RALEIGH - Though the official word of their NCAA infractions came out Monday, St. Augustine's College has been working to fix the causes of several major compliance violations for nearly a year.

"It's tough to go through it," said Marc Newman, St. Aug's vice p-resident for institutional advancement. "No one wants to get publicly spanked, but what we gain from it will be the measure of our department. We'll use the time to strengthen the program."

The NCAA also penalized the school for a lack of institutional control in an August report from the Division II Committee on Infractions.

During the academic years 2003-04 through 2007-08, St. Aug's made mistakes certifying transfers, monitoring grade-point averages, and crosschecking participation information for a total of 29 athletes -- including 15 football players -- in seven sports.

The school also gave impermissible benefits in the form of scholarships and travel expenses, to ineligible athletes.

The school must pay a $2,500 fine, give up 10 percent of its scholarship money in seven sports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 and spend three years on probation while it shores up its compliance efforts.

Newman said Tuesday that none of the 25 CIAA or five NCAA titles won by St. Aug's teams during that period would be affected.

Asked if the administration censured athletic director George Williams, the school's longtime track-and-field coach and a national figure, or football coach Michael Costa for the infractions, Newman said no.

"After the administration reviewed them, it didn't come down to coach Williams or coach Costa; it came back to compliance" Newman said. "If it was malicious, if we knew athletes were ineligible or if we paid recruits, it would be a different story. But, here, it's not a reflection on the AD."

Newman said it quickly became clear that the school's compliance procedures were failing when the NCAA made inquiries in the fall of 2006.

The NCAA blamed St. Aug's problems on a lack of compliance training and the heavier workload the school's compliance officer faced when the school added football, and an additional 100 athletes, in 2002.

"We didn't [add staff] and we're suffering the consequences," Newman said. "We're learning from that. Hopefully we'll continue to thrive. It's not a step back but a black eye that will heal."

St. Aug's began fixing problems in October 2007, 10 months before the report and its recommendations were issued.

Three athletics department staffers -- the compliance officer, the senior women's administrator, and an assistant AD -- were removed from the department and reassigned within the university.

St. Aug's still has only one person overseeing compliance, but that person has more experience than the previous staffer.

Andre Roach took the job as assistant AD for compliance in 2007. Before coming to St. Aug's, Roach served as the compliance coordinator at another CIAA school, St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Va., for five years.

"[Roach] is more seasoned," Newman said. "He's been at a school with football. He has dealt with the nuances of NCAA compliance."

The athletics department staff and coaches also have attended national conventions for more training. St. Aug's also hosted the CIAA's annual compliance training workshop this summer.

"They have a better understanding," Newman said. "Then, also, if our staff is not sure about something, they know where to go for the answers."

The NCAA called the St. Aug's situation evidence of "regrettable trend" among Division II schools that have struggled to properly monitor athletes' eligibility.

"You can't understand how much of a lesson this has been for us," Newman said. "It's a bad time that can be used for good purposes. When we come off of probation, we'll have a knowledgeable staff and a department that is 100 percent in compliance."

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