NCAA Probation
May 27, 2011
As you may have heard, Fontbonne is currently completing two years of probation pursuant to an agreement reached with the NCAA in April 2011. During the probation, Fontbonne is required to comply with NCAA rules to the same extent as any other Division III school. The probation will not restrict the opportunities of our students and teams to participate and compete in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SLIAC) or the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) or the Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) or the Coastal Volleyball Conference (CVC) or NCAA sports or championship play.
The investigation resulted in probation because Fontbonne mistakenly considered high school athletic participation as one of many factors for eligibility for a particular award. Fontbonne also made a mistake by permitting two coaches to initially rate students for eligibility for awards.
Fontbonne never intended to circumvent the NCAA rules. Once these violations came to our attention, we immediately — and voluntarily — reviewed our processes and made the necessary changes. We are confident that we will complete the probation without difficulty and are committed to that task.
Fontbonne has a long-standing history of values-based education, and we remain committed to providing an environment where students can obtain a meaningful education and have the opportunity to fully participate in athletics.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Maria Eftink at 314-889-4533 or meftink@fontbonne.edu.