Great Lakes Valley Conference Imposes Sanctions on UW-Parkside
INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference office announced Tuesday a series of sanctions imposed on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, following a six-month internal and external investigation involving student-athlete eligibility.
As set forth below in more detail, the GLVC Council of Presidents/Chancellors unanimously upheld 12 Conference sanctions, including probationary status for the entire UW-Parkside athletic department and ineligibility for participation in all GLVC and NCAA Championships for the 2017-18 academic year. In addition, the Conference will retroactively vacate the UW-Parkside’s 2017 GLVC Wrestling Championship, its 2016 Men’s Indoor Track and Field 5,000-meters Championship, as well as any win captured by a UW-Parkside student-athlete that has been deemed ineligible at time of competition.
These sanctions, which are effective immediately, are the result of a comprehensive investigation, which concluded that as many as 19 possible violations across 11 of the UW-Parkside’s 13 sports had occurred during the 2016-17 academic season. The investigation further concluded that some of these possible violations still have not been self-reported by the institution.
Based on these findings, the GLVC has retained The Compliance Group to conduct eligibility audits for the 2017-18 academic year, as well the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16 academic seasons to ensure that not only is the institution compliant moving forward, but these administrative deficiencies are limited to the past academic year. UW-Parkside will be financially responsible for reimbursing the GLVC for the total cost of this project.
Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, president of the University of Southern Indiana and chair of the GLVC Council of Presidents/Chancellors, released the following statement on behalf, and with the unanimous support, of the Council:
“The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is a great institution and has been a valued member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference since 1994. As a league made up of 15 like-minded institutions of higher learning, one of our founding principles is that the student-athlete’s academic experience shall remain each Conference member’s highest priority. Furthermore, we as privileged members are bound by the GLVC Constitution, which states in part that the purpose of the league is to foster sportsmanship, ethical conduct, mutual respect and confidence among the member institutions, and to foster the purposes and principles of higher academic education. In addition, we are to provide procedures for the enforcement of the NCAA principles, policies, constitution and bylaws. These sanctions imposed today are aimed not just to look after fellow member institutions, but also to assist the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with its corrective measures already in place to rebuild a culture of compliance on campus. The Council’s intent moving forward is that these interventions will create the needed practices to ensure a positive external review of the athletics program at the end of the 2017-18 academic season, which would successfully terminate Wisconsin-Parkside’s probationary status with the GLVC.”
With unanimous support of the GLVC Steering Committee and Conference membership, and the league’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors, the Conference imposed upon UW-Parkside the following sanctions, effective immediately:
GLVC imposes probationary status for the entire athletic department and ineligibility for participation in all GLVC and NCAA Championships for the 2017-18 academic year. The institution’s probationary status beyond 2017-18 will be determined by the results of the eligibility audit for the current academic year.
GLVC vacates any win captured by a UW-Parkside ineligible student-athlete.
GLVC vacates UW-Parkside’s 2017 GLVC Wrestling Championship.
GLVC awards UW-Parkside “0” points in the All Sports Trophy and Commissioner’s Cup standings for all sports that used ineligible student-athletes.
GLVC vacates UW-Parkside’s 2016 Men’s Indoor Track and Field 5,000-meters Championship.
GLVC requires UW-Parkside to file 14 possible violations from The Compliance Group audit to the NCAA.
GLVC requests the NCAA Enforcement Staff to continue the compliance investigation as the NCAA deems appropriate.
GLVC requires eligibility audits conducted by The Compliance Group for the 2017-18 academic year. The Compliance Group will be hired and retained by the GLVC. UW-Parkside will be financially responsible for reimbursing the GLVC for the total cost of this project.
GLVC requires eligibility audits to be conducted by The Compliance Group for the 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16 academic seasons, unless the NCAA Enforcement Staff takes similar action. UW-Parkside will be financially responsible for reimbursing the GLVC for the total cost of this project.
GLVC requires UW-Parkside Compliance Committee and coaches to attend an NCAA Regional Rules Compliance Seminar in 2017-18. (*The University’s plan to host the Complete Compliance Camp, facilitated by Double L Consulting, for the UW-Parkside athletic department staff in September 2017 will suffice as a suitable alternative for this particular sanction.)
GLVC will require an official response from UW-Parkside to the 10 recommendations listed on The Compliance Group report.
GLVC will require a written plan to the Conference office to develop a culture of compliance at UW-Parkside.
The Great Lakes Valley Conference reserves the right to take additional disciplinary action with staff, coaches, individual teams/programs, and the institution pending the final results from future reports from The Compliance Group or any action taken by the NCAA.