OUR VIEW: Kudos to athletics for staying clean

Utah State University athletics fans are lucky.

The Aggies have not had to deal with the troubles of a missing basketball player allegedly killed by one of his teammates.

Nor have the Aggies had to deal with a star athlete accused of rape.

Nor have the Aggies had to deal with coaches being arrested for various problems with the law.

In fact, the Aggies have an extremely clean Athletics department and we should commend them for that.

On Aug. 1, the department was awarded full certification for NCAA I compliance, a process which is required by all NCAA division I institutions.

The study, which was done internally, focused on governance, commitment to rules and compliance, academic integrity, fiscal integrity and commitment to equity, welfare and sportsmanship.

In the past, Utah State has only had small, self-reported violations such as accepting gifts. Nothing too extreme.

Not only is the Athletics department complying with the NCAA, but it is also being recognized for its high academics. The Aggies are ranked in the top 10 in the country for their graduation rate of student athletes.

Varsity athletics are not the only teams giving Utah State a positive image. The hockey club, which struggled academically last year, has instituted a study hall for students who don’t earn a 2.5 GPA or better. The club is only required to maintain a 2.0 GPA to be eligible in the league.

Our football team may be 0-3 and our basketball team may get snubbed by the selection committee for the big dance, but at least we can say that the department is clean and free from any wrongdoing.