National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

September 1, 1997

Division III: Presidents want more study on aid proposal

A proposal to allow national governing bodies (NGBs) the same opportunity as the U.S. Olympic Committee to award educational expenses to student-athletes was put on hold by the Division III Presidents Council pending further study.

At its meeting August 12 in Atlanta, the Presidents Council referred the request to the Division III Financial Aid and Awards Committee and the Interpretations and Legislation Committee, noting a concern that the legislation may not apply to Division III.

The Presidents Council indicated not only that it would not sponsor legislation allowing the NGB contributions, but it feels that any aid provided by outside sources and including athletics as a criterion might be in conflict with the Division III philosophy. The council asked the financial aid committee to examine the possibility of eliminating all legislation allowing for such aid in Division III.

The NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee recommended that all three divisions sponsor legislation to allow contributions from NGBs. The current rule permits individuals to receive educational expenses from the USOC, provided the individual's choice of institutions is not restricted, the aid is disbursed through the member institution for the athlete's educational expenses only, and that the aid is countable toward both individual and team NCAA financial aid limits.

The Olympic Sports Liaison Committee said it believed the proposed legislation would be cost-effective by assisting institutions in covering scholarship costs and would provide assistance for declining Olympic sports.

Automatic qualification

In another action, the Presidents Council reviewed a draft of principles for automatic qualification to Division III championships.

The principles are being drafted by the Division III Championships Committee at the request of the Presidents Council as part of the council's emphasis on the importance of in-season regional and conference play, access to championship opportunities for conference champions in all sports and equitable access for independent institutions.

The Presidents Council approved further development of the concept but noted the ultimate need for the sports committees to enforce the principles and to ensure that the guidelines incorporate a timely appeals process through the Championships Committee.

The draft of principles will be returned to the Championships Committee for refinement and for review by Division III sports committees and the Management Council. The Presidents Council will review a revised draft at its October meeting.

Discussion forum

The Management Council has recommended that the automatic-qualification principles be a topic for a discussion forum during the Division III business session at the 1998 NCAA Convention. The Presidents Council declined to take specific action on the Management Council's recommendations for discussion topics, requesting instead that more detail be provided at the Presidents Council's October meeting.

The Presidents Council canceled the legislative workshops tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, and approved a joint meeting of the Presidents Council and Management Council for the afternoon of Saturday, January 10. The Presidents Council asked the Management Council to develop an agenda and timeline for the discussion forums suggested for Monday and Tuesday, January 12 and 13.

In another action, the Presidents Council approved the distribution of a survey concerning proposals for enhancing the Division III Football Championship. The survey was distributed August 15. The Management Council has identified football championship enhancements as another potential discussion forum at the Convention.

Results of a survey conducted this spring about contest limitations (see story elsewhere on this page) convinced the Presidents Council not to sponsor legislation to change the maximum contest limitation legislation. The Management Council had recommended that the Presidents Council not sponsor the legislation.

Other highlights

Division III Presidents Council

August 12/Atlanta

  • Adopted noncontroversial legislation to amend Bylaw 21.8.6.8.3 relating to the two student-athlete representatives to the Management Council. The language was changed to state that one year's experience on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is preferred for both representatives but such experience is required for only one of the representatives.

  • Appointed a subcommittee to recommend nominations for the current opening and two openings occurring in January 1998 on the Presidents Council. The subcommittee will conduct a conference call and provide recommendations by the council's October meeting.

  • Agreed to sponsor legislation for the 1998 NCAA Convention clarifying current gambling legislation and applying that legislation to conference staff members. The Presidents Council said it would discuss the issue again in October because the legislation should be consistent across all divisions.

  • Ratified the Management Council's extension of a second educational year for eight provisional members to allow those institutions an additional year to come into full compliance with Division III membership requirements. The Presidents Council also approved a mandatory meeting for those institutions to provide a thorough review of Division III membership requirements and stress the necessity of complete compliance with the requirements during 1997-98 and 1998-99 to avoid termination of provisional membership.

  • Agreed to oppose 1998 Convention Proposal No. 1-9, which would lengthen the permissible period for on-court practice in basketball. The Management Council recommended opposing the legislation, stating that it is not necessary to lengthen the period, it would negatively affect multisport athletes, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee opposed it.

  • Took no position on 1998 Convention Proposal No. 1-10 concerning maximum dates of competition for women's lacrosse but agreed to reconsider the issue in October.

  • Approved the recommendation of the Management Council that an interpretation relating to soliciting or accepting a bet for material items be referred to the Subcommittee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. This issue arose as a result of the wagering of shirts in the sport of rowing.