The NCAA News - News & Features

Second publication of proposals mailed

Included are 66 new proposals -- 57 produced from the committee structure through the NCAA Council and/or NCAA Presidents Commission; eight included in a deregulation package proposed by the NCAA Legislative Review Committee; and one resolution sponsored by a conference

The deregulation package deals with playing-and-practice-seasons legislation.

The Second Publication of Proposed Legislation includes a newly sponsored resolution offered by the Big Ten Conference. The resolution seeks formation of a special committee to study the feasibility of scheduling later NCAA baseball and softball seasons that would culminate in late-June championships in those sports.

The 66 new proposals appear in the second publication along with proposals submitted earlier this year by member institutions and conference.

All changes that have been made in those membership proposals since their appearance in the Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation (mailed in August) are included in the second publication.

Primary issues

Twenty-one of the 57 new proposals originating in the Council/Commission structure deal with restructuring issues. In all, 47 of the 147 proposals that appear in the second publication pertain to aspects of that topic.

Featured among proposals cosponsored by the Council and Presidents Commission are measures to establish Association-wide and division-specific committee structures and to establish or revise details of the structure of the Division I Board of Directors and Management Council and the Divisions II and III Presidents Councils and Management Councils.

Also sponsored are proposals to increase the length of the Association's provisional membership period from three to four years (and requiring an educational assessment during that period in Division II) and to increase sports-sponsorship requirements for Division III membership.

Procedures for establishing National Collegiate championships in the revised membership structure also are proposed.

The second publication also features four proposals resulting from work this year by the NCAA Special Committee on Agents and Amateurism. Included among those proposals is a measure to permit Division I student-athletes who are on full grants to work in the off-season during the school year, earning up to the value of the cost of attendance at the institution in which they are enrolled.

Other noteworthy proposals in the second publication -- all sponsored by the Council -- include:

* A proposal that would limit the two-year-old legislation that permits a basketball student-athlete to enter a professional league's draft one time without jeopardizing eligibility, provided that the student-athlete resumes intercollegiate participation within 30 days after the draft. The proposal would eliminate eligibility for any student-athlete who actually is drafted by a professional basketball team.

* A measure designed to aid in Olympics preparation by permitting graduate students to practice with an institution's team in specified sports and under certain conditions.

* A proposal in Divisions I and II football to reduce the number of sessions involving contact during spring football practice.

Because 45 of the 47 proposals related to restructuring call for amendment of the NCAA Constitution, those proposals constitute the largest grouping in the second publication. Twenty-eight of those 45 proposals would amend Constitution 4, which deals with the Association's organization.

Also proposed are 23 proposals dealing with the recruiting legislation of Bylaw 13, 19 proposals in the area of eligibility (Bylaw 14) and 17 (not counting the deregulation package) in the area of playing and practice seasons (Bylaw 17).

Including the deregulation package, this year's Second Publication of Proposed Legislation includes 19 more proposals than appeared in the second publication in 1995.

Amendments-to-amendments

The Second Publication of Proposed Legislation was mailed September 23 to chief executive officers, faculty athletics representatives, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators and compliance coordinators at NCAA institutions. Conference commissioners and provisional, affiliated and corresponding members also receive copies.

From now until November 1, the Council, Presidents Commission, division steering committees, NCAA Executive Committee or any eight active member institutions can submit amendments to a proposals for the 1997 Convention.

With one exception, amendments-to-amendments at this stage of the legislative calendar must adhere to the traditional Association limitation -- they are not permitted to increase the change put forth in the circularized proposal.

The exception is for amendments to Division I restructuring proposals. The Council decided at its August meeting to provide the Division I membership with every opportunity to amend proposals that relate to restructuring before the January Convention. As a result, such amendments-to-amendments may modify proposals in any manner that is germane to the original proposal.

Amendments-to-amendments must be received in the national office by 5 p.m. (Central time) November 1. No amendments-to-amendments may be submitted after that date, except that the Council has the authority to submit amendments-to-amendments at the Convention, if deemed necessary.

Forms for submitting amendments-to-amendments were mailed with the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation to chief executive officers.

The Official Notice of the Convention, which will included all proposed legislation and properly submitted amendments-to-amendments, will be mailed to the membership November 15.

Before then, officers of the Presidents Commission will designate proposals to be considered during Presidential Agenda Day at the Convention and those to be voted upon by roll call.