Eligibility: SAIT Soccer-Labele

2019-20 Season 

September 12, 2019 

Facts:

Joseph Lambele played for the SAIT Men’s Soccer team as well as the SAIT Men’s Futsal team during the 2018-19 academic year. By the conclusion of the Winter semester, Mr. Lambele had successfully completed only 15 credits. He then enrolled in a 3 credit Spring class at SAIT. However, for medical reasons, Mr. Lambele was forced to withdraw from that class, leaving him with only 15 credit hours over the course of the 2018-19 academic year.

SAIT seeks a ruling that Mr. Lambele is eligible to compete during the Fall of 2019.

Ruling:

The relevant sections of the ACAC Operating Code are identified below.

Article I Section 5 Rule 1.4.6 reads as follows:

1.4.6. Institutional Academic Withdrawal: Student Athletes granted a complete academic penalty free withdrawal from an institution by the institution’s registrar or designate, will not be held to the ACAC academic progress rule for that semester. A copy of the student athlete’s transcript is to be forwarded to the ACAC office along with a letter from the registrar (or designate) verifying that the student athlete was withdrawn from classes with cause and no academic penalty. As per ACAC eligibility rules the student-athlete will still have consumed a year of eligibility. (added September 2015) Note: Students athletes, who by their own choice, withdraw from their institution prior to the completion of a semester and, after competing in a minimum of one regular season competition, will be held to the academic progress rule and will have consumed a year of eligibility. (added September 2015)

Article I Section 5 Rule 1.1.4.3 partially reads as follows:

1.1.4.3. Two Semester Participation To be a student in good standing, a student athlete must pass eighteen (18) credits in an academic year to be eligible to participate in the subsequent semester….If the student athlete passes six (6) or more credits in fall semester academic progress is measured again by August 31st to determine if the student athlete has earned the required eighteen (18) credits over the academic year.

In this case, SAIT has provided a letter from the Registrar’s Office confirming that Mr. Lambele’s withdrawal from his Spring Class was done with cause and with no academic penalty. As such, Mr. Lambele was not required to abide by the academic progress requirement identified in Rule 1.1.4.3 above. Accordingly, he is immediately eligible to compete for SAIT during the 2019-20 academic year.

Sincerely,

Bill Hendsbee 
ACAC Commissioner