The NCAA News - News & Features

Federation guides panel's approach

Oversight Committee agrees on 10 Association-wide functions

The NCAA Transition Oversight Committee has recommended that the functions of 10 general committees continue to be handled on an Association-wide basis once the new governance structure becomes effective.

Committees whose functions would be designated as Association-wide under the oversight committee's recommendation are:

* Basketball Officiating.

* Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.

* Honors.

* Minority Opportunities and Interests.

* National Youth Sports Program.

* Olympic Sports Liaison.

* Postgraduate Scholarship.

* Research.

* Walter Byers Scholarship.

* Women's Athletics.

Also, under the committee's recommendation, the Special Committee to Oversee Implementation of the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse would continue to serve Divisions I and II. Its function does not apply to Division III, and for that reason, it would not be considered "Association-wide."

The oversight committee's recommendation will require approval of the membership at the 1997 NCAA Convention to become effective. The NCAA Presidents Commission will review the proposal at its June 25-26 meeting, and the NCAA Council will consider the matter in August.

In making its recommendation, the oversight committee chose to approach the task by determining that all committee functions should be federated unless a reason exists to make them Association-wide.

Unless a committee function is designated as Association-wide, it will be up to each division's governance structure to determine how each committee's responsibilities will be administered. However, in several cases (Academic Requirements, Administrative Review, Communications, Eligibility, Financial Aid and Amateurism, Infractions, Infractions Appeals, Interpretations, Legislative Review, Recruiting, Special Events, Student-Athlete Advisory, and Two-Year College Relations), the oversight committee noted that each division would be expected to communicate with other divisions on common issues.

In making its decision, the oversight committee examined several factors, including how many members from each division are on each existing committee, how much legislation each committee has developed over the last three years, and the recommendations of committee chairs and staff liaisons as to whether committees should be Association-wide.

The oversight committee ultimately determined that if a committee has been lightly involved in legislative matters, spends an equal amount of time on issues in each division and has a generally equal distribution of members from each division, then that committee function was a candidate to be Association-wide.

Of the 10 recommended functions, only the responsibilities of the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee do not fit that description. That committee has developed 13 legislative proposals over the last three years, the fourth-largest number of any committee, and 80 percent of its membership is from Division I.

However, the oversight committee determined that a coordinated approach, rather than a division-by-division approach, is more appropriate for the Association in that particular area at this time.

In addition, the committee recommended that all committees with playing rules responsibilities will have their rules functions designated as Association-wide. Those committees are:

* Baseball Rules.

* Men's Basketball Rules.

* Women's Basketball Rules.

* Football Rules.

* Men's Ice Hockey Rules.

* Men's and Women's Soccer Rules.

* Men's Lacrosse.

* Men's and Women's Rifle.

* Men's and Women's Skiing.

* Men's and Women's Swimming.

* Men's and Women's Track and Field.

* Men's Water Polo.

* Wrestling.

In cases in which a committee shares championships and playing-rules responsibilities, the oversight committee recommended that the committee would be considered Association-wide for playing-rules purposes, but would be federated for championships purposes.

In other words, the Men's Lacrosse Committee would contain representatives of all three divisions and would act as one body on playing-rules matters. However, for championships matters, the representatives of each division would act separately.

Also, the oversight committee suggested that the Association may choose to evaluate whether some existing sports committees are necessary. For example, it believes that the responsibilities of the Basketball Officiating Committee might be effectively delegated to the Association-wide Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committee.

Presidents Commission

The report of the Transition Oversight Committee will be a primary agenda item when the Presidents Commission meets June 25-26 in San Francisco.

Other multidivision matters to be considered include U. S. Justice Department issues regarding student-athletes with learning disabilities and recommendations from the NCAA Academic Requirements Committee and Two-Year College Relations Committee regarding correspondence courses.

Much of the Commission's work will be done in division subcommittees.

A story describing significant restructuring issues to be considered by the Division I subcommittee appears on page 1. That group also will receive a report from the NCAA Special Committee on Agents and Amateurism.

The Division II subcommittee will consider recommendations regarding enhancements to the Division II compliance program and the Institutional Self-Study Guide; will hear reports from the financial aid and governance project teams of the Division II Management Council Transition Team; and will discuss the Division II Budget/Finance Committee time line and initiatives.

The Division III subcommittee also will discuss restructuring issues, including the membership survey regarding championships and the recommendations of the Division III Task Force to Review the NCAA Membership Structure regarding championships (see page 1).

Other topics include task force recommendations pertaining to Division III membership and governance questions and discussions of possible communication initiatives, including presidential "focus groups" or regional discussion forums.