National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News Digest

March 17, 1997

PROFESSIONAL DRAFT

New effective date considered for Convention Proposal No. 81

The NCAA Administrative Committee is expected during a March 19 telephone conference to revise the effective date of 1997 Convention Proposal No. 81, which provides that a student-athlete who is drafted by a professional basketball team no longer has eligibility remaining in the sport.

The Administrative Committee discussed during a March 5 telephone conference an NCAA Professional Sports Liaison Committee recommendation that the legislation's effective date be changed from August 1, 1997, to immediately. After discussing concerns that an immediate effective date may provide insufficient notice for basketball student-athletes who already have decided to declare for the National Basketball Association draft this June, the Administrative Committee agreed to review the issue further during its March 19 telephone conference.

The committee is expected at that time to make the legislation effective no later than the middle of April 1997. Student-athletes who submit their names for the NBA draft before the date selected by the committee would be permitted to do so under the rule in place before the 1997 Convention. Student-athletes who submit their names after the selected date would be required to meet the conditions of Proposal No. 81.

For more information, see the Legislative Assistance column.


INTERNET

NCAA web site draws acclaim; Final Four presentation popular

The NCAA's new Final Four Web site was a hit when it debuted in earnest March 8. Actual-ly, it was a hit several hundred thousand times over.

On "Selection Sunday," the Final Four Web site (www.finalfour.net) received about 350,000 hits, while the NCAA's permanent site (www.ncaa.org) received about 180,000.

The numbers are expected to increase during the tournament because of the real-time features (for example, constantly updated statistics, photos, broadcasts) that the site provides for both the men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments.

The "Selection Sunday" presentation was marred by hackers who crashed the site and inserted racist material. The vandalism was removed quickly, and security has been enhanced to avoid similar problems in the future.

Overall, the NCAA's Web site has received critical acclaim. Most recently, it was named as Internet "site of the day" by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Staff contact: Wallace I. Renfro

REVENUE DISTRIBUTION

Dates established for mailing 1997 revenue-distribution checks

The first checks from the 1997 NCAA revenue-distribution plan will be mailed April 18.

The following schedule has been established for the six funds:

Basketball ($50 million, estimated $67,000 per unit): Checks to be mailed April 18.

Division II ($3 million, estimated $6,500 equal distribution): Checks to be mailed May 23.

Academic enhancement ($15.25 million, $50,000 per Division I institution): Checks to be mailed June 20.

Special assistance ($10 million): Checks to be mailed August 1.

Sports sponsorship ($16.33 million): Checks to be mailed August 8.

Grants-in-aid ($33.67 million): Checks to be mailed August 22.

Staff contact: Keith E. Martin.

TITLE IX

Registration deadline changed for Kansas City Title IX seminar

The registration deadline for a Title IX seminar scheduled May 12-13 in Kansas City, Missouri, has been moved back to April 7.

The deadline to register for the other seminar, which will be conducted April 21-22 in Atlanta, remains March 17.

The seminars are designed to help institutions provide equitable opportunities for wo-men athletes by offering information, assistance and ideas about Title IX compliance for intercollegiate athletics administrators. The 1997 seminars will be conducted at Ritz-Carlton Hotels in both cities.

At Atlanta, speakers will include Debbie Brake, senior counsel for the National Women's Law Center; Daniel DiBiasio, president, Wil-mington College (Ohio); Christine Grant, women's director of athletics, University of Iowa; Mary Frances O'Shea, Title IX coordinator, Office for Civil Rights; and Dee Todd, associate commissioner, Atlantic Coast Conference.

At Kansas City, speakers will include Mary Ann Connell, university attorney, University of Mississippi; NCAA Executive Director Cedric W. Dempsey; Robert E. Frederick, director of athletics, University of Kansas; Grant; and Cheryl Levick, senior associate director of athletics, Stanford University.

Staff contacts: Janet M. Justus (overall) and Kaily C. Sola (registration information).