The NCAA News - News and Features

October 27, 1997

Legislative assistance

1997 Column No. 38NCAA Bylaw 16.8.1.5

Travel to NCAA championships, NGB championships

in emerging sports and postseason bowl games

during vacation period

NCAA institutions should note that an institution may provide team transportation for a student-athlete to travel from campus to the site of an NCAA championship, national governing body (NGB) championship in emerging sports or a postseason bowl game and back to campus.

The following are exceptions to this principle:

1. Student-athlete does not use team transportation. If the student-athlete goes home during the vacation period, the institution may provide (in lieu of team transportation) the greater of the transportation cost for the student-athlete to travel from:

a. Campus to the event site and back to campus;

b. Campus to the student-athlete's home and back to campus; or

c. The student-athlete's home to the event site and back home.

[Note: Each of these options represents a formula, and the institution may utilize any of these alternatives at his or her discretion.]

2. Student-athlete uses "leg" of team transportation. An institution that provides one "leg" of actual team transportation (i.e., campus to the event site or from the event site back to campus) must deduct the value of the actual transportation cost of that "leg" from the allowance provided the student-athlete in (1) above.

3. Second trip home. If a student-athlete either uses team transportation to travel from campus to the event site and back to campus, or participates in an event that takes place in the institution's home community, and also has personally paid for a round-trip ticket home during that same vacation period, that student-athlete may be provided actual transportation expenses to travel between campus and home on a second occasion during that same period.

Please note that this only applies to travel to NCAA championships, NGB championships in emerging sports and postseason bowl games during a vacation period. Pursuant to Bylaw 16.8.1.4.1, an institution may provide team transportation for a student-athlete to travel from campus to the site of a regular season contest and back to campus. Further, if a student-athlete travels to a site other than the event site during the vacation period, pursuant to 16.8.1.4.1.1, the institution may provide the cost of round-trip transportation for the student-athlete to travel from campus to the event site and back to campus even if the student-athlete does not travel with the team. The student-athlete shall pay only the additional cost associated with traveling to a site other than the event site.

Reclassification issues

NCAA institutions should note that during its April 14-15 meeting, the former NCAA Council adopted noncontroversial legislation (effective immediately) to permit a member institution that is in its second year of the two-year reclassification period to be counted for purposes of meeting applicable scheduling requirements by its opponents as a member of the division to which it is moving. It should be noted that during this two-year reclassification period, the school that is reclassifying does not have to meet the scheduling criteria of the division to which it is moving. However, during this two-year reclassification period, in all instances and relating to all sports, an institution must apply the more stringent rule (e.g., recruiting, eligibility, financial aid) between its current division and the division to which it is moving. Further, Division I institutions should note that the amended legislation does not change the way in which a non-Division I institution is factored in the basketball Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Under these circumstances, a Division II member institution reclassifying to Division I is still considered a Division II institution for purposes of the RPI, during each of its reclassification years.

Additionally, Division II institutions should note that pursuant to Bylaws 20.4.3.1 and 20.5.3.1, if a member of Division II has forwarded to the national office written notice of its intention to change its membership classification (either the entire program or one sport) to Division I, that institution is no longer eligible to participate in any subsequent Division II NCAA championships.

This material was provided by the membership services staff as an aid to member institutions. If an institution has a question or comment regarding this column, such correspondence should be directed to Richard C. Perko or Kristen L. Davis, membership services representatives, at the NCAA national office. This information is available on the Collegiate Sports Network.