Hawaii reprimanded by WAC

[PonyPride]

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI`I REPRIMANDED BY WAC

ENGLEWOOD, CO -- The Western Athletic Conference's Board of Directors today issued a public reprimand to the University of Hawai`i as a result of its failure to comply with newly-adopted conference academic policies relative to term-by-term requirements.

Specifically, Hawaii failed to certify that its football student-athletes had completed the conference-required six credits during the fall term of 2002 and prior to the school's participation in the Hawaii Bowl on December 25, 2002.

"Certainly, the WAC understands the difficulty that the University of Hawaii had in administering the rule as a result of the timing of the end of the institution's final exams and the date of the bowl game," Commissioner Karl Benson said. "However, all conference institutions must be held to the same standards regarding rules compliance."

The six-credit rule was adopted by the WAC in June, 2002, and stipulates in part that an institution must certify that its student-athletes have passed a minimum of six credit hours in the semester that concludes immediately prior to the date of the
postseason competition.

In addition to the reprimand, the university was assessed an undisclosed financial penalty.

[Higher Authority]

I wonder what would the penalty have been had SMU been the school under question for academic improprieties - maybe they'd shut down the university? Or tell us that nobody with less than a 3.9 is eligible?

This reeks of double standard, based on the fact that Hawaii plays in a bowl (albeit a bowl at its own stadium) every year.

[Mustangs35SMU]

Ok so what happens now to Hawaii?!?! do they not get to playin a bowl or somethin or what? Im very confused *like usual* haha

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The Red And Blue Is Back! Let the Pony Pride Ride On The Hilltop!

[Ikus]

Rest assured nothing will happen. Hawaii is a nice peaceful school where the coaches wear those festive shirts and leis and they give the conference an "in" at a bowl game, located in tropical paradise, no less. The WAC won't do a thing to them other than to scold them and say "now now, you shouldn't do that."