Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-02-23
RULES ARE OUTLINED
UNIFORM BASIS FOR OREGON
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS.
Superintendents Division of Teach
ers' Body Proposes Dividing
State Into Units.

lllSu SCllOOl dGulcIlCo Ill OltSOli
hereafter will be conducted under an
organized system similar to the con-
ference rules of the colleges. This
means that in the future every school
will be competing on an equal basis
so far as scholarship and attendance
requirements of its athletes are con-
cerned. This condition has been
brought about by the superinten-
dents division Of the Oregon State
Teachers association. Several months
ago a committee was named to devise
o system of uniform rules to govern
high school athletics and this commit
tee has framed complete rules and
regulations. These were made pub
lie on Saturday by the committee, of
which w. I. Ford of Dallas is mem
ber.
For the purpose of carrying out the
new rules and regulations, the Oregon
High School Athletic association will
be formed, any high school in the
state becoming member when its
principal signs and accepts these
rules and the school pays its dues of
81 year. This association will be
administered by board of control
consisting of three members. The
state superintendent of public in
struction, or one of his assistants to
be selected by him, shall be one mem
ber and the other two members shall
be chosen by the teachers, one from
western Oregon, to be elected by the
western division of the State Teach
ers association, and the other from
eastern Oregon, to be elected by the
eastern division of the association.
The state has been divided into seven
districts, with director or secretary
for each district. The division which
has proven satisfactory in the Oregon
High School Debating league was fol-
lowed.
Portland was placed in district by
itself and the other districts are Co
lumbia River, Eastern Oregon, North
Willamette, South Willamettay-Sauth-
ern Oregon and Coos Bay. The adop-
ton of these new rules and regula-
tions was deemed necessary to end
contention among the schools. With
no rules it has been asserted that
some schools were using the same
athletics year after year.
Another reason for the adoption of a
uniform system was that some schools
enforced rules regarding certain
scholarship averages for their regula-
tions. Competition, therefore, was not
on an equal basis. For these reasons
the superintendent and principals of
the state have urged the adoption of
the uniform system in the hope Of
cleaner, fairer competition.
incidentally the new regulations
will put an end'to newspaper champ
ionships" in high school football and
other sports. Now if it is so desired
the actual champion of the state may
be determined by elimination games.
The new regulations provide that a
student to be eligible for athletic
teams must be less than q years old
and must have enrolled not later than
October Is for the first semester or
February Is for the second semester,
He must be an undergraduate of the
school and playing not more than his
fourth season in that sport. He must
have enrolled for full course of four
subjects and must not be delinquent
in more than one subject in the semes-
ter in which he last attended school,
provided that any greater delinquency
may be made up under the usual GUS
tom of the school. They must also
have maintained passing standing in
each of three full and regular studies
for the current semester.
Provisions are made for principals
or superintendent certifying to the
eligibility of contestants and for the
settling of all questions of eligibility
through the district and central or
ganizations. The new regulations al
so provide for contracts for all con-
tests, which are to be signed by the
principals of the two schools as well
as the managers of the teams.