By Amanda Carswell

In his monthly letter from the Athletic Director, Northeastern AD Dave O’Brien annouced the scores each athletic team recieved on the NCAA’s new academic plan, the Academic Progress Rate (APR).

The APR uses a system of points to determine the eligibility/graduation for student-athletes on athletic scholarship. Each athlete can earn up to four points in one academic year. The points earned by a team as a whole are turned into a percentage. Each team must meet a set percentage of 92.5, which is equivalent to a 925 on the APR scale, or they will be penalized.

“This legislation was adopted in order for the NCAA and each of its member institutions to get a better picture of what is happening on our campuses academically,” O’Brien said in his monthly newsletter.

For 2003-04 seasons, of the 18 sports that are part of the NCAA at Northeastern, 17 passed the 925 mark. Three teams, women’s cross country, women’s outdoor track and women’s indoor track all received perfect scores of 1,000.

The men’s basketball team did not pass last year, with a score of 846. This is attributed to players leaving school for professional opportunities and returning to their home countries.

“It is important to note that this score is based on one year of data,” O’Brien said. “We have another year (2004-05) to improve our performance before contemporaneous penalties will be assessed.”

Teams that are not able to maintain a 925 over the two years will be subject to loss of scholarships during the 2005-06 academic year.

“We are working diligently to identify potential problems,” O’Brien said, “so that we can achieve our primary goal of ensuring the academic success of our student-athletes and the academic reputation of Northeastern.”