The new regulations have largely been applauded since the October announcement, although sports commentators have observed that the requirements might put additional strain on smaller institutions with less resources and a lesser ability to compete with well-known Division I powerhouses.
Created under the supervision of NCAA President Mark Emmert, the new regulations are divided into three major areas: scholarship, eligibility and academic progress.
Following the new guidelines, Division I athletes will now be eligible to receive additional funds of up to $2,000 to cover the gap between the full scholarships offered by their institutions and the actual cost of attending university.
The newly-raised Academic Progress Rate, which mandates that at least half the students on any given team are on track to graduate, will carry significant financial and postseason-eligibility consequences beginning with the 2015-2016 season. High school students must now carry a minimum 2.3 GPA, up from the previous 2.0 marker, to be eligible to compete for NCAA teams.
The NCAA policy changes will likely not affect the College in any significant way, according to coaches.
The Ivy League does not allow academic scholarships, and the only financial support varsity athletes receive at Dartmouth is through need-based financial aid and outside, independent scholarships. Dartmouth also consistently meets the raised APR requirement each year through the College's competitive admissions process, and the League's own admission guidelines are already more stringent than the new NCAA guidelines.
Dartmouth men's track and field head coach Barry Harwick said that the current changes "are just not relevant to Ivy League programs."
The additional scholarship allowance will not significantly affect Dartmouth athletics or its recruiting efforts, according to Jim Wilson, head coach of Dartmouth's swimming and diving teams.
"I think it will play a big role at the big football and basketball schools around the country," Wilson said.
Dartmouth men's lacrosse coach Andrew Towers said he is in favor of the more liberal rules regarding compensation for college athletes.
"On a personal level, I hope they start to pay college athletes," Towers said in an email to The Dartmouth. "They deserve it based on the amount of time and energy they put into D-I sports."
Towers said he was not worried by the new academic implementations, as "the players in our program are already among the smartest young men in the country."
"I don't see higher standards affecting us negatively in any way," Towers said.
Harwick said there are other proposals in the works that could negatively affect the Big Green.
"Specifically, there are proposals out there to eliminate international trips and possibly cut down the number of competitions," Harwick said. "Many teams at Dartmouth travel internationally. We use the trips for both competition and education. Eliminating the trips would deny our student athletes a tremendous experience."
Any NCAA legislation that prohibits international trips would adversely impact the way Dartmouth teams prepare for their seasons, coaches said. Along with track and field, several other teams including the mean's and women's hockey, lacrosse and basketball teams travel abroad to train and compete.
