The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- August 16, 1999

Membership submits nine Divisions II, III legislative proposals

Another light agenda of membership-generated proposals will be considered by Divisions II and III delegates at the 2000 NCAA Convention.

For the second straight year, just nine legislative proposals from the two divisions were properly submitted for the 2000 Convention, five by Division II institutions and four by Division III institutions.

Four of the five proposals in Division II deal with dates of competition and contest exemptions, including Proposal No. 1-2 that would establish a postseason bowl game in Division II
football. The proposed legislation would pit representatives from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in an annual Mineral Water Bowl.

All members of both conferences would continue to participate in the NCAA Division II Football Championship, if eligible and selected for participation. This game would involve only teams not selected for the Division II football playoffs.

Two other proposals -- Nos. 1-4 and 1-5 -- regard Division II tennis. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic and Northeast-10 Conferences are asking to adjust the preseason practice start date to August 24, or on an institution's first day of classes (whichever is earlier) for schools that are members of a conference that conducts its only conference tennis championship in the fall.

Both conferences also are asking that schools in such leagues be allowed to conduct their first contest or practice match with outside competition September 1 or the preceding Friday if September 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.

Overall, the legislative agenda for Division II will be the largest since the Association restructured, mainly because of proposals related to the deregulation of Bylaws 11 and 13.

Division III proposals

In Division III, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is proposing that scrimmages against outside competition not be counted as a season of competition for student-athletes.

The rationale for the proposal is that currently most Division III institutions use preseason scrimmages with outside competition as a means to select student-athletes for teams. When a student-athlete participates in tryouts by scrimmaging and is then cut from the squad, a season of eligibility is charged to the athlete, which deprives the athlete from a full year of participation.

Summary of initial 2000 Convention proposals

Following are the statements of intent and sources for nine proposals -- five in Division II and four in Division III -- that were properly submitted by member institutions and conferences for the 2000 NCAA Convention.

All of the proposals below are included in the Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation, which has been mailed to member institutions. The proposals are numbered as they appear in the publication.

Division II legislative proposals

NO. 1-1: NONSCHOLASTIC-BASED

BASKETBALL

Intent: To permit coaches in the sport of Division II basketball to participate in coaching activities involving nonscholastic-based teams, provided the participants have not entered the ninth grade.

Source: All members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association; all members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference; Abilene Christian University; Angelo State University; Cameron University; University of Central Oklahoma; Eastern New Mexico University; Harding University; Midwestern State University; Northwestern State University; Ouachita Baptist University; Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Southwestern Oklahoma State University; Tarleton State University; Texas A&M University-Commerce; Texas A&M University-Kingsville; and West Texas A&M University.

NO. 1-2: CONTEST EXEMPTION --

DIVISION II FOOTBALL --

MINERAL WATER BOWL

Intent: To permit teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to participate in the Mineral Water Bowl and to exempt such participation from the limitations governing the permissible number of contests.

Source: All members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and all members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

NO. 1-3: MAXIMUM DATES OF

COMPETITION -- DIVISION II

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

Intent: To permit a Division II institution in the sport of women's lacrosse to engage in 17 dates of competition during the championship segment and five dates of competition during another segment.

Source: All members of the Northeast-10 Conference and all members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

NO. 1-4: PRESEASON PRACTICE START DATE -- DIVISION II TENNIS

Intent: To specify that an institution that is a member of a conference that conducts its only conference championship in tennis during the fall may commence practice August 24 or on the institution's first day of classes, whichever is earlier.

Source: All members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and all members of the Northeast-10 Conference.

NO. 1-5: FIRST DATE OF COMPETITION -- DIVISION II TENNIS

Intent: To specify that an institution that is a member of a conference that conducts its only conference championship in tennis during the fall may conduct its first contest or practice match with outside competition September 1 or the preceding Friday if September 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.

Source: All members of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and all members of the Northeast-10 Conference.

Division III legislative proposals

NO. 1-6: SEASON OF ELIGIBILITY --

MINIMUM AMOUNT

OF COMPETITION

Intent: To eliminate scrimmages with outside competition from counting as a season of competition for student-athletes.

Source: All members of the State University of New York Athletic Conference.

NO. 1-7: INTERNATIONAL

COMPETITION -- SUMMERS

Intent: To specify that the Management Council or an institution may certify international competition held during an institution's summer-vacation period which shall not affect the student-athlete's seasons of eligibility.

Source: All members of the State University of New York Athletic Conference.

NO. 1-8: TWO-YEAR COLLEGE

TRANSFERS -- TWO-YEAR

NONPARTICIPATION EXCEPTION

Intent: To permit two-year college transfer students to use the same two-year nonparticipation exception that is available to four-year college transfer students.

Source: All members of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference.

NO. 1-9: MAXIMUM CONTEST

LIMITATIONS -- STUDENT-ATHLETE -- BASKETBALL, FIELD HOCKEY

AND SOCCER

Intent: In the sports of Division III basketball, field hockey and soccer, to permit a student-athlete to participate in one junior varsity contest and one varsity contest on the same day and at the same site and have such participation count as only one contest.

Source: All members of the Centennial Conference.