If some NIU Athletic Board members get their way, the university might soon grab a more active role in scrutinizing the admission of athletic recruits.

The Student Affairs Committee discussed the adoption of pre-admission academic reviews of recruits at Wednesday’s monthly Athletic Board meeting. The review, if adopted, would be aimed at identifying potential academic problems of NIU athletes before their admission to the university.

The board also heard reports from the Long Range Planning and Promotions Committees and a report about the upcoming NCAA meetings. It also approved letters of congratulations to be sent to eight NIU student-athletes.

The Long Range Planning Committee put out for consideration proposed guidelines and methods for the athletic department to review sports programs on an annual basis. The proposal drew strong debate about the intended mission of the Athletic Board and any powers it would relinquish under the guidelines. The report was sent back to committee for further revisions.

The Promotions Committee gave preliminary, un-audited attendance figures for NIU athletics. Season-ticket sales for football were reported up 45 percent over last year. As of Nov. 14, season-ticket sales for men’s basketball were unchanged from last year, while sales for the women’s team more than doubled.

The committee also announced that the game time for the Jan. 3 men’s basketball game would be switched from 7 to 9 p.m. to accommodate a live broadcast on SportsChannel.

The board also heard a report from faculty represantative Nancy Vedral about the upcoming NCAA meetings. Vedral reported on various proposals and possible changes that might be made at the meeting, including Proposition 24, which would require Division I and II schools to report graduation rates of student-athletes on an annual basis.

The eight athletes who are to receive the letters of congratulations are being honored for making various all-academic teams while competing for NIU.