National Collegiate Athletic Association

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The NCAA News -- November 9, 1998

Council gives championships selection principles final review

The Division III Management Council reviewed a variety of issues, including several pieces of proposed legislation that will go before the membership at the NCAA Convention in January, during its October 19-20 meeting in Indianapolis.

All of the Management Council's recommendations went before the Division III Presidents Council at its meeting October 27 in Atlanta.

The Management Council discussed the championships selection principles proposal (No. 2-45 as published in the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation) and recommended a few editorial changes and clarifications, as well as two amendment-to-amendments.

The Council recommended an amendment-to-amendment to remove the section regarding conference scheduling minimums. Members of the Council thought that removing the requirement would permit conferences and sports committees a chance to establish more meaningful minimum conference contest requirements for each sport.

The Council also drafted a resolution as an amendment-to-amendment to the automatic-qualification legislation to specify that, should the legislation be adopted, the Division III Championships Committee and governing sports committees will work together to clarify the policies and procedures that will be used in the implementation of at-large berths ("Pools B and C") in each team sport.

The Management Council also addressed Sunday championships competition. The Council recommended that noncontroversial legislation be adopted to amend NCAA Bylaw 31.1.4 to specify that if a participating institution has a written policy against competition on a particular day for religious observances, the championship schedule must be adjusted to accommodate that institution. (The current rule only affects Sunday competition and does not require the policy to be in writing.)

The Management Council defeated a proposed waiver that would have permitted the governing sports committee and championships committee to go ahead and conduct the championships on that day of religious observance if the committee concluded that accommodating the institution would unduly disrupt the championship.

Financial aid

The Management Council confirmed that awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards be reviewed and approved on an ongoing basis as institutions create them and that all of an institution's awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards be reviewed once every five years in conjunction with the institution's requirement to complete a comprehensive self-study.

In another action, the Council recommended that institutions that have not submitted their awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards for review by March 1, 1999, be contacted by the NCAA enforcement staff.

The Council also recommended that provisional members submit their awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards for review no later than their second year of provisional membership. This is based on the requirement that provisional members be in full compliance with Division III legislation during the third and fourth years of provisional membership.

In another action, the Council recommended that a legislative interpretation be issued that would clarify that athletics department personnel are permitted to be employed in admissions and enrollment at their institution, provided that they perform no duties related to financial aid, and they are precluded from being employed in financial aid in any capacity.

The Management Council also reviewed the recommendations from the Financial Aid and Awards Committee regarding numerous institutions' awards of circumstance and nonathletics achievement awards.

Other highlights

Division III Management Council
October 19-20/Indianapolis

  • Reviewed the Strategic Planning Scorecards and discussed the implementation of strategic planning, especially on the committee level.

  • Endorsed the tentative schedule of the NCAA Convention as proposed by the Division III Ad Hoc Committee on Convention Planning.

  • Supported the concept of development of equestrian as an emerging sport. The issue was referred to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet to formulate further details.

  • Recommended that the Presidents Council sponsor an amendment-to-amendment governing 4-2-4 transfer eligibility (Proposal No. 2-30, formerly known as M-6). The proposed amendment-to-amendment would require a student to have successfully completed 24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours of transferable degree credit and at least two semesters or three quarters in residence at the two-year institution. In a related action, the Management Council voted to oppose Proposal No. 2-30 as currently published in the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation.

  • Removed from the list of noncontroversial proposals one proposal regarding summer medical expenses and the distribution of dietary supplements. The Council recommended that it be treated as a regular legislative proposal for consideration by the membership.

  • Heard a report of the Division III All-Star Contest Certification Subcommittee and agreed to provide the Division III membership with information regarding the key liability, health and safety issues regarding the involvement of staff facilities and equipment, as well as the implications associated with the sponsorship of all-star events. The Council also agreed to sponsor legislation to ensure that all sports are treated consistently by precluding participation of student-athletes until their eligibility in that sport is exhausted.

  • Approved several editorial revisions for inclusion in the 1999-2000 NCAA Division III Manual as recommended by the Division III Committee on Interpretations and Legislation.

  • Discussed the issue of nontraditional seasons and reviewed the nontraditional seasons discussion forum planned for the 1999 Convention.

  • Referred a recommendation from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to have student-athlete representation on the Division III Student-Athlete Reinstatement Subcommittee to that subcommittee for review.

  • Approved the Division III Nominat- ing Committee's recommendations for appointments to the Division III Management Council, Championships Committee, Financial Aid and Awards Committee, Committee on Infractions and Student-Athlete Reinstatement, Interpretations and Legislation Committee, Membership Committee, Nominating Committee and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The slate of candidates for appointment to the Management Council must be approved by the Presidents Council and the Division III membership at the 1999 Convention.

  • Discussed several cost-saving issues, including the NCAA aircraft, committee meeting policies, governance structure meeting frequency and digital publications.

  • Noted the addition of new member Kathryn Springsteen, a professor of natural sciences and faculty athletics representative at Colby-Sawyer College.