Eastern Illinois Drops Wrestling Program

Wednesday's Frat Boy News Daily Sports Page

Eastern Illinois University (compiled by the DEN NEWS)
A sports program that had been at Eastern for 59 seasons will not be around next year.

Last Thursday, Eastern's Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie announced that Eastern's wrestling program would be discontinued, effective immediately.

McDuffie cited the team's poor academic performance as the reason the team was cut.

Three years ago, the NCAA adopted a program called the Academic Progress Rate. The NCAA collects data on athletes' eligibility status, graduation rates and retention rates.

According to the NCAA, the APR includes a calculation that accounts for currently enrolled student-athletes receiving financial aid based in any degree on athletics ability.

"A perfect APR is 1000; the NCAA cut off is 925," McDuffie said. "All of our teams are above 925, except wrestling which is in the 800s."

For the 2004-2005 Academic Progress Rate Institutional Report, wrestling had an APR of 851, with 26 athletes represented in the data. During the same year, Eastern's baseball team had an APR of 913, with 65 athletes represented and men's indoor track had an APR of 924 with 44 athletes represented. These teams are not penalized because of "size squad adjustment."

The NCAA has collected three years worth of data on Division I teams.

Vital Computers Stolen at Eastern Illinois

Computer with Eastern Illinois Students' Personal Data Stolen

The AP is reporting that a computer containing Social Security numbers and other personal information for Eastern Illinois University's 1,400 fraternity and sorority members has been stolen.

School officials have said there are currently no reports of any misused information as of yet. The theft occurred at the student life office where the burglars reportedly stole a desktop computer and 2 hard drives containing information for each member of the university's 23 Greek organizations.

"There's actually a lot of people concerned about it," said Toni Radzik, president of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. "A lot of people don't know what we're supposed to do. We don't know what information was (taken)."

The university said they will talk to each Greek organization to see if they may know the whereabouts of the missing computers.

Neo has yet to comment on the escalating situation.