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Clark Atlanta Cuts Jolt Scholarship Holders, Teams

By Cecil Cross II
Black College Wire

When Lisa Johnson finished her last final exam in the spring, the starting pitcher for the Clark Atlanta University softball team returned home to Houston under the impression that her athletic scholarship would be intact in the fall. But when she boarded an AirTran flight in late August, the sophomore wasn�t returning to register for classes. Johnson was returning to fight for her scholarship.

�I was mad because I knew it was wrong and I had to spend unnecessary money to try and get back in school,� Johnson said.

Johnson was one of 44 athletes whose scholarships were significantly reduced due to the university�s recent budget cuts. President Walter Broadnax�s decision to slash each of the university�s departmental budgets by 20 percent meant slicing athletic scholarships as well. Johnson, 20, was one of many student-athletes who found out that their scholarships had been cut when it was too late to do anything about it.

NCAA guidelines stipulate that the renewal and non-renewal letters, which notify students of the status of their scholarships, must be postmarked by July 1. Athletic Director Brenda Edmond, who says she was not at fault, acknowledged that the letters were not sent out on time. She said that the issue is still a �touchy subject.�

Photo credit: www.onnidan.com Brenda Edmonds

Dr. Joel Harrell, vice president for enrollment services and student affairs, is careful not to point fingers.

�I don�t think it was anybody�s fault,� Harrell said. �It was one of those situations in which unfortunately the timing got off and the letters didn�t get off on time. There were several situations that contributed to that.�

Johnson said that she didn�t receive a non-renewal letter until the middle of July. She said that when she finally got the letter, she couldn�t believe her scholarship had been cut from $6,200 to $1,000.

�I was expecting it (the letter) a lot earlier,� Johnson said. �And when I saw it I thought that the university had made a mistake. I thought that they had left off a zero or something.�

After calls to the office of financial aid and to her coach left her frustrated and her education in limbo, Johnson decided that it would be more effective to fly back to Atlanta one week before classes to plead her case in person. Besides, the enrollment deadlines for colleges in the Houston area had passed. Johnson said that she was awarded her original scholarship after her father took a week off from work and drove 13 hours to Atlanta to argue on her behalf.

Although NCAA rules ultimately leave scholarship renewal to the university�s discretion, Edmond said that all 44 athletes got the awards they were originally slated to receive.

�I had to take out a loan to pay for tuition, and I still haven�t gotten my scholarship money yet,� Johnson said.

Johnson isn�t the only one with reason to complain. Team travel arrangements have been altered to accommodate the reduced budget, which might affect performance.

�As part of our budget restraint, whereas we would normally travel on Friday and spend the night, the football team, band and cheerleaders have to go in on Saturday morning, play the game and come back the same night,� Edmond said. �That�s a great saving for us.�

The budget cuts have had a domino effect on the entire athletic department, from administration to the teams, all of which have members who have lost scholarships. The men�s tennis and golf programs were cut altogether, and Sports Information Director Charles Ward resigned on Sept. 15.

Edmond said that having a sports information director is especially critical during football season. But she said she was willing to wear as many hats as it took to keep the athletic department functional.

�We have to do whatever it takes to make the program work,� Edmond said.

www.cau.edu Head football coach Tracy Ham

Head Coach Tracy Ham said that the football team, which remains winless after four games, could have used one of the five scholarships it lost to recruit a few additional players in key positions. He likened Broadnax�s predicament to the responsibility he assumed in his first year as head coach last season.

�When I came in I had to assess the team, and figure out which route was best to take to turn the team around,� Ham said. �Obviously his task � trying to save an HBCU from failing fiscally � is much greater than mine.�

When Ham was notified that his budget had been cut by more than $100,000, he was forced to cut James West, the defensive line coach. For Ham, that was particularly hard to swallow.

�You really need your coach because you lose your guy recruiting on the road,� Ham said.

But Ham, who holds football practice at 5 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, understands that excuses don�t win football games.

�We�re like every other department here,� Ham said. �We�ve been cut, so we deal with it and move forward.�

Men�s basketball head coach Larry Nolley said that he would like student athletes to forgive and forget. But he knows that mistakes like sending off scholarship notification letters late won�t make the recruiting process any easier.

�That (not sending the letters on time) killed us,� Nolley said. �We�re shooting ourselves in the foot. But I�m not suffering. The kids are.�

�The university regrets that it happened,� Harrell said. �And we�ve taken the necessary action to remedy those students who were involved.�

Cecil Cross II, a student at Clark Atlanta University, is managing editor of The Panther.

Posted Dec. 1, 2003