity of California at Berkeley: " e system is simply out of con-trol."

Many colleges run excellent athletic programs where thoroughattention is also given to academic concerns. At Villanova Univer-sity, for example, 100 percent of the basketball players receivingscholarships in the last 17 years have received their degrees. VII-

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lanova is not the only school with such a stellar record of accom-plishment, but it is one of a very small group.

In recent years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) and other athletic bodies have begun to address theseproblems. The NCAA's effort began in 1982 when Robert Atwell,President of the American Council on Education and Derek Bok,President of Harvard University, attempted to establish a commis-sion with powers over the NCAA. However, the proposal was re-jected by the NCAA membership. Two years later, the NCAA es-tablished a President's Commission designed to provide advice tothe NCAA about ways to address the academic deficiencies inmany college athletic programs.

Earlier this year, the American Institutes Research (AIR) com-pleted a study of "intercollegiate athletics" at the request of thePresident's Commission. This $2 million report was based on 4,000interviews with students and student athletes at 42 NCAA DivisionI institutions. Among the report's findings:

The grade point averages of athletes are lower than those ofother students;

Football and basketball players are much more likely thannon-athletes to have psychological, physical, alcohol-related,drug-related or academic problems; and

Student athletes get considerably less enjoyment from sportsthan other students derive from their extra curricular activi-ties.

In commenting upon the findings and the reluctance of the ath-letic community to address these and other problems, Sports Illus-trated noted:

It's appalling that some college sports administratorsrefuse to consider the educational well-being of their ath-letes. Yet such thinking persists. Actually, a major short-coming of the NCAA is that too many ex-jocks who havebeen in the trenches are making decisions they aren'tqualified to make.

Under the leadership of the President's Commission, the NCAAadopted a rule commonly known as Proposition 48 (Prop. 48).Under Prop. 48, an incoming college freshman, in order to be eligi-ble to play a sport in freshman year at a Division I school had to:(1) have a combined score of 700 out of a possible 1,600 on his Scho-lastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in order to play and (2) have compiled aminimum 2.0 grade point average (equivalent to a C) in 11 corehigh school oourses. The athletes must maintain that average whilein college. Furthermore, after two years, a student athlete mustshow "progress toward a designated legitimate degree."

Athletes who did not meet these criteria could still receive ascholarship but would not be eligible to play as freshmen. Whilethe core curriculum and grade point standards won widespread ap-proval, the requirement for minimum scores on standardized testsproved controversial. Many educators argued that standardizedachievement test are culturally and racially biased. Black leaderscharge' that Proposition 48 would limit black athletes' opportuni-ties to Gbtain scholarships.

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An NCAA study undertaken prior to implementation seemed tobear out that fear. The study examined the class of 1981 andshowed that 69 percent of black male athletes would have been in-eligible as freshmen. Six out of 7 black basketball players and 3 outof 4 black football players at the nation's largest schools wouldhave been unable to play. Among whites, 1 out of 3 basketball play-ers and 1 out of 2 football players would have been ineligible.

However, when implemented in the fall of 198E, Prop. 48 actuallysidelined far fewer athletes than was expected. Less than ten per-cent of football players and only 13 percent of basketball playersoverall had to sit out their first season.

The 1987-88 figures are equally dramatic as only 16 percent ofblacks in the revenue sports were ineligible. While Prop. 48 contin-ued to take a disproportionately heavier toll on blacks (58 of' 60basketball and 141 of 152 football), the 16 percent is about one-fifthof the number

became more controversial in January 1989 whenthe NCAA voted to adopt Proposition 42. The new Propositionwould ban first year scholarships to students who did not meet theminimum standards established in Prop. 48. The overwhelming ma-jority of those likely to be affected were black and the new rulecreated a tremendous controversy. Opponents of the law said thatProp. 42 would deny students the chance to get an education ifthey could not receive a scholarship. Proponents said it would putincreased pressure on high school players to study harder. None-theless, because of the controversy, the NCAA decided to tableProp. 42 pending further study.

The actions taken by the NCAA so far are important steps andsignal a willingness to address some of the major problems affect-ing college athletics. But much more remains to be done. Perhapsone of the most important steps would simply be to require collegesto tell potential student athletes about the graduation rate of previ-ous athletic scholarship recipients.

Student athletes about to enter college are consumers. As suchthey are entitled to relevant and basic information in order tomake an informed choice about which college to attend. The prom-ise of an athletic scholarship is that the student-athlete trades hisor her athletic talents for a chance at an education. They deserveto know how much of one they are likely to receive.

A solid commitment to the education of the student athleteshould be the underpinning of all college athletic programs. Aca-demic institutions must give every student, including each student-athlete, the opportunity for a higher quality education. Telling stu-dent athletes about the educational performance of previous stu-dent athletes is an important step toward that goal.

In. MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE BILL

Purpose.S. 580 will provide prospective student-athletes withinformation about the academic performance of student-athletes atthe institutions that they are considering. The bill simply requirescolleges and universities that provide athletically related studentaid to disclose the graduation rates of those who receive such aid.This is, in short, a consumer-information provision. The Committee

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believes that the educational record of colleges will weigh heavilyin the decision making of student athletes if information is readilyavailable.

The Committee has proceeded with Federal legislation for tworeasons. First, the Committee believes that the strong commitmentto the academic side of a college education has been neglected fortoo long by colleges and universities. Despite widespread disclo-sures about academic abuses, the higher education community hasmade only fitful progress in addressing the problem.

The Committee also believes that Federal action is necessary toensure that all schools offering athletically related student aidmake such information available. The Committee's bill will coverthe National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Associa-tion of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior CollegeAthletic Association. Without federal legislation, it is unlikely thatprospective student-athletes will have comparable informationavailable to them.

Provisions. Colleges and universities that receive federal finan-cial assistance and award athletically related student aid to stu-dents must submit data to the Secretary of Education every yearthat shows:

The number of students at the institution;The number of students at the institution who received ath-

letically related student aid;The average four-year graduation rate for all students;The average four-year graduation rate for all students re-

ceiving athletically related student aid;The number and percentage of students receiving athletical-

ly related student aid who earned a bachelor's degree or itsequivalent within 10 yea's of entering the school.

For student-athletes, data nust be broken down by race and sexand show graduatiol) rates for football, basketball and all othersports combined. Data 02 both student-athletes and all studentsmust be broken down by rac:', at d sex.

By "athletically related stiAient aid", the Committee means anyscholarship, grant, or other form of financial assistance whoseterms require the recipient to participate in intercollegiate collegi-ate athletics. The bill does not cover federal, state or Institutionalneed-based student aid programs unless the aid requires participa-tion in college sports programs.

The term graduation rate means the percentage of students withno previous collegiate experience who enter a college or universityas full-time, regularly matriculated, degree seeking students in aspecific year and grPduate with a Bachelor's degree, or the equiva-lent, within five years. The Committee intends that the collegescalculate four years "rolling averages" by combining the averagegraduation rate of four entering classes into a single statistic.Doing this will provide prospective students with a more accuratepicture than will data showing only a single year graduation rate.

The Committee requires that graduation data be ,resented byracial categories. The Committee recognizes that the b lndard tax-onomy used by the federal government to display racia, )r ethnicd. ta may be inappropriate for this purpose. Thus, the Secretarymay elect to use a revised taxonomy. For example, the Secretary

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may elect to use a smaller number of racial categories than is typi-cally the case.

Schools that offer potential students athletically related studentaid must provide the information required in this act to the stu-dent, his parents, his guidance counselor and the student's highschool coach.

The Committee recognizes that some colleges and universitiesmay wish to provide students with more information than that re-quired under this statute. For example, colleges may wish to pro-vide information showing how the graduation rate changes whenstudents who transfer into and out of colleges and universities areincluded in the totals. The bill requires that the Secretary ensurethat such data are based on comparable definitions.

The Committee also knows that these definitions may work aspecial hardship on some institutions because of the educationalprograms offered by those institutions. For example, many studentathletes at the University of Utah and at Utah State University in-terrupt their college education to serve as missionariesoften foras long as two years. The bill encourages schools that find them-selves in this situation to provide additional information to poten-tial student-athletes and to the Secretary.

The Secretary of Education shall compile the data required bythis bill and publish an annual report. The Committee recognizesthat some athletic bodies, such as the National Collegiate AthleticAssociation, may collect this information themselves now or in thenear future. The bill allows the Secretary to collect this .2 -ta fromsuch organizations when he determines that doing so will reducethe paperwork burden on colleges and universities. The Committeeencourages the Secretary to work with these organizations in col-lecting this data.

The Committee has included a provision requiring the Secretaryto develop, in conjunction with the National Junior College Athlet-ic Association, a set of graduation rate date for student athletes atcommunity and junior colleges. The Committee has don this be-cause the provisions of this bill are primarily applice)le to fouryear institutions and may not accurately reflect the performance ofstudent athletes and all students at two-year institutions. The datarequired in response to this provision shall be consistent with thedata required of four year institutions.

IV. VOTES IN COMMITTEE

On November 1, 1989, the Chairman of the Committee on Laborand Human Resources, Senator Kennedy, convened an ExecutiveSession of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources to con-sider S. 580.

The Committee voted to adopt and report S. 580 as amended, asan amendment in the nature of a complete substitute, by roll callvote, 15-1.

YEASKennedyPellMetzenbaumMatsunaga

NAYS

Cochran

DoddSimonHarkinAdamsMikulskiHatchKassebaumJeffordsCoatsThurmondDurenberger

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V. COST ESTIMATE

U.S. CONGRESS,CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE,Washington, DC, November 8, 1989.

Hon. EDWARD M. KENNEDY,Chairman, C,ommittee on Labor and Human Resources,U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has exam-ined the federal cost impact of S. 580, the Student Athlete Right-to-Know Act. The bill was ordered reported from the Senate Laborand Human Resources Committee on November 1, 1989.

The purpose of this bill is to require institutions of higher educa-tion receiving federal financial assistance and attended by studentsreceiving athletically related student aid to provide the Secretaryof Education with an annual. report. The report would contain in-formation on the number of students at those institutions who re-ceive athletically related btudent aid and their graduation rates.Band on our analysis, there would be 1,0 direct effect on federal,state, or local government costs as a result of enactment of thisAct.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased toprovide them. The CBO staff contact is Deborah Kalcevic.

Sincerely,ROBERT D. REISCHAUER,

Director.

VI. REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

The Committee has determined that there will be minimal in-creases in the regulatorf burden imposed by this bill.

VII. SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. TitleThe short title is "The Student Athletic Right to Know Ant."

Section 2. FindingsThe Congress finds that education is fundamental to the develop-

ment of individual citizens and the nation, there is increasing con-cern about the academic performance of student-athletes, morethan 10,000 scholarships are awarded annually, and knowledge ofthe graduation rates of student-athletes would help prospective stu-

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dents and their families make informed judgment about the educa-tional benefits available at a given institution of higher education.

Section 3. Reporting RequirementsInstitutions of higher education that receive federal financial as-

sistance must submit a report to the Secretary of Education whichshows: the number of students receiving athletically related stu-dent aid for football, basketball, and all other sports combined; thetotal number of students at the institution; the graduation rate forstudents at the institution who received athletic scholar hips; thegraduation rate for first-time, full-time students; the average grad-uation rate for the four most recent graduating classes of studentswho received athletically related student aid; the average gradua-tion rate for the four most recent graduating classes of all students;the graduation rate for students receiving athletically related stu-dent aid who entered the institution ten years prior to the submis-sion of the report.

Institutions may provide supplemental information to the Secre-tary and to the student athlete. The Secretary shall ensure thatthe data presented to the student and the data submitted to theSecretary are comparable.

Section 4. Report by the SecretaryThe Secretary shall publish a report containing the information

required under Section 3.

Section 5. InformationThe Secretary may, at his discretion, obtain the information re-

quired by Section 3, from a private, not-for-profit organizationwhen doing so will reduce the paperwork burden imposed on col-leges, and universities.

Section 6. DefinitionsThe following terms are defined: "athletically related student

aid", "institutions of higher education", "Secretary", and "gradua-tion."

VIII. MINORITY VIEWS OF MR. COCHRAN ON S. 580

I oppose S. 580 because it requires actions that are inappropriatefor the Department of Education to undertake and are excessivelyburdensome on both the x ;porting institutions and the Depart-ment.

I believe that the cc ilection of the information required by thisAct is not an appropriate role for the federal government. The linkbetween the receipt of Federal financial assistance by an institu-tion of higher education and the awarding of athletic scholarshipsby that institution out of its own funds is very weak. It would bemuch uore appropriate for the National Collegiate Athletic Asso-ciation (NCAA) and the college athletic conferences to monitorthese activities. In fact, the NCAA has expressed an interest inadopting the essence of S. 580 as one of its policies and a similarmeasure is to be proposed by the NCAA President's Commission atthe NCAA Convention in January, 1990. I strongly prefer that theNCAA see:tress this issue and suggest tl- at any further action onthis F..t be postponed until after the NCAA meets in January of199(.

Further, the data collection requirements in S. 580 are far tooprescriptive and burdensome, especially considering that it Ns 9uldbe collected for the benefit of only a very limited group of otu-dentsapproximately 10,000 athletic scholarshipsout of the sex -

eral million students who attend postsecondary institutions annual-ly. The burden that would be associated vith this legislation is outof proportion to ...he benefits that would be derived from it.'

All schools must do their utmost to ensure that all student ath-letes succeed in their academic and athletic pursuits. To the extentthat information on graduation rates can help student athletesselect the college most suited to their needs, I believe that such in-formation -should be providsd. However, I believe that organiza-tions such as the NCAA and the athletic conferences should havethe ,ventral role in ensuring that this is done.

I am advised that the Administration opposes enactment of this

THAD COCHRAN.

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