No more Clearinghouse

I had a few questions for NMSU Compliance Officer Braun Cartwright. Namely what the H does the Clearinghouse do? One minute into our conversation, he informed me that the NCAA Clearinghouse, the subject of a lot of student and fan frustration, no longer exists. Either physically or as an entity. The web site is currently under construction

Here is what it says on the web site:

This Web site will be under construction from October 23rd to October 31st during the transition from the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse which was located in Iowa City, Iowa to the new NCAA Eligibility Center in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The eligibility center will process academic and amateurism certifications for NCAA Divisions I and II college-bound student-athletes beginning November 1, 2007.
During the transition, our staff will be able to answer only those questions of a general nature and will not have access to student records. If you need assistance with the following issues, you may call us at 877/262-1492

The NCAA Clearinghouse was operated by the ACT testing facility, contracted by the NCAA, but now the NCAA oversees those eligibility responsibilities and Cartwright believes it will streamline the process in the future. But that still doesn't put Herb Pope on the court yet.

Cartwright told me that Pope apparently participated in a new class at Aliquippa High that no other student athlete had taken, so the class was on the NCAA's list of approved classes. So the NCAA apparently requested sylabus and other forms regarding that class. I'm new to collegiate athletics and covering them on a daily basis, but apparently a single class can cause this type of delay. If that's the case, is a new physical address really going to change things?

Cartwright said that the NCAA has complete files on Herb, Jahmar Young and Wendell McKines at the NCAA location in Indianapolis. Regarding Pope, Cartwright said that Aliquippa, NMSU and the NCAA have been working together effectively to get the NCAA the right documentation, but he also could not give a time frame where Pope might be allowed to not only practice, but play in a game with the season opener about two weeks away.At practice Wednesday, Menzies said he hopes Young and McKines can join the team next week, but we will see.

So I guess this doesn't really say anything new, just wanted to let you know if you didn't already, that the subject of your frustration is no longer the Clearinghouse, it's now squarely on the NCAA.

JG