Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Oops! Caltech Teams Violated NCAA Rules During Epic Losing Streaks
Photo by faria! via the LAist Featured Photos pool
NCAA violations aren't just for athletic powerhouses like USC.Even our own local Division III university, whose athletic teams have suffered sometimes decades-long losing streaks, sometimes skirts the NCAA rules. Today it was announced that the Caltech Beavers have been reprimanded and penalized for fielding academically ineligible players, according to the Associated Press.
It's hard to imagine many Caltech students being academically ineligible for anything, but it turns out that it had less to do with the kind of grades that athletes were getting and more to do with how many credits they were taking each semester. The problem sounds pretty innocent: it turns out some of the students weren't full-time when they took the field.
The problem arose because students "shop" for classes at the beginning of the semester and sometimes end up with a completely different load than they started with, according to the Associated Press. Caltech noticed the problem and reported itself to the NCAA.
The good news is that the penalties did nothing to take away the basketball team's first win after 26 years. The losing streak ended with a much-ballyhooed win on February 22, 2011 against Occidental.
"It stands," Caltech spokeswoman Deborah Williams-Hedges said. "Thank goodness."
We're pretty sure this won't shake the confidence of the students (who are probably too busy doing problem sets, anyway). Because the most impressive thing about basketball games at Caltech isn't the game itself but the basketball they give away to anyone who can make a half-court shot during halftime: it has the autographs of the five Nobel prizewinners who teach on campus.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
