By Jackie Springgay
BYU sent a proctor to Mississippi to watch an athlete take his final exam for the school''s online independent study program.
Jerrell Powe, a defensive lineman at Wayne County (Miss.) High School, was taking BYU online courses to meet basic requirements for college, according to the Associated Press.
The NCAA questioned Powe''s fast progress through the courses he took and declined to give him the credits for the courses that would allow him to play with the University of Mississippi.
Powe appealed the decision to the NCAA Student Records Review Group, which denied the appeal last August, according to the Associated Press.
Last year, The New York Times Magazine made claims that BYU Independent Study is the place to go if an athlete needs a quick fix for academic eligibility. BYU responded to the article and said the article was unfair and incomplete, according to an article published in the Daily Universe in November.
In April, Powe was taking the 16 credits needed for his high school diploma through BYU''s independent study program, other online courses, and WCHS, according to the Associated Press.
Now, Powe is not taking any courses through BYU Independent Study, said Michael Smart, spokesman for BYU.
BYU sent a proctor mid-April to administer the final exam for the course Powe was taking.
'We send proctors to remove doubt of the outcome of the exams,' Smart said. 'We always act to ensure the integrity of the independent study program.'
BYU sends out proctors from the university to proctor exams on a case-by-case basis, about three times a year, Smart said.
Proctors from other institutions, in the location of the student taking the course, usually direct the tests for the independent study courses.
'I used to take my exams with a guy that was in charge of Institute in a church building,' said Megan Barber, a student from Redmond, Wash., who is completing her high school education completely through BYU Independent Study. 'Now I take my exams with the Family Learning Center .'
Barber calls the center when she is done with her lessons, and they order the test for her. After they get the test in, they call her and give her a two-week period in which she can schedule to take the test, and she sets up a date to take it.
Joe Barnett, Powe''s spokesman, told the Associated Press he hopes Powe will sign his third letter of intent to play with the University of Mississippi by the end of May.