National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 4, 1997

Legislative proposals decrease as result of structural changes

Divisions II and III institutions properly submitted 10 legislative proposals for the 1998 Convention -- a figure down dramatically from past years, before Division I adopted its new representative form of governance.

Eight of this year's proposals were submitted by Division II institutions -- including a proposal to cut the maximum number of scholarships in Division II football from 36 to 30.

Division I will not hold a legislative session at the 1998 Convention -- the first Convention after implementation of the Association's new governance structure. Division I legislation now is handled through a representative structure overseen by the 15-member Division I Board of Directors.

Clearly, the elimination of Division I Convention proposals is the primary -- but not necessarily the only -- reason for this year's reduction in membership proposals.

Last year, the three membership divisions combined properly submitted 90 proposals for the 1997 Convention -- nine times as many as this year. The three divisions submitted 79 proposals for the 1996 Convention.

However, at least one other factor may be affecting the number of proposals submitted by Division II. The number of sponsors required to propose legislation in Division II increased from eight to 15 active member institutions (or two active conferences), as a result of action at the 1997 Convention.

The number of sponsors required to propose legislation in Division III remained unchanged, at eight.

This year, the NCAA national office actually received 12 proposals before the July 15 legislation deadline, but two proposals -- one in Division II and one in Division III -- were not acceptable because they were not properly sponsored.

Football proposal

Fifteen institutions are listed as sponsors of a proposal that would decrease the permissible number of scholarships in Division II from the equivalent of 36 financial aid awards to 30.

The sponsors cite a Division II Financial Aid Project Team survey that revealed 60 percent of Division II football-playing institutions currently provide less than 30 equivalencies for football, and that the Division II institutional average is 24.1 equivalencies.

About 75 percent of Division II institutions responded to the survey.

The proposed legislation would become effective in August 2001, thus permitting schools that currently offer more than 30 equivalencies time to reduce support without affecting current student-athletes.

However, the proposal likely will attract significant opposition.

The Financial Aid Project Team survey cited by the sponsors also indicated that 52 percent of Division II institutions preferred no change in the current football equivalency limit, compared to the 45 percent that indicated a preference for a decrease.

In April, the Division II Management Council Transition Team declined to seek Division II Presidents Council Transition Team sponsorship of several proposed changes in Division II financial aid, including a reduction in Division II football equivalencies.

Other Division II proposals

The football equivalencies proposal is one of three Division II proposals dealing with financial aid legislation.

The North Central Intercollegiate Athletic and Northern Sun Conferences are sponsoring a proposal that would reduce the number of equivalency scholarships for cross country and track at schools that sponsor only cross country.

The proposal, which would reduce the permissible number of equivalencies at such schools from 12.6 to five, is similar to a proposal that has been recommended by the Division II Management Council for Division II Presidents Council sponsorship. The Presidents Council has requested more information about the issue but is expected to consider the proposal again before its September 1 deadline for submitting proposed legislation for the 1998 Convention.

The other Division II financial aid proposal, sponsored by the Lone Star Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, would exclude a Pell Grant from counting as part of a grant-in-aid. Division I adopted similar legislation at the 1996 Convention.

Division II institutions also are proposing:

To permit tryouts of currently enrolled students prior to the beginning of the playing and practice season

To permit a student-athlete who has transferred to a second four-year institution but did not receive athletically related financial aid or participate in intercollegiate athletics to transfer to a third four-year institution and use the one-time transfer exception.

To annually exempt up to two contests against either foreign teams or "club" members of USA Basketball from limits on the permissible number of basketball contests.

To give conference commissioners authority to determine the appropriate action in a secondary violation of Association rules in which a "student-athlete had little or no real culpability" or the violation's "effect is minimal."

Division III proposals

Both Division III proposals deal with playing-and-practice-seasons legislation.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and four other institutions propose permitting on-court preseason basketball practice to begin October 15, as currently is permitted in Division II. Division III currently begins practice on the fourth Saturday preceding the first permissible contest date.

The other proposal, by the State University of New York Athletic Conference and two other institutions, would modify the playing season in lacrosse to permit 17 contests during the traditional segment and five contest during the nontraditional segment, as currently permitted in field hockey and soccer.

What's next?

In the NCAA Divisions II and III legislative calendars, no new proposals can be submitted by the membership after July 15. But sponsors of the 10 proposals properly submitted by the deadline have until September 15 to refine and alter those amendments in any manner that is germane to the original submission.

The membership's proposals were reviewed July 21 by the NCAA Legislative Review Committee. Under Constitution 5.3.6, the proposals are being forwarded to appropriate NCAA committees for evaluation.

Committee comments, if any, are due no later than October 7.

Membership proposals will be published in the Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation, which will be mailed to Divisions II and III members August 15.

The intent statements accompanying those proposals will be published in the August 18 issue of The NCAA News.