The NCAA News - News & Features

Committee takes action to benefit student-athletes in several ways

The primary change involved liberalizing the Association's special assistance fund (see related story on page 1), but the Executive Committee also enhanced the degree-completion program, increased the number of postgraduate scholarships offered by the Association, expanded bracket sizes in two women's sports and enhanced safety in wrestling.

The committee approved a major boost in funding for the Association's degree-completion program, which assists student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility for institutional financial aid. It increased the funding $450,000 over the next three years, raising the annual budget to $650,000.

The Executive Committee also approved $100,000 for 20 additional postgraduate scholarships, which means that beginning with the 1996-97 academic year, the Association annually will offer 174 $5,000 postgraduate scholarships to qualified student-athletes.

The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee had sought funding to increase the value of the 154 existing grants from $5,000 each to $7,500 each, a proposed expenditure of $385,000. However, at its April meeting, the NCAA Council recommended that any additional funding be used to provide more grants rather than to increase the value of the existing grants.

The Executive Committee followed the Council's recommendation and instructed the Postgraduate Scholarship Committee to determine how the additional 20 grants are distributed.

Championships

In championships matters, fields in the NCAA Women's Division II and Division III Soccer Championships were increased as a result of growing sponsorship of women's soccer.

In Division II, the size of the field was increased from eight to 12 teams, effective with the 1996 championship, while in Division III, the field grew from 20 to 24 teams, also effective with the 1996 championship.

In other championships matters, the Executive Committee established a field size of 296 participants for the National Collegiate Women's Rowing Championship. Eight teams will compete for the championship in that event, with a squad size of 25 (23 competitors and two substitutes) and a traveling party of 31 (the squad, plus two coaches, a manager, a rigger, a trainer and an administrator).

The changes in wrestling were the result of a collaborative effort between the NCAA Wrestling Committee and the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (see the April 29 issue of The NCAA News).

The new rule requires that a student-athlete competing in the Division I, II or III Wrestling Championships must make weight at the class for which he weighed in for at least 75 percent of the weigh-ins during the second half of the season.

It also stipulates that in the second half of the season, a competitor cannot vary more than one weight class from the class identified by the 75 percent requirement and that weigh-ins at NCAA regional and championship competition will take place the night before the start of competition.

The Executive Committee also reaffirmed its December 1995 position that dehydration facilities or equipment should not be made part of the wrestling championships.

Minutes of the Executive Committee meeting will appear in The NCAA Register.

Other highlights

* Was generally supportive of an initiative by the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee geared to developing programs for students in grades five through eight, but declined to provide funding at this time. Instead, the Executive Committee asked the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee to provide more information on the program and to clarify its intention regarding the Association's role in National STUDENT-Athlete Day activities.

* Agreed that investment income from the one-time $50 million payment from CBS be distributed to the Division I membership via the basketball and broad-based funds (grants-in-aid and sports-sponsorship) of the revenue-distribution plan during the last five years of the contract.

* Agreed to propose legislation for the 1997 NCAA Convention to permit an institution to provide the cost of actual and necessary expenses for team entertainment functions (for example, meals, transportation and lodging) for the spouses and children of student-athletes participating in an NCAA championship. Current legislation permits the practice only in football.

* Agreed to provide funding for the Association to retain a consultant on learning-disabled issues.

* Voted to provide an additional $69,800 for the current fiscal year and an additional $289,000 for fiscal year 1996-97 to enhance service for the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. The additional funding will permit more trained evaluators to staff the clearinghouse phones.

* Agreed to increase by 15 percent the flat-rate honorariums for institutions that host NCAA championships.