National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 18, 1997

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee focuses on planning and communication

Communication and planning issues were the primary items discussed at the final meeting of the Association-wide NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

From now on, each division will have its own student-athlete advisory committee.

The SAAC met July 26-27 in Denver, in conjunction with Division II's first "student-athlete summit," an annual gathering approved in the restructuring process in which Division II student-athlete representatives are to meet with the Division II leadership structure to discuss legislative issues. A story about that summit appears on page 1.

To enhance planning and communication, the full SAAC agreed that the three division student-athlete committees will meet at a common site in the future. In addition, the SAAC agreed to form a student-athlete steering committee, which will contain representatives from each of the divisions.

Division I

In discussing a strategic plan for Division I student-athletes, the committee identified as a goal improving the state of campus student-athlete advisory committees. Each member institution is required by NCAA Constitution 6.1.4 to have such a committee, but the SAAC believes that the quality of the campus groups varies greatly throughout the division.

A subcommittee was formed to assemble SAAC-related material that will be distributed by each of the conference representatives on the Division I SAAC.

The Division I SAAC also identified as a goal the development of conference student-athlete committees. However, the group felt that it would be premature to attempt to establish such committees at this time since it believes that bringing more consistency to the campus groups is a greater priority.

Division I representatives also discussed the need for effective communication between student-athlete representatives and administrators. They also talked about improving communication with internal groups (such as coaches) and external groups (such as the Center for the Study of Sport in Society and other groups with interest in student-athlete welfare).

In addition, Division I student-athletes expressed a desire to have representation at the cabinet level. They also determined that student-athlete representation would be beneficial on cabinet subcommittees (for example, in areas such as recruiting, initial eligibility, continuing eligibility, competitive safeguards and financial aid).

Regarding legislation, the committee:

Recommended that 1997 Convention Proposal No. 62 be modified by no longer permitting athletics staff members to be involved in arranging employment for staff members in the academic year and by focusing any penalties for infractions on the offending athletes, rather than on the athlete's team or institution. The committee opposed a one-year moratorium on the implementation of the controversial legislation, noting that a number of student-athletes already have made plans based on income to be derived from the employment earnings that were approved in January.

Reviewed Convention Proposal No. 125, a proposal relating to the number of contact days that may be permitted in Divisions I and II football. Division I SAAC representatives recommended noncontact practices with helmets only for five days, contact with pads optional for two days and full contact for eight days.

Declined to support a recommendation that the permissible number of weekly hours for practice in individual Olympic sports be increased from 20 to 24. Some student-athletes said the 20-hour limitation is already abused and that the proposed change would only exacerbate the situation. In addition, the athletes noted that the proposal was made at least partly to enhance the development of elite athletes who are pointing toward Olympic competition. However, the athletes noted that the majority of the participants do not meet that description and would prefer to use the additional time for other purposes.
Division II
A review of the Division II Student-Athlete Summit appears in a story beginning on page 1.
Division III
Division III SAAC members worked on their strategic plan, the key item in which is identifying and contacting Division III institutions that have not yet established campus student-athlete committees. The committee set as a goal having campus SAACs operating at all Division III institutions by the end of the 1997-98 academic year.
Like their Division I counterparts, Division III student-athletes focused on the need for effective communication.
Meeting with Bridget Belgiovine, athletics director at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and chair of the Division III Management Council; Maureen Hager, associate director of athletics at Allegheny College; and former NCAA President Judith M. Sweet, athletics director at the University of California, San Diego, the committee discussed the need for athletes to communicate among each other on campus and within each region. Sweet and Belgiovine stressed the importance of student-athlete feedback in making the new membership structure work effectively.
In other actions, the Division III SAAC:

Recommended to the Division III Championships Committee that consolation or third-place games be eliminated at NCAA events. The discussion was prompted by the concern that the third-place game at the Division III Field Hockey Championship is not worth the scheduling conflicts it causes; in addition, the athletes noted that it results in an unnecessary loss of class time.

Declined to support a recommendation to change the start of the practice season for Division III basketball to October 15 (the same as for Divisions I and II). The athletes noted that conditioning activities in Division III basketball already begin on October 15 and that starting practice on that date likely would result in moving back the date on which conditioning could begin.

Discussed the male student-athlete representative to the Division III Management Council. An individual had been designated earlier, but he will be out of the country on two of the four dates that have been identified for Management Council meetings.