The NCAA News - News and Features

August 17, 1998

Championship selection principles receive Council review

PHILADELPHIA -- Selection principles for championships took center stage at the Division III Management Council's July 27-29 meeting.

The group amended recommendations from the division's Championships Committee, suggesting changes to reflect concerns raised by the membership and to provide greater guidance for the sports committees.

The Management Council also addressed other significant issues, including strategic planning, Ttle IX compliance, dietary supplement use and gambling.

The proposed selection principles are significant in Division III because, if enacted, they will emphasize regional and conference competition over other competition, thus reflecting the overall Division III philosophy and providing for a more consistent interpretation by the different sports committees. The proposed changes would become effective during the 1999-2000 academic year.

Among the changes was the addition of the following statement clarifying the guiding principles behind the revised selection principles: "The following guiding principles are derived from the Division III Strategic Plan-Mission Statement, which states that Division III gives primary emphasis to regional in-season competition and conference competition."

Another significant addition was the phrase, "For the purpose of at-large selection, results from geographical regional competition will be given the highest priority in the selection process."

Additions were made to the operating guidelines to further emphasize and clarify the importance of regional and conference play, and primary criteria for the selection principles were added as well.

Another change was prompted by Council members' concerns that more time would be necessary for institutions and conferences to change their schedules to comply with the principles. The effective date of 2001-02 was added to the requirement that all institutions must play a minimum percentage of their published schedules against conference competition in order to be eligible to receive an automatic bid.

As part of the proposed principles as revised by the Championships Committee, conferences must have at least seven NCAA members that sponsor that sport at the varsity level in the division in which automatic qualification is sought.

Also, at least 50 percent of a conference's members must sponsor a minimum of three men's and three women's team sports. Single-sport conferences in existence before February 1, 1998, do not have to meet minimum sports-sponsorship requirements.

The Management Council approved the revised selection principles as amended and forwarded them to the Presidents Council for approval. If the Presidents Council approves the principles, it will sponsor legislation to amend NCAA Bylaw 31.3.4.1 to reflect the revised principles. That legislation would then go before the membership to be voted upon at the 1999 Convention.

In another action, the Management Council recommended that the Presidents Council approve a recommendation from the Championships Committee to consider expanding the football championship from a 16-team, four-week bracket to a 24-team, five-week bracket, effective with the 1999 championship.

The Management Council noted that while the issue of missed class time for football may be a concern, it should be viewed in light of the minimal class time missed in football in comparison to many other sports, especially spring sports.

The Council also noted that several Council members believe that the potential positive impact for student-athletes and institutions will be significant. The Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee supports the recommendation as well.

In another championships action, the Management Council approved sponsorship of noncontroversial legislation to amend Bylaw 21.8.6.2.2 to add responsibility for oversight of playing rules to the Division III Championships Committee's duties.

As part of the first phase of individual/team sports field-size enhancements, the Management Council also approved the Championships Committee's recommendation to increase the field size for men's and women's indoor track and field to 200 student-athletes for both championships, effective with the 2000 championship.

Strategic planning review

The Management Council reviewed scorecards that staff had compiled from all Division III and Association-wide committees' operations plans. The council accepted all of the operations plans, added five new objectives to the student-welfare priority and decided to prioritize the objectives by implementation dates.

The Council also indicated that student-welfare remains the highest priority, and it revised the second priority to read: "Membership Requirements, Education and Compliance Issues."

The remaining planning priorities are as follows: 3. Communication and Technology Initiatives; 4. Diversity; 5. Enhance Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct (a new priority recently recommended by the Division III Strategic Planning Subcommittee); 6. Enhance Division III Identity; and 7. Implementation of New Governance Process.

Women's athletics issues

The Management Council supported a recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics to make the Association's nondiscrimination clause more descriptive by adding language 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.

Previously, the Council had asked for a legal opinion on the matter. The opinion of legal counsel was that such an amendment would apply only to an institution's Association business, not to its hiring practices or other policies. Legal counsel also noted that many institutions currently have similar nondiscrim-ination policies.

The Council forwarded the issue to the Presidents Council with a recommendation that the Executive Committee sponsor the legislation necessary to amend the Association's Constitution.

In another action, the Management Council recommended to the Presidents Council that the Championships Committee undertake a comprehensive review of the administration of Division III championships activities with regard to gender-equity concerns.

The Management Council also recommended endorsement of a resolution drafted by the American Council on Education (ACE) addressing campus protocols related to sports-team discontinuation. The resolution urges institutions to place the welfare and well-being of the student-athlete at the center of decision-making processes with respect to athletics programs, particularly if the discontinuation of a sport becomes necessary.

Membership recommendations

The Management Council reviewed numerous matters identified by the Division III Membership Committee, most of which must be ratified by the Presidents Council before specific institution's names are mentioned.

The Council reviewed the membership status of conferences, institutions applying for active membership, institutions in their last year of provisional membership, institutions applying for reclassification and institutions applying for new provisional membership.

Acting on another recommendation from the Membership Committee, the Council also recommended that legislation be sponsored to amend NCAA Constitution 4.02.4 and 6.1.4 to legislatively mandate the appointment of a senior woman administrator (SWA) at all Division III institutions that sponsor an intercollegiate athletics program for women. The Council also asked that legal counsel be consulted on this matter.

The intent of the recommendation is both to mandate that the SWA position exist and to clarify the status and role of the position.

Gambling

Several recommendations from the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct received a mixed reception.

The Division III Management Council opposed an amendment to the NCAA position on gambling that would have read as follows: "Involvement in gambling-related activities, or maintaining relationships with individuals who have interests in gambling activities, is discouraged as it reasonably could lead or appear to lead to influencing athletics department staff members or student-athletes to alter the outcome of intercollegiate athletics contests."

The Council opposed the recommendation, noting that it was overly broad and far reaching and that it lumps all gambling activities into the "illegal" realm.

Several Council members noted that purchasing a lottery ticket, maintaining a friendship with a state lottery official and/or owning a race horse would all be seen in a negative light under this amendment.

In another action, the Management Council reviewed a recommendation by the Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct to have the committee chair write a letter to the chief executive officers of affiliated organizations to request that those organizations not conduct meetings, functions or conventions in metropolitan areas with open sports books or in gambling casinos.

The Management Council declined to endorse the recommendation and instead forwarded to the Executive Committee a concern regarding committee chairs communicating in writing views that have not been formally reviewed and endorsed by the Association's governance structure.

The Council also reviewed a recommendation from the committee that would prohibit NCAA staff members from attending functions or meetings hosted by affiliated organizations in metropolitan areas with open sports books or in gambling casinos.

The Council referred the recommendation back to the committee, noting endorsement of the recommendation in principle but expressing concern regarding the timing of recommendations and the possible impact on the 1999 convention of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, scheduled to take place in Reno, Nevada.

The Management Council also requested a more comprehensive approach that would include all NCAA championships, committee meetings and affiliated group meetings.

In another action, the Management Council heard a recommendation proposing that the Division III Championships Committee conduct background checks to ensure that game officials at NCAA championships do not have an affiliation with gambling-related interests. The Management Council referred the issue to the Championships Committee for consideration, noting that budgetary implications should be clarified before further review by the Council.

In other action, the Council: