Nearly three weeks into the semester, university administrators pushed late-enrolling student-athletes who were in the process of transferring to Fresno State into classes, jumping over other students who were waitlisted, according to an email obtained by the Collegian.
The transfers were made during the last week to enroll in classes. On top of student-athletes already receiving priority registration, they were also able to skip the waitlist entirely.
The transfer portal is an online database that a player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will enter to declare they’re transferring and allow schools to recruit players. They are now changing the way academic institutions go about recruiting.
“The NCAA transfer portal has dramatically changed the landscape of college athletics, requiring institutions to adapt quickly,” said Ashley Ilic, senior director of University Marketing and Communications. “Late enrollments are now a reality for all universities competing at the highest levels.”
According to Andrew Jones, the California Faculty Association (CFA) Fresno chapter president, student-athletes were given permission numbers from the Registrar’s Office and were enrolled in both major courses and general education classes, many of which were already full.
Waitlisted students who had been attending classes were essentially cut in front of, adding an extra obstacle before potentially being enrolled in that class.
“For our students, those who were waitlisted, some of whom had probably attended the classes in question from day one in the hopes of getting in, were all but stripped of their opportunity to enroll in the affected classes,” Jones said.
A professor at Fresno State, who does not want to be identified, wrote an email to Dean of Undergraduate Studies Bernadette Muscat regarding concerns about student-athletes being enrolled into their classes two weeks into the semester without prior authorization from the professor.
In an email widely disseminated to faculty that was provided to The Collegian, Muscat wrote back saying that administrators had been instructed to assist student-athletes with getting to the minimum credits required to play sports. The NCAA requires athletes to be enrolled in 12 credits.
“The Registrar’s Office has been directed via administration to over-enroll athletes who need to get into classes to be in NCAA compliance,” Muscat said.
According to Ilic, one of Fresno State’s priorities is getting student-athletes registered and enrolled.
“Student-athletes at Fresno State, like at universities nationwide, face unique academic and scheduling challenges due to the demands of their sport,” Ilic said. “NCAA rules require student-athletes to enroll in a minimum number of credit hours to maintain eligibility and make timely progress toward their degrees.”
University administrators are emphasizing the importance of getting athletes into the correct number of classes that fulfill the NCAA’s requirements, which means that Fresno State Athletics worked collaboratively with the Registrar’s Office and undergraduate admissions.
“The university has policies to manage enrollments across student populations with unique needs, and Fresno State Athletics works within those guidelines while also ensuring compliance with NCAA academic standards,” Ilic said.
Waitlisted students aren’t the only ones who were negatively affected. Faculty were not notified ahead of time, creating concerns among them. One faculty member is considering a potential grievance.
“[Faculty] had no forewarning of these actions; nor did they consent to having additional students added to classes that were already full,” Jones said.
While administrators claim there has been no contract violation, Jones thinks this could evolve into a conflict.
“For the CFA, the issue is NCAA compliance conflicting with our Collective Bargaining Agreement with respect to Article 20.3, which pertains to workload,” Jones said.
Moving forward, administrators said they will do better about being more transparent about decisions regarding student-athletes transferring to Fresno State.
“We will continue refining processes to ensure a fair and effective approach for all parties involved,” Ilic said.
