Mission & Goals
NCPA Mission: To provide the means for college athletes to voice their concerns and change NCAA rules.
NCPA Goals:
1. Raise the scholarship amount.
The NCAA admits that a "full scholarship" does not cover the basic necessities for a college athlete, but it refuses to change its rules to allow schools to provide more scholarship money. The NCPA's plan is to use a relatively small percentage of post-season revenues to assist universities in providing scholarships that cover costs.
2. Hold schools responsible for their players' sports-related medical expenses.
The NCAA does not require schools to cover sports-related injuries – it's optional. College athletes injured during sports-related workouts should not have to pay for medical expenses out of their own pockets. Universities should be mandated to pay for all of their athletes' sports-related medical expenses.
3. Increase graduation rates.
The ultimate goal for a college athlete is not a scholarship, it's a degree. The graduation rate for Division I football players hovers around 50% while men's basketball players graduate at a rate of about 40%. The NCAA can help improve these rates by awarding a significant portion of the NCAA basketball tournament revenues to schools with the best graduation rates. In addition, the NCAA should work to reduce games that take place during the week. Although weekday games are in the interest of the TV networks, they hurt college athletes academically.
4. Allow universities to grant multiple year scholarships (up to 5 years) instead of 1-year revocable scholarships.
University recruiters mislead high school recruits by offering them "4 or 5 year scholarships" even though the NCAA does not allow multiple year scholarships. The NCAA only allows 1 year scholarships that a university can refuse to renew for any reason (including injuries or personality conflicts). A university should be able to give multiple year scholarships and guarantee it in writing if it so chooses. This would help further protect college athletes and end deceptive recruiting practices.
5. Prohibit universities from using a permanent injury suffered during athletics as a reason to reduce/eliminate a scholarship.
Such actions reduce the chance for such college athletes to graduate. College athletes put their bodies and lives on the line in their pursuit of higher education and the success of their university's athletic program. It is immoral to allow a university to reduce or refuse to renew a college athlete's scholarship after sustaining an injury while playing for the university.
6. Establish and enforce uniform safety guidelines in all sports to help prevent avoidable deaths.
Several deaths in the college football off-season have highlighted the need for year round safety requirements that provide an adequate level of protections for college athletes from all sports. College athletes and athletic staff should be given the means to anonymously report breaches in such requirements.
7. Eliminate restrictions on legitimate employment.
College athletes should have the same rights to secure employment as other students and US citizens. Such a measure could be designed to increase graduation rates and allow universities to retain the most talented athletes for the duration of their eligibility.
8. Prohibit the punishment of college athletes that have not committed a violation.
It is an injustice to punish college athletes for actions that they did not commit i.e. suspending a team's post-season eligibility for the inappropriate actions of boosters. Such punishments have significant negative impacts on the short college experience of many college athletes. Alternative forms of punishment are available and should be utilized to allow an adequate policing of the rules.
9. Guarantee that college athletes are granted an athletic release from their university if they wish to transfer schools.
Schools should not have the power to refuse to release college athletes that choose to transfer. The NCAA currently gives universities the power to determine whether or not to allow college athletes to retain athletic eligibility after transferring. This contradicts the principle of sportsmanship that the NCAA is supposed to uphold.
10.Allow college athletes of all sports the ability to transfer schools one time without punishment.
College athletes that participate in football, basketball, and hockey should not be denied the one-time no-penalty transfer option that is afforded to college athletes of other sports. Such a policy is coercive and discriminatory. All college athletes should have this freedom to ensure that they realize their academic, social, and athletic pursuits.
