The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- October 12, 1998

Division I -- Review of restricted-earnings alternatives on Council agenda

The ongoing process to determine alternative methods for funding expenses related to the restricted-earning coaches litigation will take another step forward with a review of suggestions from conferences represented in the governance structure at the Division I Management Council's October 19-20 meeting in Indianapolis.

At its July meeting, the Council charged its members with soliciting input from their respective conferences for discussion at the October meeting. After further review in January, the Management Council will recommend a preferred method to the Division I Board of Directors and to the Executive Committee. Options for consideration must adhere to the bylaws of the Association and not infringe on any constitutional guarantees.

Also in front of the Council at its October meeting is a general review of the Division I governance structure, including the establishment of a process and timetable for review and consideration of a reduction from four to three in the number of annual meetings for the Council and Board.

Part of the review will include consideration of a resolution submitted by the Midwestern Collegiate Conference that calls for the Council to direct an ad hoc committee to develop a representation system that would allow all Divisions I-AA and I-AAA conferences a seat on the Council while maintaining the current Division I-A majority.

The system also would address the issue of representation for the new conference to be developed because of the "de-merger" of the Western Athletic Conference.

The MCC sees the expanded Council as a more inclusive body and a way to facilitate communication between the Council and all conferences.

Cabinet reports

Many of the Council's agenda items will come from the Division I cabinet reports.

Included in the report from the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet is an informational item regarding initial-eligibility issues. The cabinet in September reviewed four initial-eligibility models and voted to retain the current standards but to continue to review data on how the standards affect the eligibility of high-school seniors. No action by the Management Council is required at this time.

However, the cabinet recommended that the Council hear a presentation on initial-eligibility standards from the NCAA research staff and representatives from the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, noting that it found the information presented to be helpful in its review. The Management Council Administrative Committee agreed to schedule the presentation for Monday, October 19, and recommended that the Board of Directors receive a similar presentation.

The research data in the presentation includes the information previously provided to the membership and additional information -- in response to questions received after the four models were circulated -- regarding graduation rates, the impact of the increased number of female student-athletes on the percentage of eligible African Americans, and grade inflation.

Also of significance will be several recommendations from the Strategic Planning Cabinet that are designed to streamline the current legislative cycle and establish a single annual review of legislation.

The cabinet also has proposed several topics of discussion for Division I members at the 1999 Convention and has developed a four-day format to be considered for future Conventions.

Also under discussion will be the cabinet's endorsement of revisions to the Association's nondiscrimination clause. (See Strategic Planning Cabinet story, page 10.)

The Championships/Competition Cabinet report features a proposal regarding a 28th regular-season game and exempted events in basketball. The cabinet supported Proposal No. 98-92 during its July meeting. Prop 98-92 has completed the 60-day comment period and is before the Management Council for initial review.

During its September meeting, the cabinet agreed to recommend that the Management Council modify Prop 98-92 to allow schools during each academic year to compete in a 28th regular-season event or in one contest certified by the cabinet, provided the institution participates in no more than two certified events every four years (with no more than one of those being outside the continental U.S.).

The cabinet contends this proposal provides more flexibility in game scheduling by permitting institutions to choose to participate in two certified contests every four years, or to add one game to their regular-season schedule annually.

Legislation

Legislative proposals that have previously received Management Council support include Proposal No. 98-98 regarding financial aid and Division I membership requirements. The proposal would give Division I institutions more flexibility in meeting minimum financial aid and sports-sponsorship requirements by allowing schools to sponsor more women's sports than men's, or to offer more scholarship dollars in women's sports than in men's (exclusive of football) in order to achieve overall equity within an athletics program.

Also up for second approval are Proposal No. 98-99, which would require each Division I conference to establish a conference student-athlete advisory committee as a condition and obligation of Division I membership; and Proposal No. 98-100, which would delete for specified committees the requirement that no subdivision of Division I shall have more than 50 percent representation and would establish other subdivision representation requirements.

In addition, Proposal No. 98-39, which would permit simultaneous telecasting of regular-season Division I-AA football games on Friday nights after 7 p.m., is up for second approval. The proposal was tabled by the Division I-AA Football Governance Committee in April before receiving initial approval in July.

Legislative proposals coming from the cabinets that will be looked at for the first time by the Council include Proposal 98-90, which would eliminate annual preseason exempted contests in football after the 2002 playing season; and beginning with the 2002 football season, would permit Division I institutions to schedule a 12th football contest in those years in which there are 14 Saturdays from the first permissible playing date through the last playing date in November.

Also being considered for initial approval are three proposals dealing with recruiting issues, including Proposal 98-49, which would establish a recruiting calendar in women's softball.

Proposal No. 98-50 specifies that in all sports other than Division I football, basketball and men's ice hockey, an institution is permitted seven recruiting opportunities (contacts and evaluations) during the academic year, and that not more than three of the seven recruiting opportunities may be in-person, off-campus contacts.

And Proposal No. 98-53 would permit an institution's head football coach to make an off-campus contact or evaluation with a prospective student-athlete at any time during a calendar week (Sunday through Saturday) during a permissible contact or evaluation period, provided no more than seven coaches (including the head coach) are engaging in off-campus recruiting activities at any one time during the calendar week.

The Council also will look at five proposals submitted by conferences, including a proposal from the Big South Conference that would increase from five to 10 years the waiting period for new conferences to be eligible for automatic qualification into the Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

The conference indicate that the proposal is the companion piece to Proposal No. 98-81, approved by the Board in August, which reduced from eight to two years the waiting period for new Division I members to be eligible to represent their conference as the automatic qualifier to the championship.