ATLANTA -- When Georgia officials tried to find a way to make student-athletes show up for classes and academic appointments, athletic director Damon Evans made a bold proposal:

Unexcused absences should bring $10 fines or game suspensions.

After having six months to examine the attendance policy, introduced in January, Evans concluded Wednesday "It's the right thing for us to do."

Georgia officials say the policy deserves credit for a strong academic showing this spring.

For the first time, more than 50 percent of Georgia's student-athletes had 3.0 or better grade-point averages in the spring semester.

Also, when compared with last spring, there were far fewer dropped classes and a sharp increase in credit hours earned -- 954 this spring, compared with 770 last spring, according to Ted White, Georgia's director of academic services.

"It's a great sign," White said.

Word of Georgia's early success with the policy has spread. Georgia is receiving calls from other schools interested in starting similar programs.

"It's exactly what we want," Evans said. "We want our individuals going to class and getting a quality education."

The policy produced dramatic results in its first month.