NCAA Maintains 1.6 Requirement

The NCAA rejected yesterday by voice vote a proposal to abolish the rule which requires athletes to maintain 1.6 grade points.

The proposal was sponsored by 32 colleges in the Northeast, most of them in New York State. The rule, which was adopted six years ago, has bothered many colleges who argue that some colleges are more difficult than others. A 1.6 average is the equivalent of a C-.

The NCAA also remained firm on its refusal to let freshmen play on varsity teams in the university division, while dropping the prohibition for teams in the college division. The Ivy League has a provision of its own which prohibits freshmen from competing on the varsity.

The votes came at the end of a three-day convention at the Astroworld Hotel in Houston, Tex. One of the main concerns of those at the meeting was skyrocketing athletic costs, but there was no legislation yesterday that reflected this worry.