A bill making its way through the California legislature couldbar all universities within the state from membership in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association.

Senate Bill 193, dubbed the “Student Athlete Bill ofRights,” states that if passed, California institutions ofhigher education would be prohibited from joining any organizationthat dictates the terms, length, value and conditions ofstudent-athlete scholarships.

The NCAA does require that its member schools abide by theassociation’s scholarship regulations.

The bill is sponsored by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, andPresident Pro Tem John Burton, D-San Francisco.

The bill was first introduced into the Senate on Feb. 12. Itpassed the Senate’s education committee on April 24 by aunanimous vote. The Senate passed the bill on May 29 by a 26-10vote.

SB 193 now sits in the Assembly’s higher educationcommittee. It will continue its journey when the legislativesession reopens in January.

The NCAA, an association of more than 1,200 schools nationwide,helps to administrate collegiate athletics by setting rules andpolicies concerning student-athlete scholarships, minimum academiceligibility and statutes of amateurism.

More than 350,000 student athletes in the United Statesparticipated in NCAA-sanctioned sporting events in the 2001-02school year, according to an NCAA report.

The Pacific-10 Athletic Conference, considered one of the mostprestigious conferences in the country, is also opposed to SB193.

“We believe that the bill would be catastrophic,”said Chris Dawson, assistant commissioner of the Pac-10. “Weare involved in defeating it.”

The Pac-10 is the home of 10 schools &- four of which arein California. UCLA, Stanford, UC Berkeley and the University ofSouthern California all compete in the Pac-10 Conference, alongwith two universities each from Arizona, Washington and Oregon.

Dawson would not speculate on the future of the Pac-10 shouldthe bill pass.

“It’s far too early to speculate,” Dawsonsaid.

Dawson said she hopes the legislature will instead look to makechanges within the NCAA, saying that a reform in the vein of SB 193would only cut student athletes out of the process.

Dawson also pointed to efforts by the Pac-10 and otherconferences to make changes regarding scholarships and financialaid. She said that a bill currently going through the NCAAlegislative system would allow student athletes to obtain financialaid to subsidize their athletics scholarships up to the cost ofattendance at a university.

This practice is not allowed by current NCAA statute. SB 193would allow California colleges to combine athletic scholarshipswith need-based aid without restriction.

Senators Murray and Burton did not respond to requests forinterviews.