PRAIRIE VIEW – Prairie View A&M Athletics released a statement pledging its commitment to better preparing student-athletes for academic success following the NCAA’s annual Academic Progress Rate (APR) report.
APR is a team-based metric that factors in the academic eligibility and retention of each student-athlete for each term and tracks their respective progress toward graduation. The NCAA requires all teams to maintain a minimum four-year average score of 930, which equates roughly to a 50% graduation rate.
The report revealed that both the PVAMU Football and Women’s Basketball teams achieved unsatisfactory APR scores. As a result, the football team has been ruled ineligible to participate in postseason competition such as the SWAC Football Championship, the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs and the Celebration Bowl.
Women’s basketball will be penalized with shorter practice hours only.
In the university’s official statement, PVAMU Athletics outlined corrective actions already underway to improve the student-athlete learning experience and ensure satisfactory progress in the future. A new Director of Athletic Support Services will be hired to monitor athletes’ academic performance. This position will make needed changes to improve the academic performance of team members and oversee athletics academic advising and learning support programs.
Additionally:
- Eight academic peer tutors will be hired as support to student-athletes’ progress.
- Athletes will have access to 24-hour online tutoring while traveling through a nationally recognized tutoring company.
- Women’s basketball will devote four additional hours per week to tutoring.
The department will also mandate that incoming transfer and freshmen student-athletes enroll in the Transfer Experience Course and First-Year Experience Course, respectively. These courses are designed to support the transition into the University environment, introduce students to the different support services, teach students the rich history of the university, as well as provide learning strategies for academic and personal success in college.
“Like all those who love and support Prairie View Athletics, we are disappointed that our APR score renders us ineligible for postseason play,” the statement said. “We commit to ensuring that our student-athletes are prepared to succeed not only in their sport but also in the classroom.”
Courtesy: PVAMU Athletics
