One day after receiving penalties from the NCAA for a poor annual progress report, FIU was punished again.
The NCAA added an extra year of probation to the university's self-imposed three-year probation period and had 20 1/3 scholarships reduced among 12 Golden Panthers teams for multiple rules violations.
FIU begins its probation period May 15 and is scheduled to end its probation on May 19, 2012.
The infractions committed by FIU included 45 ineligible student-athletes that competed from the 2002-03 through the 2006-07 seasons.
FIU also misapplied enrollment and financial aid rules, transfer requirements and eligibility rules.
Athletic director Pete Garcia initiated an internal investigation into all compliance-related issues immediately after being hired in October 2006.
''The mandate that I received from our president and board of trustees when hired was to thoroughly evaluate every aspect of our intercollegiate athletic program,'' Garcia said. ``Beginning with the compliance department.''
FIU self-reported its violations to the NCAA last fall.
This past February in Arizona, FIU and the Sun Belt Conference met with the NCAA committee on infractions to talk about its case.
Josephine Potuto, the chairwoman of the NCAA committee on infractions, said the committee found that the university's compliance did not grow as its athletic programs jumped from NCAA Division I-AA to Division I-A.
''Upon discovering these violations, we put in place new compliance procedures that are much more suited to the university FIU has become in the last 10 years,'' said FIU President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique.
``We now have the level of staffing and the redundancies that will prevent these types of infractions from occurring again in the future.''
Anticipating penalties from the NCAA, FIU alloted for scholarship reductions in the 12 sports this past signing period. FIU already has absorbed most of the 20 1/3 scholarships taken by the NCAA.
The men's and women's soccer teams were hit the hardest. The men's team forfeited 4 1/3 scholarships, and the women's squad lost 3 ½ scholarships. The Golden Panthers football team lost three scholarships, baseball surrendered 1 ½ scholarships, and basketball had to give up one.
''We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our findings and self-imposed penalties,'' Garcia said. ``We are confident that with all the additional resources, policies and procedures that are put in place that our student-athletes now have the infrastructure to be successful both on and off the field while being in compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations.
``We are committed to running a top-notch athletics program while upholding the integrity of FIU and the NCAA.''
