National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

April 27, 1998

Division III continues look at championships issues

The Division III Management Council examined a myriad of issues at its recent meeting, including several relating to championships and the provisional membership process.

The Management Council, which met April 14-15 in Orlando, Florida, approved an amended version of the Division III Championships Committee's recommendation to enhance postseason opportunities in football, effective with the 1998 championship.

Under the proposal, which was forwarded to the Division III Presidents Council for approval, 16 teams would con-tinue to play in a national championship and eight teams would participate in four bowl games.

The Management Council deleted the last sentence of the Championships Committee's recommendation, which stated that the "rec-ommendation is for the 1998 and 1999 championships only." Committee members expressed several concerns with that sentence, including a recognition that, while sup-port exists for a 24-team, five-week national championship, the proposed bowl format deserves a fair chance to be implemented.

Committee members also expressed a desire to avoid placing the football championship in limbo if future changes do not materialize, since it is unclear how much time the football community needs to address issues related to the 24-team option.

In another action, the Management Council reviewed a draft of proposed Division III national-championships selection principles and a draft of proposed requirements for conference automatic qualification.

The Management Council requested that the Championships Committee provide additional data in several areas. The council asked for data regarding the impact of changes to pools A, B and C based on the proposed increase from seven to eight conference members; the impact of a proposed 40 percent scheduling requirement for all team sports; and an identification of different formats regarding the ways teams currently qualify for championships in all team sports.

The Management Council suggested that these data be published in The NCAA News so members could get an idea of the impact of the proposed changes.

The Management Council also requested that the Championships Committee review the Management Council's suggestions to reword the conference automatic-qualification requirements. The Management Council wants this rewording to indicate that institutions that are members of more than one conference must declare (on a three-year basis) which conference they will participate in for automatic-qualification purposes, and that institutions may qualify only through that conference's process to determine the automatic qualifier.

In July, the Management Council will review the Championships Committee's final recommendations on the issue, recommending legislative revisions to NCAA Bylaw 31 to make it consistent with the final draft of the selection principles. After that meeting, the Division III Presidents Council will review the final recommendations and decide whether to sponsor legislative amendments to Bylaw 31. The Management Council has recommended that the final amendments be voted on by the Division III membership at the 1999 NCAA Convention.

In another action, the Management Council directed the Championships Committee to review -- in priority order -- individual team sports' field sizes, official travel parties for team sports and per diem increases for all sports.

The council also noted that all Championships Committee recommendations on those issues should include budget implications.

The Management Council also recommended that the Presidents Council consider recommending legislation at the 1999 NCAA Convention to establish a Division III women's golf championship.

The 1997-98 sports sponsorship report indicated that Division III women's golf has exceeded the minimum number of institutions required to establish its own championship. The current championship includes representatives from Division II and Division III.

The Management Council also approved an increase in the travel party for men's and women's swimming and diving championships to include one additional nonathlete when the team has one or more divers participating in the championships.

The current policy provides reimbursement for one nonathlete for institutions with one to eight individuals selected and two individuals for institutions with more than eight selected. Because the nonathletes typically have been swimming coaches, divers either had to participate without their coaches, or institutions had to absorb the cost of sending the diving coach.

Plans for new provisional members

The Management Council accepted several recommendations from the Division III Membership Committee, including those regarding new provisional members.

The Management Council has recommended that the Division III Presidents Council approve noncontroversial legislation that would require each new provisional member to pay a nonrefundable $2,500 application fee, effective immediately.

The Management Council is also asking for legislation that would preclude a provisional member from awarding athletically related financial aid to incoming students during its second year of provisional membership.

The Management Council also approved a provisional-member education plan and accompanying $10,000 annual expenditure as well as the revised Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) for use during the 1998-99 academic year.

In another action, the Management Council recommended that the Presidents Council sponsor legislation that would require institutions that plan to reclassify to Division II to give notice two years prior to reclassification. The Management Council also endorsed the Membership Committee's recommendation that these institutions not be permitted to participate in Division III championships during the reclassification period.

In another action, the Management Council recommended that legislation be sponsored to permit only contests against the varsity program of a four-year, degree-granting collegiate institution to be counted for sports-sponsorship purposes.

Graduate-student transfer exception

The Management Council also reviewed several recommendations from the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

The Management Council rejected a recommendation by the Division III SAAC to sponsor legislation to permit Division III graduate student-athletes to use the one-time transfer exception in limited circumstances, such as for medical reasons, financial hardship, earning a baccalaureate degree in less than four years or never having competed in intercollegiate athletics.

The Management Council expressed concern that the exception would be inconsistent with the mission of the division; would give institutions with graduate programs a competitive advantage; and might open the door to recruitment of foreign student-athletes based on their athletics abilities.

In another action, the Management Council deferred a recommendation from the Division III SAAC asking that legislation be sponsored pertaining to Bylaw 21.8. The SAAC had asked that the bylaw be modified to include language reminding all Division III committee members to observe state laws regarding alcohol and illicit drug use.

The Management Council asked that NCAA staff provide more specific language on this matter to be considered at the July meeting for possible inclusion into the committee handbook.

In another action, the Management Council referred a SAAC recommendation regarding Division III student-athlete representation on the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) back to the SAAC for a more comprehensive review of student-athlete representation on all Division III and Association-wide committees.

The Management Council noted that it had approved the CSMAS recommendation to strengthen the relationship with the Division III SAAC by having the NCAA Sports Sciences staff and members of the CSMAS committee regularly attend SAAC meetings.

The next meeting of the Division III Management Council will be July 27-28 in Philadelphia.

Other Highlights

Division III Management Council

April 14-15/Orlando, Florida

Opposed a recommendation by the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee to extend a moratorium on the effective date of Proposal No. M-6. (The proposal goes into effect August 1, 1998.) The Management Council noted that any individual hardship cases related to this legislation may be forwarded to the Division III Administrative Review Panel.

Referred a statement by the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee regarding the dropping of men's Olympic sports back to that committee, expressing concern regarding both the content of the statement and the proposed process for its release. The Management Council agreed that the content of the statement should be reviewed by all Association governance groups and approved by the NCAA Executive Committee before its release.

Deferred action on a recommendation by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics regarding a proposed change to the Association's Principle of Nondiscrimination (Constitution 2.6). The committee had suggested that language be added to indicate that the Association does not discriminate against any person "because of age, ancestry, color, disability, handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, gender or sexual orientation." The Management Council also requested a detailed written opinion from the Association's legal counsel regarding the possible impact of the proposed principle on member institutions as well as clarification of an apparent inconsistency between existing NCAA staff policy and the Association's current Principle of Nondiscrimination.

Reviewed the Division III Strategic Plan and requested greater involvement of the strategic-planning subcommittee in the review of Division III and Association-wide committees' progress toward goals. The Management Council plans to communicate its expectation that all committees provide specific organizational plans, including timelines and action, to be reviewed during the July meeting. The Management Council also plans to develop a strategic planning "scorecard" to evaluate committees' actions in relationship to the plan.

Recommended that the Division III Budget Committee consider establishing a "planning reserve" to fund future Division III initiatives that are consistent with the plan but not yet identified by committees.

Opposed a recommendation by the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee to permit a former committee member to continue to work with the committee as a consultant through the end of the deregulation project (approximately two years). The Management Council members expressed a belief that the consultant was unnecessary and a concern that permitting this arrangement would set a bad precedent for other committees.

Noted that 264 Division III institutions have not yet responded to an initial request to submit their procedures for awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards. The Management Council approved a second mailing, with a response deadline of August 1, 1998, to those institutions that have not responded.

Recommended that the Presidents Council sponsor legislation to amend Bylaw 21.8.3 to establish an attendance policy for Division III committee members.

Established a Division III certification subcommittee to review and make recommendations regarding all-star contest certification procedures.

Discussed current legislation regarding Association committee meeting frequency and reviewed data regarding current meeting frequency for all Division III and Association-wide committees. The Management Council recommended that formal communication occur with committee chairs and liaisons identifying Bylaw 31.7.2.1.4 and the need to request permission to hold more than one in-person meeting per year.

Noted the Membership Committee's recommendation that Division III not increase membership dues for 1998-99. The Membership Committee plans to review this issue on a regular basis.

Heard a report on technology issues. Plans call for a section on Division III governance information to be added to the Association's Web site.