The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- October 11, 1999

Division III Presidents Council minutes

Following are the minutes of the August 5 meeting of the Division III Presidents Council at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis. All actions taken by the Presidents Council are included. Highlights of the meeting were reported in the August 16 issue of The NCAA News.

1. Announcements. Ann H. Die, chair, welcomed guests and introduced new members.

2. Review Roster, Future Meeting Schedules and Division III Fact Sheet. The Presidents Council reviewed and approved all information as distributed.

3. Previous Minutes. The Presidents Council reviewed the minutes of the following meetings: April 20, 1999, Presidents Council meeting, and April 12-13, 1999, Management Council meeting.

It was voted that the minutes of the April 20, 1999, Presidents Council meeting be approved as distributed.

4. Report of the NCAA Executive Committee Meeting. The Presidents Council reviewed the minutes of the April 21, 1999, Executive Committee meeting, and the May 11 and July 9, 1999, telephone conferences. The Presidents Council also reviewed the following issues on the upcoming Executive Committee agenda:

a. Baseball Research Panel report.

b. Fiscal year 1999-00 budget, including Association-wide financing.

5. Division III Strategic Plan. The Presidents Council approved the 1999-2001 Division III strategic plan.

6. Report of the July 26-27, 1999, Division III Management Council Meeting.

a. Committee Reports.

(1) Association-Wide Committees.

(a) Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. The Presidents Council supported the Management Council's recommendation not to proceed with a proposal to add Division III football to the year-round drug-testing program in 2001-02.

(b) Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council recommendation for an exception for a third in-person meeting, jointly with the Committee on Women's Athletics, and agreed to forward it to the Executive Committee for 1999-00 only.

(c) Postgraduate Scholarship Committee. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council recommendation to approve the scholarship eligibility of part-time graduate students, commencing with the 1999-00 academic year, and noted:

i. The need for a better definition of part time.

ii. Five-year limitation may be too restrictive based on the type of academic program.

iii. Pay out at conclusion may be inconsistent with opportunity to pursue degree.

The Presidents Council also recommended that the committee consider establishing totally separate guidelines for part-time students.

(d) Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council's approval of a generic public-address announcement to all NCAA member institutions and conferences and recommended amending the statement to include broader terminology to describe "profanity, racial or sexual comments" (i.e., verbal harassment).

(e) Committee on Women's Athletics. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council recommendations to:

i. Enhance the role of the senior woman administrator (SWA) and identify and recruit women and minorities.

ii. Permit the chairs of the Committee on Women's Athletics and the Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee to meet with the Executive Committee on an annual basis to address issues related to gender and ethnic diversity and agreed to forward the recommendation to the Executive Committee.

(2) Management Council Subcommittees.

(a) Administrative Review Subcommittee. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council's actions.

(b) Convention Planning Subcommittee. The Presidents Council:

i. Endorsed the Management Council's recommendation for the opening business session and Association-wide keynote address and agreed to forward them to the Executive Committee, noting the following concerns: order of agenda and two speakers during one session.

ii. Endorsed the Management Council's recommendation for the proposed 2000 NCAA Division III Convention schedule.

(c) Governance Structure Evaluation Subcommittee. The Presidents Council:

i. Approved the sponsorship of legislation to amend Bylaw 21.8.4 -- Conflict of Interest to apply beyond financial matters.

ii. Endorsed the Management Council recommendation to sponsor legislation to create an Association-wide marketing committee and agreed to forward it to the Executive Committee.

(d) Subcommittee to Review nontraditional Seasons. The Presidents Council approved the Management Council recommendation to sponsor legislation to eliminate competition in the nontraditional season with the exception of tennis and golf, per Bylaw 17.1.11.4, noting the philosophical basis for the decision and the desire to reach closure related to the issue.

(3) Division III Committees.

(a) Budget Committee. The Presidents Council approved the Division III budget allocation and recommended that the chair of the committee review and amend the presentation of budget information, and that updated budget information be forwarded to the Management Council and Presidents Council on a regular basis.

(b) Championships Committee. The Presidents Council approved sponsorship of legislation for the 2000 NCAA Convention to:

i. Amend Bylaw 18.2.4.2.1 to reduce the minimum period from two years to one year that the applicable minimum sponsorship number must exist for a championship to be established for Division III.

ii. Establish a National Collegiate women's ice hockey championship and women's ice hockey committee, effective with the 20001-01 academic year.

iii. Establish a National Collegiate women's water polo championship and women's water polo committee, effective with the 2001-01 academic year.

(c) Financial Aid and Awards Committee. The Presidents Council endorsed the Management Council actions.

(d) Committee on Infractions and Student-Athlete Reinstatement. The Presidents Council approved the Management Council recommendation to:

i. Establish a nine-person Division III amateurism task force and approved the recommended budget request.

ii. Extend the term of committee member Tom Weingartner for one calendar year from January 2000 through January 2001 and approve his appointment to serve as the chair of the Division III amateurism task force.

iii. Approve the designation of a member of the amateurism task force to serve as the Division III liaison to the Division I Subcommittee on Amateurism and Agents and the Division II Amateurism Project Team.

The Presidents Council also agreed to sponsor legislation for the 2000 NCAA Convention to:

iv. Amend Bylaw 13.6.3 to clarify that it is not permissible for a prospective student-athlete on an unofficial visit to receive transportation other than transportation to view off-campus practice and competition sites in the prospect's sport and other institutional facilities (located within a 30-mile radius of the institution's campus).

v. Amend Bylaw 14.2.6.1.2 to remove the 60-day deadline from the application requirements for a season-of-competition waiver.

(e) Interpretations and Legislation Committee. The Presidents Council approved the sponsorship of legislation for the 2000 NCAA Convention to:

i. Amend Bylaw 16.8.1.1.3 to permit intercollegiate teams in 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.

ii. Amend Bylaw 17.28.5.2 to exempt on an annual basis the National Wrestling Coaches Association meet from the maximum contest limitations in the sport of wrestling.

iii. Amend Bylaw 12.1.1.4 to allow currently enrolled student-athletes (as well as prospective student-athletes) to receive funding to cover actual and necessary developmental training expenses that are approved by the US Olympic Committee or appropriate national governing body.

iv. Amend Bylaw 16.5.1 to permit institutions to provide meal expenses to student-athletes serving on university committees who miss a regular meal as a result of a committee meeting conducted when regular institutional dining facilities are open.

v. Amend Bylaw 31.1 to specify that the logo restrictions on student-athlete's apparel set forth in Bylaw 12.5.5 apply during NCAA championships to all personnel (e.g., coaches, trainers, managers) who are on the team bench for practices and games, and who participate in NCAA news conferences.

vi. Amend Bylaw 20.8.3.3 to specify that in Division III women's fencing, an institution's team shall include a minimum of five participants in each contest that is counted toward meeting the minimum-contest requirement..

vii. Amend Bylaw 16.13.1 to specify that an institution may provide a student-athlete a specific expense that has been previously approved by the Division III Management Council, or a committee designated by the Management Council, as incidental to the student-athlete's participation in athletics (without submitting a formal waiver request to the national office).

viii. Amend Bylaw 16.12.1 to permit an institution to provide its student-athletes with reasonable refreshments for student-athlete educational and business meetings and, on an occasional basis, for celebratory events and to permit student-athletes to receive compensation for participation in specified NCAA research studies, and change the effective date to immediately.

ix. Amend Bylaw 17.5.5.2.4 to permit Division III institutions to exempt an alumni contest in the sport of basketball only.

x. Amend Constitution 5.3.13.3.1.1 to eliminate the two-thirds majority vote required to implement an effective date other than August 1 to a legislative proposal.

xi. Amend Bylaws 17.5.4 and 17.13.3 to establish the conclusion of the Division III championship (as opposed to the Division I championship) as the end of the regular playing season in the sports of basketball and ice hockey.

xii. Complete Phase III deregulation and forward it to the Division III membership as a package at the 2000 NCAA Convention.

(f) Membership Committee. The Presidents Council approved sponsorship of proposed legislation for the 2000 NCAA Convention to amend Constitution 3.3 to require CEOs to have ultimate responsibility and final authority for the conduct of Division III member conferences. The Presidents Council also included a waiver provision in the legislation.

The Presidents Council also endorsed the Management Council actions and recommendations regarding:

i. Five conference active status applications.

ii. Two institutional waiver requests.

iii. Provisional member applications from four institutions.

iv. Annual reports and membership status for 31 provisional member institutions.

(g) Nominating Committee. The Presidents Council approved all Management Council recommendations for committee appointments.

(h) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The Presidents Council approved sponsorship of legislation for the 2000 NCAA Convention to require all Division III multisport, voting conferences to sponsor a conference student-athlete advisory committee.

7. NCAA Legislation.

a. Review of Proposed Legislation to be Published in the Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation for the 2000 Convention. The Presidents Council endorsed the action of the Management Council to forward all four membership-sponsored proposed legislative proposals to committees for review.

b. Review of Proposed Legislation Sponsored by the Division III Presidents Council for the 2000 Convention. The Presidents Council:

(1) Endorsed the Management Council recommendation to defer action regarding the establishment of equestrian as an NCAA emerging sport.

(2) Approved the sponsorship of legislation to delete Bylaws 11.1.6 and 30.2.2 to eliminate all references to all-star contest certification language in Division III, consistent with current practice for the 2000 Convention.

(3) Agreed to sponsor legislation to preclude eligible student-athletes in all sports from participating in all-star contests.

(4) Recommended a letter be sent to all institutions (CEO, AD, FAR, SWA and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) regarding legal issues and responsibilities related to all-star contests.

(5) Expressed a desire to consider additional legislative options related to all-star contests at a later date.

c. Review of noncontroversial legislation adopted by the Management Council per NCAA Constitution 5.3.1.1.1. The Presidents Council endorsed the actions of the Management Council.

8. Litigation Update. The Presidents Council received a litigation update from Elsa Kircher Cole, NCAA general counsel.

9. Division III Committee Meeting Frequency. The Presidents Council approved the Management Council recommendation to grant an exception to Bylaw 31.7.2.1.4 for a third in-person meeting for 1999-2000 for the Division III Financial Aid and Awards Committee, the Interpretations and Legislation Committee and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

10. Travel Savings Update. The Presidents Council reviewed a financial analysis of air travel and meeting planning for September 1998 through May 1999.

11. Ad Hoc Committee to Review Issues Related to Gender and Ethnicity. The Presidents Council requested an updated report for its October meeting.

12. Presidents Council Nominations Process. The Presidents Council:

a. Reviewed the January 2000 vacancies (Gordon Haaland, Gettysburg College; Judson Taylor, State University of New York at Cortland) and the process for solicitation of nominees.

b. Reviewed the current database of nominees.

c. Agreed the Nominations Subcommittee would review nominees on a conference call in September and present the slate of nominees at its October meeting.

13. NCAA Baseball Research Panel Report. The Presidents Council reviewed the panel's report which was presented to the Executive Committee at its August 6 meeting.