The NCAA News Digest

May 5, 1997

• DIVISION I -- Management Council selects chairs for four cabinets
• BASKETBALL RULES -- Committee votes to reinstate five-second closely guarded rule
• GENDER EQUITY -- NCAA gender-equity survey shows slow gain for women
• TITLE IX -- Court's decision not to hear case leaves some groups disappointed
• DEGREE-COMPLETION PROGRAM

DIVISION I

Management Council selects chairs for four cabinets

The Division I Management Council has selected chairs for the four cabinets that have been created as part of the new Division I structure.

At its April meeting, the Management Council selected the following chairs:

Academics/Eligibility/Compliance -- David B. Knight, faculty athletics representative, University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

Business/Finance -- Gary A. Cunningham, director of athletics, University of California, Santa Barbara.

Championships/Competition -- Christopher Hill, director of athletics, University of Utah.

Strategic Planning -- Harold P. Menninger, director of athletics, Mount St. Mary's College (Maryland).

Staff contact: Stephen R. Morgan

BASKETBALL RULES

Committee votes to reinstate five-second closely guarded rule

The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee has reinstated the five-second closely guarded rule, while the women's rules committee has approved the awarding of two free throws for common fouls beginning with the 10th foul in each half.

The committees met April 19-22 in Kansas City, Missouri.

In reinstating the five-second closely guarded rule after a four-year hiatus, the men's committee addressed what it believed was the need to improve the flow of the game and initiate more continuous action. The rule had been in place since 1982 but was eliminated before the 1993-94 season when the shot clock also was reduced from 45 seconds to 35 seconds.

Staff contact: Gary T. Brown

GENDER EQUITY

NCAA gender-equity survey shows slow gains for women

The 1997 NCAA gender-equity survey shows that the number of women participating in intercollegiate athletics increased in every NCAA division from 1991 to 1996, but that the gains for women were offset by decreases in participation opportunities for men and escalating operating expenses for athletics.

Results of the 1997 study shows gains of up to 9 percent in the percentage of athletes who are women.

However, the overall number of male athletes decreased -- by 10 percent in Division I, 11 percent in Division II and 12 percent in Division III.

Although the overall gain in women's participation was 6 percent, it varied by division/ subdivision -- from 9 percent in Division I-AAA to 3 percent in Divisions II and III. Divisions I-A and I-AA each showed a 5 percent increase.

Staff contact: Janet M. Justus (women's issues) and Ursula R. Walsh (research).

TITLE IX

Court's decision not to hear case leaves some groups disappointed

Organizations and institutions that submitted friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of Brown University in the university's appeal of its Title IX case to the Supreme Court expressed disappointment in the court's refusal April 21 to hear the appeal.

However, the groups noted that their support of the appeal was an attempt to get a hearing on the three-part test for complying with Title IX -- not an indication that they do not support the concept of Title IX.

United States Water Polo, USA Wrestling and United States Swimming concurred that their interest in joining Brown in its appeal was to get clarification of the law and not to oppose Title IX.

Nine friend-of-the-court briefs supporting Brown's position were filed with the Supreme Court.

Staff contact: Janet M. Justus

DEGREE-COMPLETION CHART