The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- April 26, 1999

Interpretations

Telephone

Conference No. 3

March 23, 1999

Acting for the Division I Management Council, the Legislative Review/Interpretations Subcommittee of the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet issued the following interpretations:

Initial-Eligibility/Core-Curriculum

Grade-Point Average/Honors or Advanced Courses

1. Use of Weighted Grades in Honors or Advanced Courses. If a prospective student-athlete's educational institution offers multiple levels of honors or advanced courses, a prospect may use such courses to satisfy initial-eligibility core-curriculum grade-point average requirements, provided the educational institution specifically designates such courses as being honors or advanced courses. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 14.3.1.3.5 (grade value of core courses).]

Softball/Recruiting/Evaluation Days

2. Time Period for Using Evaluation Days in the Sport of Softball. The yearly time period for counting an institution's 50 evaluation days is August 1 through July 31. [References: Bylaw 13.02.7 (evaluation days -- Division I basketball and softball), New Bylaw 13.1.9.7 (Evaluation Days -- Division I softball) and Proposal No. 98-48.]

Strength and Conditioning Coach/Voluntary Summer Conditioning

3. Involvement of an Institution's Strength and Conditioning Coach with Student-Athletes in Voluntary Summer Conditioning Activities. The subcommittee agreed to editorially revise the provisions of Bylaw 17.02.1.1 (countable athletically related activity) to clarify that an institution's strength and conditioning coach may monitor, supervise or assist student-athletes in voluntary weight-training or conditioning programs for safety purposes without such activities being considered a countable athletically related activity.

It noted that neither the current legislation nor this revision permits the strength and conditioning coach to conduct weight-training and conditioning activities during the summer.

The subcommittee requested that the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee consider developing a list of permissible types of activities in which strength and conditioning personnel may be involved that are consistent with the intent of the legislation. [Reference: Bylaw 17.02.1.1 (countable athletically related activity).]

Basketball/Outside Competition/Foreign Tour

4. Noninstitutional Summer Foreign Basketball Tour. The subcommittee agreed to editorially revise the provisions of Bylaw 14.7.5.2 (exception to outside-competition regulations) to clarify that sanctioned outside-team summer foreign basketball tours conducted pursuant to Bylaw 17.30.2 are permissible exceptions to the outside-competition restrictions in the sport of basketball. [References: Bylaw 14.7.5 (exception to outside-competition regulations), Bylaw 14.7.5.2 (additional exceptions for basketball) and Bylaw 17.30.2 (sanctioned outside-team tours).]

Pregame Meal

5. Pregame Meal on Evening Before Competition. An institution may provide the institution's pregame meal during the evening prior to a contest that occurs on the following morning, provided the institution does not provide an additional pregame meal on the day of the contest. [References: Bylaw 16.5.1-(d) (meals incidental to participation) and a previous NCAA Interpretations Committee decision 11/17/93, Item No. 4.]

Editorial Revisions

Countable Athletically Related Activities -- Voluntary Conditioning

Bylaws: Amend 17.02.1.1, Page 223-224, as follows:

Countable Athletically Related Activities. The following are considered countable athletically related activities and must be counted in the weekly or daily time limitations specified under 17.1.6.1 for Divisions I and II:

[17.02.1.1-(a) through 17.02.1.1-(l), unchanged.]

(m) Involvement of an institution's strength and conditioning staff with enrolled student-athletes in required conditioning programs. Strength and conditioning personnel may monitor, supervise or assist voluntary individual workouts for safety purposes.

If the strength and conditioning coach also is a countable coach, such assistance may be provided only if that strength and conditioning staff member performs such duties on a department-wide basis.

In a Division III institution, assistance in conditioning programs for student-athletes shall be to the same extent that such assistance is provided to students generally.

Noninstitutional Summer Foreign Basketball Tour

Bylaws: Amend 14.7.5.2, pages 166-167, as follows:

Additional Exceptions for Basketball Only: [14.7.5.2-(a) through 14.7.5.2-(d), unchanged.]

(e) Outside-Team Tours. A student athlete may participate in an outside team summer foreign basketball tour (See 17.30.2).