The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- December 21, 1998

Management Council minutes

Following are the minutes of the October 19-20, 1998, meeting of the Division I Management Council at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis. All actions taken by the Management Council are included. Roll-call votes by the Management Council accompany these minutes. A report of the Management Council also accompanies these minutes. Highlights of the meeting were reported in the October 26, 1998, issue of The NCAA News.

1. Opening Remarks. Robert A. Bowlsby, chair, welcomed Andrea Myers as a new member to the Management Council and Sara Keenan as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative in place of Nigel Burton.

2. Division I Administrative Committee Report on Interim Actions. Included among the actions approved by the Management Council was the appointment of a budget subcommittee as follows: Edgar N. Johnson, University of Delaware, America East Conference; Richard A. McDuffie, Eastern Illinois University, Ohio Valley Conference; Eugene D. Smith, Iowa State University, Big 12 Conference; and Deborah A. Yow, University of Maryland, College Park, Atlantic Coast Conference.

[Note: Subsequent to the Board of Directors meeting, the chair of the Management Council, currently Robert A. Bowlsby, was added as a fifth Management Council member of the Budget Subcommittee.]

3. President's Report. In addition to the information contained in Item No. 6 of the report of the Management Council, the Management Council requested that NCAA staff prepare a written timetable of the Division I budget process.

4. Initial-Eligibility Subcommittee of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet. It was the sense of the meeting that the chair of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet should be asked to encourage the cabinet to consider adding a minority member to the Initial-Eligibility Subcommittee either as a member of the subcommittee or as an observer.

5. Report of the Selection Review Committee. The Management Council voted to select Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul University, as chair of the Championships/Competition Cabinet, replacing Chris Hill, who resigned from the cabinet. (Unanimous voice vote.)

6. Other business.

a. Selection of new chair effective following the January 1999 Management Council meeting. The Management Council noted the mail-ballot process that would be followed for selecting a chair to replace Mr. Bowlsby, whose term expires at the end of the January 1999 meeting.

b. Division I budget process. It was the sense of the Management Council that for the budget process to be successful, effective communication would be critical, including budget information being distributed to Management Council members in advance of the meeting.

7. Closing Remarks. The Management Council recognized the service of Stephen R. Morgan, outgoing NCAA Division I chief of staff, and expressed its appreciation for his service to Division I and the entire Association throughout his 21 years of employment at the NCAA.

Report of Division I Management Council October 19-20, 1998, meeting

[Note: The "Action" reported is that of the Management Council (MC).]

1. Previous minutes; July 27-29, 1998, Management Council meeting.

MC ACTION: Approved as distributed. (Unanimous voice vote.)

2. Division I Administrative Committee report on interim actions.

Minutes of August 6, August 20, September 3, September 18, October 1 and October 15, 1998, Division I Management Council Administrative Committee conferences.

MC ACTION: Approved as distributed. (Unanimous voice vote.)

3. Report of Board of Directors August 11, 1998, meeting.

No action taken.

4. Report of Executive Committee August 12, 1998, meeting.

No action taken.

5. President's report.

Received reports on Congressional activities of concern to the NCAA, including the Amateur Sports Act, NYSP funding and the Higher Education Act; the status of the restricted-earnings coaches litigation; the Division I budget process; the Management Council's review of the Division I governance structure; and the success of the Woman of the Year dinner held in Indianapolis for the first time and the outstanding records of the women recognized. [Note: Members of the Management Council will receive information concerning the criteria for an institution to nominate a candidate for Woman of the Year and expressed hope that more institutions would submit nominees, including an increase in minority nominees.]

6. Review of Division I cabinet reports.

a. Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet.

(1) Report of September 9-10, 1998, meeting.

MC ACTIONS:

(a) Proposal No. 98-106 (AEC) -- Summer basketball leagues and events. Referred back to the cabinet a proposal to prohibit any individual who has been found or pled guilty to sports bribery, point shaving or game fixing from being involved in an NCAA certified basketball event or summer basketball league; and asked the cabinet to examine the necessity and enforceability of the proposal, to provide a recommendation regarding the ability of the certifying authority to obtain the information necessary to apply the legislation, to address the concern that a portion of the proposal is specifically applicable only to metropolitan areas in Nevada, and to clarify that the legislation would apply to individuals found by the Committee on Infractions to have committed a major violation of Bylaw 10.1 and address how the certifying authority would obtain that confidential information. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(b) Proposal No. 98-21 (AEC) -- Two-Year College Transfer Eligibility. Gave initial approval to a proposal to permit a two-year college transfer to use an associate or equivalent degree that is academic or technical in nature to satisfy the two-year college graduation requirement. (For 29, against 2, not present 3). [See Vote No. 1.]

(c) Proposal No. 98-98 (MC1) -- Financial Aid -- Division I Membership Requirements. Considered a proposal to provide greater flexibility for Division I institutions to meet the minimum Division I membership requirements; gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors Part A of the proposal pertaining to minimum financial aid awards (for 30, against 1, not present 3) [See Vote No. 2]; amended Part B of the proposal to delete the language "(exclusive of football, if offered)" (unanimous voice vote); and defeated Part B as amended (unanimous voice vote).

(d) Inflationary Adjustments to Division I Financial Aid Membership Requirements. Approved a 5.4 percent inflationary adjustment to the alternative for satisfying the Division I financial aid minimums set forth in Bylaw 20.8.1.2-(b). (Unanimous voice vote.)

(e) Cabinet Liaison to the Financial Aid Committee. Authorized the cabinet to appoint a cabinet member to serve as a nonvoting liaison to the Financial Aid Committee. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(f) Research Presentation Regarding Initial-Eligibility Standards. Heard a presentation by the NCAA research staff highlighting information previously presented regarding four possible initial-eligibility models currently being evaluated by the cabinet and additional information concerning enrollment and graduation rates and grade inflation; agreed that the chair would inform the Board of Directors of the tenor of the Management Council discussion and the various perspectives and comments of the members.

(2) Minutes of Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations. (1998 Minutes No. 7, 8, 9 and 10.)

MC ACTION: Approved as distributed. (Unanimous voice vote.)

b. Championships/Competition Cabinet report of September 15-17, 1998, meeting.

MC ACTIONS:

(1) Championships Expenses. Affirmed the cabinet's and Management Council's previous position that support of Division I championships is the highest priority for funding for 1998-99; expressed concern that the approved budget does not include adequate funding for costs that are not covered in the NCAA-funded game expenses and are not provided by corporate partners for many championships and for which host institutions have difficulty raising money locally because of the exclusivity restrictions of the NCAA corporate partner agreement; agreed to request that the Board of Directors recommend to the Executive Committee that sufficient funds be reallocated in the 1998-99 budget to cover the remaining championships expenses. (For 31, against 1, not present 2.) [See Vote No. 3.]

[Note: In support of the Management Council's belief that savings can be achieved elsewhere in the budget to support the additional funding, it supported elimination of first-class travel for all Division I representatives in the governance structure. (See Item No. 20-b.)]

(2) Request from Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. Recommended that the Board of Directors approve the reallocation of $80,000 in the drug-testing program to fund the NCAA's share (matching the NFL's contribution) of the cost of purchasing enhanced testing equipment to assist in the detection of steroid use. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(3) Proposal No. 98-57 -- Financial Aid -- Division I Women's Sports. Noted the cabinet's recommendation that the Management Council not act on this and related financial aid proposals until the cabinet has had an opportunity to receive reactions from the sports committees.

(4) Proposal No. 98-71 -- Scouting Opponents. Considered a proposal to permit an institution to purchase videotapes of opponents from individuals and/or professional scouting services; amended the proposal to limit its application to preparation for postseason competition (for 25, against 8, not present 1) [see Vote No. 6]; amended the proposal to limit its application to men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball (unanimous voice vote); gave initial to the proposal as amended with an immediate effective date (for 19, against 14, not present 1) [see Vote No. 7]; motion to reconsider adopted (for 27, against 6, not present 1) [see Vote No. 8]; approved with an "immediate" effective date (for 22, against 11, not present 1) [see Vote No. 9].

(5) Proposal No. 98-84 -- Automatic Qualification -- Division I-AA Football Championship. Approved by the Division I-AA Football Governance Committee.

(6) Proposal No. 98-92 -- 28th Game in Basketball. Considered a proposal to permit Division I institutions to participate in a maximum of 28 basketball contests; to eliminate all annual exemptions for which certification is required and permit Division I institutions to participate annually in one certified basketball event, provided the institution does not participate again in that event within a four-year period; to permit an institution to participate in one exempted event in either Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands only one time during a four-year period, and took the following actions:

(a) Declined to refer the proposal to the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues. (For 7, against 26, not present 1.) [See Vote No. 10.]

(b) Amended the proposal to apply initially in the 2000-01 academic year and to permit an institution to use an annual exemption only twice in a four-year period. (For 23, against 10, not present 1.) [See Vote No. 11.]

(c) Amended the proposal to exclude from its limitations the postseason National Invitation Tournaments for men and for women. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(d) Gave initial approval to the proposal as amended. (For 27, against 6, not present 1.) [See Vote No. 12.]

(7) Proposal Nos. 98-94 and 98-69 -- Outside Competition -- Men's Water Polo. Considered Proposal No. 98-94 to permit student-athletes in the sport of men's water polo to compete on outside teams during the spring outside of the institution's playing and practice season; amended the proposal to remove the restriction on the number of student-athletes from the same institution participating on the same outside team; and gave initial approval to the proposal as amended. (Unanimous voice votes.)

(8) Proposal No. 98-63 -- Maximum Dates of Competition -- Tennis. Gave initial approval to a proposal to specify that tournaments conducted under a team tennis format, involving no more than three men and no more than three women participants, shall not count as an institutional date of competition for either the men's or the women's tennis team and shall count as a single date of competition for each individual participating in the event, regardless of the actual number of days during which competition occurs. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(9) Proposals to Amend Administrative Regulations. Approved and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption the following proposals (unanimous voice vote):

(a) No. 98-123 (CC) -- Exempted Contests -- Prepayment of Travel Expenses. Intent: In Division I sports other than football, to prohibit sponsors from requiring participating institutions to make deposits or payments prior to the dates of the competition in excess of $2,500; further, to preclude sponsors of such events from charging a late fee for a deposit not timely received.

(b) No. 98-125 (CC) -- Contest Exemptions -- Event Management. Intent: In Division I sports other than football, to delete the requirement that the member institution managing the event also must compete in the event.

(c) No. 98-126 (CC) -- Contest Exemptions -- Sponsorship Fee -- Division I Sports Other Than Football and Basketball. Intent: In Division I sports other than football and basketball, to require sponsors of exempted contests to pay a fee of $100 upon receipt of certification of the event.

(d) No. 98-127 (CC) -- Contest Exemptions -- Sponsorship Fee -- Division I Basketball. Intent: To require the sponsoring agency of an exempted basketball event to pay a fee upon receipt of the certification of the event, as specified.

(e) No. 98-128 (CC) -- Contest Exemptions -- Certification. Intent: To permit the Championships/Competition Cabinet to certify an exempted event for a two-year period, provided the event has been certified for five consecutive years and that audited financial reports and other documents required by the Championships/Competition Cabinet Subcommittee on Exempted Contests continue to be submitted on an annual basis.

(f) No. 98-129 (CC) -- Contest Exemptions -- Multisport Classification. Intent: To permit NCAA institutions located in Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands that have classified a sport in Division I to utilize the contest exemption legislation set forth in 30.10.

(g) No. 98-130 (CC) -- Exempted Contests -- Reimbursement of Expenses. Intent: To increase the expense guarantees for men's and women's basketball events, as specified in the legislation.

c. Strategic Planning Cabinet report of September 22-23, 1998, meeting.

(1) Recommendations on communication between the national office and conferences offices and between conference offices and their respective member institutions concerning governance issues.

MC ACTION: Agreed that the cabinet's report and recommendations would be referred to a subcommittee of the Management Council that will be appointed to review the Division I governance structure. (See Item No. 17-a.)

(2) Recommendations on the 1999 Convention and beyond.

MC ACTION: Received a report on the schedule for the 1999 NCAA Convention; suggested that a joint meeting of the Management Council and Board of Directors be scheduled late on Monday or on Tuesday morning at the Convention; reviewed possible topics for Division I forums at the Convention; and agreed that the Management Council Administrative Committee will decide the appropriate topics for the forums.

(3) Action items from the Research Committee and the Committee on Women's Athletics.

MC ACTION:

(a) Graduation-Rates Supplemental Form. Approved the recommendation of the Research Committee to revise the form so that it only collects data on the graduation rates of student-athletes who transfer to Division I institutions from other institutions (Sections 6 and 7 of the current form). (Unanimous voice vote.)

(b) Principle of Nondiscrimination. Recommended to the Board of Directors that it forward to the Executive Committee a recommendation from the Committee on Women's Athletics that legislation be sponsored to amend Constitution 2.6 by adding a third sentence as follows: "In accordance with this policy, the Association shall not discriminate against any person, including on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, creed or sexual orientation." (Unanimous voice vote.)

(c) Review of Senior Woman Administrator Position. Reviewed a recommendation from the Committee on Women's Athletics to further define the role of the senior woman administrator and to require institutions to designate a female full-time employee in that position; expressed support for the concept and concern regarding the specific language; tabled the proposal; and requested the Management Council Administrative Committee to appoint a subcommittee to develop appropriate language addressing the concerns discussed by the Management Council for review in January. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(d) Emerging Sports -- Equestrian. Gave initial approval to a proposal to identify equestrian as an emerging sport for women under Bylaw 20.02.5. (Unanimous voice vote.)

d. Basketball Marketing Subcommittee of the Business/Finance Cabinet -- information regarding promotional plan for NCAA basketball.

No action taken; noted that the Management Council had received copies of the basketball research study prepared for the NCAA by the Taylor Research & Consulting Group, Inc.

8. Committee reports.

a. Committee on Athletics Certification.

(1) Summary of the most recent certification-status decisions.

No action taken.

(2) Approval of changes to the certification handbook and self-study instrument for the second cycle of the program.

MC ACTION: Approved changes to the handbook and self-study instrument for the second cycle of the program as recommended by the committee. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(3) Approval of the new interim report guidelines and instrument.

MC ACTION: Approved a new interim report instrument and guidelines as recommended by the committee. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(4) Amendments to Athletics Certification Policies and Procedures. Approved the following amendments to Bylaw 33 as recommended by the committee (unanimous voice vote):

(a) Modification of Schedule. A change in Bylaw 33.3.1.2 to allow the committee at its discretion to revise the schedule if practicable and to use its authority to ensure that the self-studies do not extend beyond 10 years unless extenuating circumstances are present.

(b) Appearances by Institutional Representatives. A change in Bylaw 33.8.3 to permit institutions to meet with the certification committee if the certification status of an institution might be modified as a result of the five-year interim report.

b. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

MC ACTION: Received a report regarding the committee's appreciation of the selection of the Management Council liaisons to the committee, concern about the lack of adequate involvement in the selection process for new members of the committee in light of the two-year terms for service on that body, and interest in having a member of the committee serve on the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues; and agreed that the Management Council would meet with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at the 1999 NCAA Convention.

9. Report of Management Council subcommittees.

Selection Review Committee.

MC ACTION: Made the following committee selections. (Unanimous voice vote.)

a. Postgraduate Scholarship Committee. Selected Carl D. Settergren, University of Missouri, Columbia, Big 12 Conference.

b. Honors Committee. Selected Robert A. Steitz, Atlantic 10 Conference.

c. Infractions Appeals Committee. Selected Terry Don Phillips, Oklahoma State University, Big 12 Conference.

10. Report of the October 18 Division I-AA Football Governance Committee meeting.

COMMITTEE ACTIONS:

a. Proposal No. 98-84 -- Automatic Qualification -- Division I-AA Football Championship. Approved and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption a proposal to specify that in order to be eligible for automatic qualification, a Division I-AA football-playing conference that subdivides into five or more teams must conduct a single round-robin competition with each subdivision and develop a formula to determine its conference championship (to be approved by the Division I-AA Football Committee), with no requirement that a postseason championship game be conducted.

b. Proposal No. 98-39 -- Football Telecast/Cablecast -- Friday Night Games (Division I-AA only). Declined to give second approval to the proposal, which would permit simultaneous telecasting or cablecasting of regular-season Division I-AA intercollegiate football games on Friday nights after 7 p.m. (Defeated -- for 3, against 6.)

c. Proposal No. 98-90 -- Division I Football -- Maximum Contest Limitations. Tabled until January a proposal that would eliminate annual preseason exempted contests subsequent to the 2002 playing season and would, beginning with the 2002 football season, 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.

d. Proposal No. 98-91 -- Weekly Hour Limitations -- Skill Instruction -- Division I-A and I-AA Football. Agreed to support the proposal only if Division I-A supports the legislation, which would permit football student-athletes to participate in individual skill-related instruction outside the institution's declared playing season during the academic year, provided (a) the student-athlete requests such instruction; (b) such instruction does not involve the use of any pads or helmets; and (c) no more than three student-athletes are involved in skill-related instruction with their coaches at any one time in any facility (for 4, against 3, abstain 2). Also, the staff was requested to clarify the definition of a facility.

[Note: During the meeting of the full Management Council, the Division I-A members gave initial approval to the proposal. Accordingly, the proposal received initial approval in Division I-AA.]

e. Proposal No. 98-102 -- State High-School Championships -- Division I-A and I-AA Football. Recommended referral of the proposal, which would permit coaching staff members to attend the state high-school football championship within the state in which the institution is located without such attendance counting as a contact or an evaluation, to the Recruiting Subcommittee of the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet.

f. Proposal No. 98-98 -- Financial Aid -- Division I Membership. Agreed to recommend that the Management Council support the modification suggested by the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, which would delete the words "(exclusive of football, if offered)."

g. Review of Issues Regarding the Status of Division I-AA Football Championship. Agreed to continue communication with the Division I-AA Football Committee at the Convention to discuss the championship and the roles of both groups.

h. Term Length for Chair of Division I-AA Football Governance Committee. Established a two-year term for the chair of the committee.

11. Review of alternative methods for funding any expenses associated with the restricted-earnings judgment.

MC ACTION: Discussed issues related to funding any expenses resulting from the restricted-earnings coach litigation; noted that the Management Council is expected to provide recommendations to the Board of Directors in January; and established the following principles to guide its continuing discussion of the topic:

(a) Restoring to the distribution to Division I members in the 1998-99 budget the additional $10 million that has been set aside but was originally projected for distribution and was relied upon by institutions in developing their current budgets.

(b) Use of other funds to pay any ultimate damages.

(c) Review of NCAA programs and services to identify savings that could be used to assist in paying damages.

(d) Balance of damages to be paid by Division I member schools on an equal basis or some other allocation formula.

(e) Explore long-term financing to pay damages.

(For 31, against 2, not present 1.) [See Vote No. 5.]

12. Status report from the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues.

Received a report regarding the initial meeting of the working group, which included appearances by representatives of the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the men's and women's basketball coaches associations; the working group's decision to review at its December meeting the extent to which women's basketball issues will be included in the group's examination; and the expansion of the group to include two additional women.

13. Review of legislative proposals (including membership comment) initially approved by the Management Council during its July 27-29 meeting.

(a) No. 98-16 (MC2) -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Skill Instruction. Intent: To permit a maximum of four student-athletes to participate at any one time with their coaches during the two hours of skill-related instruction that may occur during the permissible eight hours of weekly countable athletically related activities that may occur outside the playing season during the academic year.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (For 29, against 2, not present 3.) [See Vote No. 13.]

(b) No. 98-18 (MC2) -- Practice Expenses -- Women's Rowing -- Weather Exception. Intent: To permit intercollegiate teams in the sport of rowing to travel up to 200 miles, if outside the institution's state, to engage in practice activities that occur during an institution's academic term when necessitated by weather conditions.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (For 20, against 6, abstain 5, not present 3.) [See Vote No. 14.]

(c) No. 98-19 (MC2) -- Committees -- Division I Women's Basketball. Intent: To specify that the nine-member Division I Women's Basketball Committee include two members from each of the four Division I women's basketball regions and one member selected at large.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(d) No. 98-20 (MC2) -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Contest Exemptions -- Basketball. Intent: To reclassify the men's Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic game as an annual exempted contest requiring certification (as opposed to a once-in-four-years exemption).

MC ACTION: Tabled the proposal pending the disposition of Proposal No. 98-92. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(e) No. 98-22 (MC2) -- Preseason Off-Campus Practice Activities. Intent: To preclude institutions from conducting preseason off-campus practice activities that are publicized in advance at any site not normally used by the institution to conduct its practice activities.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(f) No. 98-24 (MC2) -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Contest Limitations. Intent: To permit an institution to exempt informal practice scrimmages from the maximum contest limitations in the sport of basketball as specified.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(g) No. 98-25 (MC2) -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Contest Exemptions. Intent: To exempt on an annual basis the National Wrestling Coaches Association all-star meet from the maximum contest limitations in the sport of wrestling.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(h) No. 98-39 (MC2) -- Football Telecast/Cablecast -- Friday Night Games. Intent: To permit simultaneous telecasting or cablecasting of regular-season Division I-AA intercollegiate football games on Friday nights after 7 p.m.

MC ACTION: Defeated during the Division I-AA Football Governance Committee meeting.

(i) No. 98-64 (MC2) -- Division I Legislative Process -- Effective Dates. Intent: In Division I, to specify that a federated provision that is amended with an immediate effective date shall become effective no earlier than the conclusion of the override period.

MC ACTION: Defeated -- for 8, against 24, not present 2. [See Vote No. 27.] [Note: The Management Council first voted to approve the proposal (for 16, against 15, not present 3) [see Vote No. 15]; and then voted to reconsider (for 26, against 6, not present 2) [see Vote No. 26].

(j) No. 98-98 (MC2) -- Financial Aid -- Division I Membership Requirements. Intent: To provide greater flexibility for Division I institutions to meet the minimum Division I membership requirements, as specified.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval to Part A of the proposal and forwarded it to the Board of Directors for adoption. [See Item No. 7-a-1-(c) above.]

(k) No. 98-99 (MC2) -- Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committees. Intent: To require each Division I conference to establish a conference student-athlete advisory committee as a condition and obligation of Division I membership.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(l) No. 98-100 (MC2) -- Division I Governance Structure -- Committee Representation. Intent: To delete for specified committees the requirement that no subdivision of Division I shall have more than 50 percent representation and to establish other subdivision representation requirements.

MC ACTION: Gave final approval and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption. (Unanimous voice vote.)

14. Review of legislative proposals recommended by cabinets.

Proposals circulated to the Division I membership after spring cabinet meetings (including membership comment).

(1) No. 98-12 (AEC) -- Official Visits -- Baseball. Intent: To limit to 25 the number of official visits an institution may provide to prospective student-athletes in the sport of baseball in a given year.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(2) No. 98-13 -- Eligibility -- Hardship Waiver. Intent: To permit a Division I student-athlete to qualify for a hardship waiver if the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or dates of competition or one-third of the institution's completed contests or dates of competition (whichever number is greater).

MC ACTION: Declined to give initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(3) No. 98-34 -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Conference Championships -- Football. Intent: To establish the Saturday after Thanksgiving as the final date on which a conference championship game may be played in the sport of football.

Not moved (sponsoring conference withdrew support).

(4) No. 98-36 (AEC) -- Recruiting -- Publicity -- Contests Involving National Teams. Intent: To allow athletics department staff members to serve as announcers or commentators during national team events, including the Olympic games, regardless of whether there are prospective student-athletes involved in such competition.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(5) No. 98-47 (AEC) -- Eligibility -- Students with Learning Disabilities. Intent: To permit a student-athlete with a learning disability who was not a qualifier to earn a fourth season of competition, provided the student-athlete has satisfied specified procedures and has completed at least 75 percent of his or her degree program at the beginning of the fifth academic year following the student-athlete's initial, full-time collegiate enrollment.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (For 29, against 2, abstain 1, not present 2.) [See Vote No. 16.]

(6) No. 98-48 (AEC) -- Initial Eligibility -- GED Test/Equivalency Diploma. Intent: To specify that a prospect may qualify for athletically related financial aid and practice at the institution's regular home facility, but not for competition, by presenting a minimum average score of 45 on the five-part GED test and satisfying the applicable core-curriculum grade-point average in corresponding ACT or SAT score for a partial qualifier as set forth in the sliding scale index in Bylaw 14.3.2.1.1.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(7) No. 98-49 (AEC) -- Recruiting Calendar -- Division I Softball. Intent: To establish a recruiting calendar in the sport of Division I softball, as specified.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (For 20, against 10, abstain 2, not present 2.) [See Vote No. 17.]

(8) No. 98-50 (AEC) -- Recruiting Opportunities -- Division I Sports other than Football, Basketball and Men's Ice Hockey. Intent: To specify that in all sports other than Division I football, basketball and men's ice hockey, an institution is permitted seven permissible 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.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (For 31, against 1, not present 2.) [See Vote No. 18.]

(9) No. 98-51 (AEC) -- Offers and Inducements -- Employment of Two-Year Prospects. Intent: To specify that the arrangement of employment by an institution for a two-year college prospect shall be permitted only if the prospect has officially withdrawn from or has completed requirements for graduation at the two-year college.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote.)

(10) No. 98-52 (AEC) -- Academic Honor Awards. Intent: In Division I, to permit entering student-athletes to receive an institutional academic honor award under specified conditions without including such aid in the institution's team limits during that academic year in the applicable sport.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (For 31, against 1, not present 2.) [See Vote No. 19.]

(11) No. 98-53 (CC) -- Off-Campus Contacts/Evaluations -- Division I-A Football. Intent: In Division I-A football, to 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.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. (Unanimous voice vote; Division I-A vote only.)

(12) No. 98-63 -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Maximum Dates of Competition -- Division I Tennis. Intent: In Division I, to specify that tournaments conducted under a team tennis format competition, involving no more than three men and three women participants, shall not count as an institutional date of competition for either the men's or women's tennis team and shall count as a single date of competition for each individual participating in the event, regardless of the actual number of days during which competition occurs.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal. [See Item No. 7-b-(8) above.]

(13) No. 98-90 (CC) -- Division I Football -- Maximum Contest Limitations. Intent: To eliminate annual preseason exempted contests subsequent to the 2002 playing season; further, beginning with the 2002 football season, to 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.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal in Division I-A and previously tabled it in Division I-AA (see Item No. 10-c above). [Note: The Management Council in Division I-A voted to separate the consideration of Part A from Parts B and C of the proposal (for 9, against 8, not present 1) [see Vote No. 20]; approved Part A (for 13, against 4, not present 1) [see Vote No. 21]; and approved Parts B and C (for 12, against 5, not present 1) [see Vote No. 22].

(14) No. 98-91 (CC) -- Weekly-Hour Limitations -- Skill-Instruction -- Divisions I-A and I-AA Football. Intent: In Divisions I-A and I-AA football, to permit football student-athletes to participate in individual skill-related instruction outside the institution's declared playing season during the academic year, provided (a) the student-athlete requests such instruction; (b) such instruction does not involve the use of any pads or helmets; and (c) no more than three student-athletes are involved in skill-related instruction with their coaches at any one time in any facility.

MC ACTION: Gave initial approval to the proposal in Division I-A (for 13, against 4, not present 1) [see Vote No. 23] and Division I-AA (see Item No. 10-d above).

(15) No. 98-92 (CC) -- Playing and Practice Seasons -- Contest Limitations -- Division I Basketball. Intent: In the