Bok to Meet With NCAA To Press for Changes

President Bok will go head to head today with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) officials over his proposal to bring the largely autonomous organization under tighter university control. The association will try to get Bok to tone down his plans, but he has indicated that he will stand firm.

The Washington parley will be the first discussion between the two sides since the American Council of Education (ACE) endorsed a plan to create a board of college presidents which would have unprecedented policy making and veto powers within the NCAA. Two weeks ago, top NCAA officials criticized the plan for giving the presidents too much power.

Bok--attending a special meeting of the ACE Intercollegiate Athletic Committee, which he chairs--will also confer today with representatives of predominantly Black colleges about their objections to an NCAA rule allowing freshmen to play varsity sports only if they secure a combined score of 700 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and a 20 high school grade point average. The ACE originally proposed the measure, but is apparently willing to accept modifications.

Currently, all athletic rule legislation must be passed by two-thirds of the NCAA's 789 members at their annual convention in Dallas. The Bok committee proposal would only allow the NCAA to overrule the board of presidents if there was a two-thirds majority mail ballot vote of members, and then a majority vote of college presidents.

NCAA officials will recommend to Bok that the board be established, but only with an advisory role. Ted Tow, assistant director of the association, said yesterday.

Bok was unavailable yesterday to respond to the specific counter proposal, but said in a recent interview. "I don't think it would be appropriate if a board of university presidents taking action for example to uphold or maintain academic standards be overruled by the vote of a convention primarily made up of coaches and athletic directors."

To become policy, the governance proposal would have to get a two-thirds majority at the NCAA December convention.

SAT Standards

Black colleges have said that the academic participation requirements, which will go into effect in 1986, are discriminatory, because the average Black score is up to 100 points less than the average while score. Luna I Mishoe, president of the predominantly Black Delaware State University said yesterday.

Robert Klitgaard '68, associate professor of Public Policy, who has worked with Bok on this issue and will accompany him to Washington, said recently that the ACE committee might show some flexibility on the SAT provision.

One possible compromise mentioned is that instead of using 700 as a standard, the freshmen may be asked to have grades and test scores above the tenth percentile of the institution's most recent graduating class.