Elizabeth Friot, professor of secondary education, has been appointed faculty liaison to athletics, a position previously held by Human Performance and Sport Professor Joe Quatrochi. In this capacity, Friot is responsible for ascertaining and signing for the NCAA eligibility of Metro State's sports teams.

Since the start of the fall semester, Friot has been meeting weekly with Assistant Athletic Director Jennifer Fraser to go over the eligibility of Metro State's student-athletes. These students are required to maintain at least a 2.0 grade-point average over 24 credit hours in the last year that count toward graduation in their chosen major. "If the students' responsibility for athletics is interfering with their ability to perform academically," says Friot, "we would talk and determine how to address the conflict."

Metro State's student-athletes generally have no problem meeting their eligibility requirements, boasting one of the highest graduation rates in the country. For example, 92 percent of our men's basketball team players graduate, compared to the NCAA average of 43 percent. In general, Roadrunner student-athletes carry a graduation rate of 63 percent, more than three times the overall institution rate.