Three months left in waiting game

~ Southeast will not get the results of an NCAA investigation until August.

Three months.

That's about how long Southeast Missouri State officials will have to wait before the NCAA announces the findings of its investigation into the university's women's basketball program.

University president Dr. Kenneth Dobbins met with an NCAA investigator on Wednesday, at the conclusion of a second session of on-campus interviews by the NCAA investigators. Dobbins was told the association's findings likely would be released in early August.

"They still have some more interviews to do, they want to look at more documents," said Dobbins, who was told that could take the investigation into July. "Then they will sit down together and look at it as a whole. She will talk with her supervisor, and they will make a decision."

Dobbins in late January asked the Ohio Valley Conference commissioner's office for an investigation into possible NCAA violations by the program, which won its first OVC title and earned its first NCAA Division I tournament berth this season. Soon after the OVC contacted the NCAA to inform them of Southeast's concerns, the NCAA began an investigation based on other information it had received. While the NCAA and OVC have been working together in stages of the investigation, the NCAA will reach its conclusion separately from the investigator hired by the OVC, whose services are being paid for by the OVC commissioner's office, which will be reimbursed by the university.

"That person works for the OVC, and he will probably present some information to the commissioner," Dobbins said.

Dobbins said he received some indication from the NCAA as to what areas the investigation was covering, but he also said the information is preliminary.

"She shared with me some areas that they're looking at," Dobbins said. "Since it's an ongoing investigation, I'm not at liberty to discuss it."

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman said on April 13 that the university had addressed some "little things" uncovered in the investigation related to impermissible transportation and meal money.