The NCAA News Digest

February 9, 1998

• NCAA Convention attendance, 1979-1998
• DIVISION II -- Committee seeks to end 'geographic-proximity policy'
• Nominations sought to replace Herbert on Presidents Council
• NATIONAL OFFICE -- New national headquarters designed with athletics in mind
• WOMEN'S ATHLETICS -- Recommendations address scholarship-equity problem
• FARA -- Division II nomination sought for FARA executive committee

After two decades of almost continuous growth, attendance at the 1998 NCAA Convention plummeted in 1998. Total attendance fell from 2,687 in 1997 (the all-time record) to 2,051 -- the lowest delegate total since 1989. The overall decline was 23.7 percent. Although the attendance figures have not been broken down by divisions yet, a preliminary examination by the Convention registration staff indicated that Division III attendance was almost identical to 1997, Division II was down slightly and Division I (with a new governance system) was down sharply.

DIVISION II

Committee seeks to end 'geographic-proximity policy'

The Division II Championships Committee has recommended that the division's "geographic-proximity" policy be eliminated.

The policy would be eliminated before the 1999-2000 championships year if the committee's recommendation is approved in April by the Division II Management Council and Presidents Council.

If the policy is changed, a No. 1-seeded team that meets other criteria could serve as a championship host regardless of the location of its campus.

Staff contact: Dennis L. Poppe.

DIVISION II

Nominations sought to replace Herbert on Presidents Council

Nominations are being sought for a vacancy on the Division II Presidents Council resulting from the recent resignation of Adam W. Herbert as a Region 2 representative.

Herbert resigned following his selection as chancellor of the State University System of Florida. He was president of the University of North Florida.

Herbert also served as Presidents Council chair.

Staff contact: Nancy L. Mitchell.

NATIONAL OFFICE

New national headquarters designed with athletics in mind

The new NCAA national office in Indianapolis will be built in the image of a stadium.

Although the look is not tied to any particular sport, the appearance will be somewhat reminiscent of the Ballpark at Arlington, the baseball facility for the Texas Rangers.

Plans for the new structure were made available February 4 at a news conference in Indianapolis.

Groundbreaking for the national office and an adjacent Hall of Champions is expected to take place in March. If construction goes according to plan, the NCAA will occupy the new facility in August 1999.

Staff contact: Frank E. Marshall.

WOMEN'S ATHLETICS

Recommendation address scholarship-equity problem

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics is making recommendations to the Division I Committee on Financial Aid to address concerns that institutions inadvertently may violate Title IX while offering a full complement of scholarships in women's sports .

The Division I Management Council has asked the Division I Financial Aid Committee to review the issue and come up with recommendations. In support of the Management Council's request, the women's athletics committee asked the financial aid committee to analyze current NCAA scholarship limits and consider recommending adjustments where justified.

The women's athletics committee formed its recommendations after hearing a report from NCAA general counsel Elsa Cole on the status of 25 Title IX complaints filed with the U.S. Office for Civil Rights.

The complaints, filed by the National Women's Law Center, allege that the 25 institutions are not in compliance with the Title IX requirement that financial aid awarded to female student-athletes must be substantially proportionate to those students' participation in intercollegiate athletics.

Staff contact: Janet M. Justus.

FARA

Division II nomination sought for FARA executive committee

The Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA) is accepting nominations for a Division II representative to the FARA executive committee.

The FARA executive committee consists of 13 members, including the officers and other division representatives. Its duty is to conduct FARA business subject to the approval of the membership.

The two-year appointment is nonrenewable. Nominations must be submitted by February 13 to FARA President David Knight (david knight@uncg.edu) or NCAA membership services representative Jennifer L. Heppel (jheppel@ncaa.org).

Staff contact: Jennifer L. Heppel.