National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

July 6, 1998

Modifications of legislation

Division III

Pursuant to NCAA Constitution 4.7.3-(d) and 5.4.1.1.1, the NCAA Division III Management Council has determined that the following proposals are consistent with the intent of the membership in adopting the original legislation and that sufficient documentation and testimony exists to establish clearly that the original wording of the legislation was inconsistent with that intent. The Division III Management Council, by a two-thirds majority of its members present and voting, shall have the authority to adopt such legislation, subject to ratification by the Division III Presidents Council. Any proposal ratified by the Presidents Council shall be effective as of the date identified in the proposal, published in The NCAA News and submitted as legislation at the 1999 NCAA Convention. Those items the Management Council has not yet reviewed in legislative form are marked with an asterisk (*).

Legislative citations and governing bodies are reflected as they now appear in the 1997-98 NCAA Division III Manual. Further, inasmuch as a federated provision may be amended separately by each division, all federated proposals will be reflected as a division-only voting line.

Bold type indicates new wording; italicized type indicates wording removed.

No. 1 MEMBERSHIP MORATORIUM -- DIVISION III COMMITTEE ON INTERPRETATIONS AND LEGISLATION

  • Intent: To repeal the membership moratorium, thus, permitting institutions to seek election to provisional or active membership in accordance with the applicable Division III membership requirements.

    Constitution: Amend 3.1.3, page 8, as follows:

    "3.1.3 Membership Moratorium. After August 9, 1995, institutions shall not be elected to provisional or active membership in the Association until the changes in the governance structure considered at the 1996 and 1997 Conventions are implemented. Institutions elected to provisional membership status per Constitution 3.6 as of August 9, 1995, shall remain eligible for active membership in accordance with the provisions of 3.2 and 3.6."

    Source: NCAA Division III Presidents Council (Division III Management Council).

    Effective date: August 1, 1998.

    No. 2 ELIGIBILITY -- DIVISION III --

    "4-2-4" TRANSFERS

  • Intent: To specify that in order to be immediately eligible, if a student has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics and transfers from a four-year institution to a two-year college, and then to a Division III institution, the student-athlete also must have been athletically and academically eligible had he or she remained at the previous four-year institution.

    Bylaws: (a) Amend 14.5.1.1, page 104, as follows:

    "14.5.1.1 Division III Exception. A student who has not previously participated in intercollegiate athletics and who transfers from a two-year or four-year collegiate institution to a Division III institution shall be immediately eligible, under the Association's transfer regulations, to compete for the Division III institution, including NCAA championship competition. If the student has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics, the student must have been academically eligible had he or she remained at that institution. Further, a student who has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics and transfers from a four-year institution to a two-year college, and then to the certifying institution, also must have been athletically and academically eligible had he or she remained at the previous four-year institution or must have successfully completed the two-year college degree program."

    (b) Amend 14.5.4.3, page 105, as follows:

    "14.5.4.3 To Division III Institutions. A student who has not previously participated in intercollegiate athletics and who transfers from a two-year college or from a branch school that conducts an intercollegiate athletics program to a Division III member institution shall be immediately eligible, under the Association's transfer regulations, to compete for the Division III institution, including NCAA championship competition. If the student has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics, the student must have been academically eligible had he or she remained at that institution. Further, a student who has ever participated in intercollegiate athletics and transfers from a four-year institution to a two-year college, and then to the certifying institution, also must have been athletically and academically eligible had he or she remained at the previous four-year institution or must have successfully completed the two-year college degree program."

    Source: NCAA Division III Management Council.

    Effective date: August 1, 1998.