Baylor feels some heat from regional accrediting group

The Southern Association of College and Schools’ Commission on Colleges has placed Baylor University on warning for 12 months over issues related to the sexual assault scandal that engulfed the school’s football program, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported Tuesday.

The publication reports that the commission found that Baylor was not in compliance with “several accrediting requirements."

The commission found that Baylor didn’t provide adequate support services for students and didn’t’ exercise “appropriate fiscal and administrative control” of its athletics program, the chronicle reported.

The publication reported that Baylor could spend as much as two years under the sanction before the commission takes action on the status of the schools accreditation.

Baylor was notified of the sanction on Monday.

"I believe this warning sanction was to be expected given the shortcomings identified, the media exposure and the public release of the Pepper Hamilton findings. We received the lesser of the two sanctions because of the quick action taken in May, when the Findings of Fact and Recommendation documents were published," said David E. Garland, Interim President.

"What SACSCOC needed is a longer time period for us to document the effectiveness of the reforms and measures we have taken. Documentation and continued improvement are key. We are committed to ongoing support for our Title IX Office, developing more robust education and prevention programs and continuing to strengthen the oversight and integration of athletics within all aspects of the University. We are confident that the full implementation of significant and broad-ranging improvements will adequately address the SACSCOC concerns."

The University of Louisville was placed on probation over governance issues, the chronicle reported.

The commission announced the action Tuesday at the end of its annual meeting in Atlanta.