The NCAA News - News and Features
The NCAA News -- October 25, 1999
Stage set for debate in Division I
Amateurism, basketball isssues to be discussed
By Gary T. Brown
Staff Writer
ATLANTA Ñ The Division I Management Council took its first look at two packages of legislation at its October 18-19 meeting tht could change the way the membership regards the concept of amateurism as well as the culture of basketball in Division I.
The two packages Ñ one targeting deregulation of amateurism rules and the other dealing with basketball issues Ñ were part of an agenda that ushered in a newly created legislative calendar in which the Management JCouncil will consider and act on legislation only in October and April.
The meeting also was the first to include an expanded Council roster of 49 members.
Due to the significance of both packages and the impact that the proposals could have on the Division I membership, the Council took steps to allow the entire Division I membership to provide some direction on both matters.
The Council tabled the amateurism deregulation package until April 2000 as a way to ensure a meaningful forum at the January 2000 Convention for membership debate. It also initially approved the basketball issues package solely to initiate the comment period, without taking an official position on the substance of the package as a whole. Both actions set in motion a timeline that would allow Division I members to provide comment and guidance before the Council would vote on the proposals at its next legislative meeting in April.
The amateurism deregulation package, perhaps the one with the most long-range implications -- not only in Division I but within the Association in general -- is a set of six proposals regarding rules for pre-enrolled prospective student-athletes. The package originated with the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet's Subcommittee on Agents and Amateurism and was developed after a two-year study of amateurism legislation affecting pre-enrolled prospective student-athletes. The proposed changes, which include an expansion of the "tennis rule," also address deregulation of legislation restricting contractual agreements with professional sports teams, and pay and compensation or prize money for athletics participation before college enrollment.
Proposals in the basketball issues package could have a similarly significant impact. The set of 14 draft legislative proposals from the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues addresses issues ranging from summer financial aid and initial eligibility to recruiting and gambling. The package also includes several alternative proposals from various Division I conferences.
The Council gave initial approval to the proposals not as an endorsement of the package or of any individual proposal, but as a way to ensure that the membership had a chance to review and comment on the proposals before the package returned to the Council for further action in April. Because of the new legislative calendar -- and because the Division I Board of Directors had expressed an interest in implementing the working group's proposals as soon as possible -- the Council believed it was important to initiate the comment period in order to be in position to take final action on the proposals in April.
The comment period also would include the annual Convention, during which an open forum will be conducted for Division I members to discuss the proposed basketball legislation. In addition, the Council voted to refer the working group and conference proposals to the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance and Championships/Competition Cabinets, as appropriate, for further review.
The package developed by the working group is the result of a year's worth of deliberations. The group's final report was submitted in August to the Board of Directors, which approved the substance of the report, but referred the development and review of proposed legislation to the Council and other entities within the Division I governance structure.
One of the more significant proposals in the package would limit to four the number of initial grants-in-aid to be awarded annually in men's basketball, which the working group believes would alleviate the pressure to award a high number of scholarships to incoming freshmen and two-year college transfers each year. Another proposal would establish an incentive-based financial aid model that would tie the number of grants-in-aid awarded in men's basketball to each institution's four-year graduation rate.
"The amateurism and basketball proposals are among the more critical issues facing the Division I membership right now," said Ted Leland, chair of the Management Council and director of athletics at Stanford University. "By tabling the amateurism package and forwarding the basketball proposals for comment, the Council assured there will be thorough discussion at the Convention and plenty of opportunity for the membership to provide some direction."
Championships issues
In addition to the two major legislative packages, the Council dealt with other legislative items, several of which impact championships administration.
The Council approved Proposal No. 99-64, which would preclude a sports committee from obtaining a waiver of the Sunday competition rule if it felt that moving the dates of competition to accommodate the institution with a restrictive religious policy would unduly disrupt the championship. The proposal came from the Championships/Competition Cabinet, which in September had withdrawn waivers that had previously been granted to the Division I Women's Soccer and Women's Basketball Committees. The proposal is subject to approval from the Board of Directors, which meets October 28 in Chicago.
The waiver process had been adopted last year, but the Council determined that the issue of access for a team that earned the opportunity to compete in a championship outweighed the logistical concerns of rescheduling a major event on short notice. In approving the proposal, the Council also emphasized that sports committees -- in considering bids for future championships -- should develop contingency plans to accommodate schools with restrictive religious policies and, insofar as possible, maintain a similar championship schedule even if the playing dates need to be changed (for example, retaining the day off between the semifinals and final by moving a Friday-Sunday championship to a Thursday-Saturday or Saturday-Monday format).
The Council also approved a request from the Division I Baseball Committee to move the Division I Baseball Championship back one week beginning in 2002. The change means that the 2002 championship would begin one week after Memorial Day and end the third week in June.
The Council also approved an automatic-qualification system in men's lacrosse that would direct the Men's Lacrosse Committee to award four automatic berths for the 2000 and 2001 championships, and then award automatic qualification to all eligible conferences beginning in 2002.
Core-course proposals
Legislative actions emanating from the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet included initial approval of a trio of proposals that impact core-course requirements for initial eligibility. The proposals are designed to be consistent with current trends in the secondary education reform movement. Proposal No. 99-46 allows Internet-based courses and distance-learning courses to be included among courses satisfying core-curriculum requirements. The proposal also distinguishes between independent-study courses and courses taught via individualized instruction. The proposal, developed by the Core-Course Review Committee, resulted from a meeting among the committee and representatives from more than a dozen high-school agencies regarding various types of secondary education programs now available.
Proposal No. 99-47 amends the core-course criteria by requiring two years of math courses at the level of Algebra I or above. The proposal eliminates the gray area between level 1 and level 2 courses that has become difficult to distinguish due to the integrated approach used at most secondary schools.
Proposal No. 99-48 redefines a core course for purposes of meeting core-curriculum criteria by eliminating the requirement that a course contain at least 75 percent instructional content, and stipulates instead that the course meets criteria such as being considered college preparatory by the high school and qualifying for high-school graduation credit. The proposal is consistent with a previous directive from the Board of Directors to give high-school principals primary responsibility for evaluating high-school course offerings in relation to core-curriculum standards.
As requested by the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet to allow for efficient notification to high schools and prospective student-athletes, all three proposals will be brought back to the Management Council in January to be considered as emergency legislation that will become effective August 1, 2000 (for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000).
Other legislation
Most proposed legislation considered by the Council was being reviewed for the first time. Several proposals, however, were up for second approval, including Proposal No. 99-33, which specifies that a new championship may be established in a women's sport if the minimum number of sponsoring institutions (40) exists for one academic year (rather than for two consecutive academic years).
The intent of the legislation, developed by the Championships/Competition Cabinet, is to expedite the establishment of new women's championships in water polo, ice hockey, squash and bowling, while ensuring a sufficient number of sponsoring institutions.
As of September 28, 1999, 46 institutions sponsor women's ice hockey, 40 sponsor women's water polo, 28 sponsor women's squash and 23 sponsor women's bowling. By reducing the waiting period from two years to one, championships could be established in women's ice hockey and women's water polo in 2000-01. The Council, in fact, did give initial approval to Proposal Nos. 99-62 and 99-63, which would provide for National Collegiate championships in both sports.
Another significant legislative action took place when the Council gave initial approval to Proposal No. 99-74, which would permit strength and conditioning coaches who perform department-wide duties to design and conduct voluntary workout programs for student-athletes -- both within the academic year and during the summer -- without those workouts being considered as a countable athletically related activity. The proposal was not supported by the Championships/
Competition Cabinet or the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
A complete summary of legislative actions taken by the Management Council is included in the chart on page 9.
Other highlights
Division I Management Council
October 18-19/Atlanta
Gave initial approval to development of legislation that would include a student-athlete representative on the Division I Committee on Financial Aid in a nonvoting role.
Approved recommendations from the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives to serve on seven Association-wide committees.
Forwarded to the Board of Directors emergency legislation to increase the Division I Committee on Infractions from eight to nine members, to add one non-public member as the coordinator of appeals.
Approved a recommendation from the Championships/Competition Cabinet to trademark the term "Men's Final Four" as the primary brand for that event (to distinguish it from the Women's Final Four) and agreed that the national office staff, in consultation with trademark attorneys, make use of the term "Final Four" to protect the Association's ownership of that trademark.
Approved and forwarded to the Board of Directors a recommendation from the Championships/Competition Cabinet that the Association reimburse transportation expenses for teams participating in preliminary games (play-ins) of NCAA championships.
Received a report from the Council's Subcommittee to Review Automatic-Qualifying Requirements regarding situations that occur due to schools changing conference affiliation. The subcommittee was appointed last spring to clarify the application of the automatic-qualification requirements for the Division I Men's Basketball Championship and other championships when changes in Division I conference membership occur, including a review of the "core group" principle and its application, current conference criteria for automatic qualification, and the continuity of conference membership requirements. The Council supported the subcommittee's report and requested that legislation be drafted on the basis of the principles provided in the report. The draft legislation will initially be sent to conference offices for an informal review and may be discussed in a Division I forum session at the January Convention. After the January Management Council meeting, it is anticipated that revised proposals will be sent to the membership for a 60-day comment period. The proposals could return to the Council for final review in April.
Agreed to recommend that the Board allow the current chairs of the Division I Board of Directors, the Division I Management Council and the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet to complete their terms, and to stipulate that the requirement in Constitution 4.5.3.3.2 (mandating that at least one representative from each Division I subdivision serve as chair at the Board, Council or cabinet level at any time) be satisfied as the terms of the current chairs expire.
Agreed to support legislation that would maintain four-year terms for Management Council members but would allow conferences to appoint those individuals to an unlimited number of consecutive terms.
Division I Management Council -- Legislative Actions
The following chart highlights legislative actions taken by the Division I Management Council during its October 18-19 meeting in Atlanta. Legislative proposals that were considered at this meeting are arranged according to NCAA bylaw or constitution and are categorized as either having been approved a second time and forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption, approved for the first time and distributed to the membership for comment, defeated, tabled, withdrawn or referred to another governance entity for additional review. Bylaw 30 and Bylaw 31 proposals that were approved automatically are forwarded to the Board for adoption.Constitution 4
Initial approval
No. 99-87, specifying that the term of the Management Council chair shall be one year and to establish the position of vice-chair. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Constitution 5
Second approval
No. 99-53, which modifies the comment/override deadline to 60 days after the Board of Directors meeting. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Bylaw 11
Initial approval
No. 99-89, which would provide for a volunteer coach in track and cross country. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-4-1 (amended version of Proposal No. 99-4), regarding institutional control/outside income. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Defeated
No. 99-4, regarding institutional control/outside income.
Bylaw 12
Second approval
No. 99-23, allowing a prospect's school to receive a financial award in conjunction with the prospect being recognized as part of a program in which overall athletics participation, interests or ability is part of the selection criteria. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Tabled
No. 99-107, permitting an individual prior to full-time collegiate enrollment to enter a professional draft without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
No. 99-108, allowing contractual agreements between pre-enrolled collegiate student-athletes and professional teams without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
No. 99-109, permitting pre-enrolled collegiate student-athletes to participate on a professional team without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
No. 99-110, permitting pre-enrolled student-athletes to accept prize money without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
No. 99-111, permitting pre-enrolled student-athletes to accept compensation for athletics participation without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
Withdrawn
Nos. 99-85 and 99-86 regarding manufacturer logo restrictions were withdrawn by the sponsors.
Bylaw 13
Second approval
No. 98-68, prohibiting Division I women's volleyball teams from competing against outside teams that include prospects, except for exempted contests against a foreign team or a U.S. national team. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-24, permitting schools that host NCAA or conference championships to print and distribute posters promoting the championship. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-26, regarding de minimis violations in basketball. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Initial approval
No. 99-98, regarding de minimis violations in recruiting. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-99, regarding transportation during unofficial visits. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-100, specifying that camps, clinics and conferences conducted by Athletes in Action shall be exempt from NCAA restrictions. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-101, specifying electronic chat-room sessions as a telephone call as opposed to general correspondence. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-103, regarding the recruiting calendar in women's basketball (items "a" through "d" only). (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Note: Item "e" of the proposal was tabled in a separate action.]
No. 99-104, revising the current football recruiting calendar. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Defeated
No. 98-23, revising the recruiting calendar in men's and women's basketball. (Effective date: April 1, 2000.)
No. 98-54, expanding the spring evaluation period in Divisions I-A and I-AA football.
No. 99-18 and No. 99-18-1 (amended), permitting unlimited telephone calls to prospects after the calendar day on which the prospect has signed a school's written offer of admission or financial aid.
No. 99-91, which would place size restrictions on camp brochures.
No. 98-102 (Division I-AA only), permitting coaching staff members to attend state high school championships without counting as a contact or evaluation.
Bylaw 14
Second approval
No. 99-2, specifying that a basketball student-athlete must complete competition in an NCAA-sanctioned summer basketball league no later than August 31 or the school's first day of classes, whichever is earlier. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Initial approval
No. 99-9, permitting a nonqualifier to earn back a fourth season of eligibility provided the student-athlete has received a baccalaureate degree before the start of the fifth academic year. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-45, allowing prospects to substitute grades earned in postgraduate high-school work for grades attained before high-school graduation in order to satisfy initial-eligibility core-course requirements. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-46, permitting specified nontraditional courses to satisfy core-course requirements. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-47, amending the initial-eligibility core-course requirement to require two years of math at the level of Algebra I or higher. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-48, which redefines a core course for purposes of meeting the initial-eligibility core-curriculum requirement. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-95, eliminating the application deadline for a season-of-competition waiver. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-96, granting the Satisfactory-Progress Waiver Committee with oversight for waivers submitted by independent institutions. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-97, regarding discontinued academic program waivers. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Defeated
No. 99-76, permitting women's volleyball student-athletes to compete in the nonchampionship segment of the playing and practice season without using a season of competition.
No. 99-77, restoring eligibility in specified cases where a clerical or administrative error has been made.
No. 99-90, excluding student-athletes who have previously transferred from one four-year school to another from the one-time transfer exception clause.
Tabled
No. 99-106, allowing participation in organized competition for a one-year or one-sport season time period before initial collegiate enrollment without eligibility consequences (i.e., expansion of the "tennis rule" to all sports). (Effective date: August 1, 2000; for those student-athletes first entering a college on or after August 1, 2000.) [Note: The proposal was part of the amateurism deregulation package that was tabled until April.]
Bylaw 15
Second approval
No. 99-30, regarding financial aid and board allowance. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Initial approval
No. 98-75, regarding financial aid to pre-enrolled student-athletes attending a summer term. (Effective date: Immediately.) [Note: This proposal will be included in the basketball issues package that the Council supported for the purposes of distribution for comment.]
Bylaw 16
Second approval
No. 98-60, allowing schools to provide room and board for a specific period of time to student-athletes who return to campus during a vacation period after institutional competition. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-5, allowing schools to provide student-athletes specified incidental expenses without submitting a formal waiver. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-32, regarding permissible benefits and reasonable refreshments provided to student-athletes. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-37, permitting student-athletes to receive compensation for participation in specified NCAA research studies. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-50, regarding permissible benefits related to lodging at postseason events. (Amended to include only a student-athlete's parents and immediate family, and to stipulate that the legislation include only nonconference postseason events.) (Effective date: Immediately.)
Initial approval
No. 99-66, permitting schools to provide day planners to student-athletes. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-61, permitting schools to allocate $20 per day in incidental expense money to student-athletes who remain on campus to practice for bowl games. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-72, prohibiting schools from providing ergogenic supplements to student-athletes at any time, while permitting nonergogenic nutritional supplements (amended to eliminate the reference to creatine). (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-114, permitting an institution to provide the parents and/or legal guardians of student-athletes with reasonable refreshments in conjunction with educational events. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No 99-115, regarding complimentary admissions for a student-athlete's parents and/or legal guardians. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Defeated
No. 99-67, permitting student-athletes to receive medical and training services from noninstitutional physicians and athletic trainers free of charge or at a discount below the market value for those services.
No. 99-79, regarding awards in NCAA championships and other special events.
Tabled
No. 98-103, regarding permissible medical expenses for student-athletes enrolled in the summer term. (Effective date: Summer 1999.) (Tabled, pending the Academics/
Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet's review of proposed legislation that would expand medical expenses for student-athletes.)
Bylaw 17
Second approval
No. 98-104, allowing Division I basketball schools to exempt preseason exhibition contests against non-Division I four-year schools as an alternative to exempting contests against foreign teams and USA Basketball club teams. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-11, regarding the starting date for the women's basketball preseason NIT. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Initial approval
No. 99-75, permitting men's and women's golf teams from schools that host national championships to miss class time for a practice round the day before the event. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-78, specifying end-of-season dates in gymnastics. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-92, specifying that no more than two student-athletes with intercollegiate basketball eligibility remaining from the same school may compete on the same outside basketball team. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-74, providing for specified voluntary workouts that are not considered as a countable athletically related activity. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Defeated
No. 99-84, permitting Division I schools to exempt participation in the Basketball Hall-Of-Fame Tip-Off Classic on an annual basis. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Tabled
No. 99-112, regarding skill instruction in Divisions I-A and I-AA football. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Bylaw 18
Second approval
No. 99-33, specifying that a new championship may be established in a women's sport if the minimum number of sponsoring institutions exists for one, rather than two, academic years. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-51, creating a protected status for National Collegiate or division championships in men's and women's lacrosse. (Common provision -- must be approved by Divisions II and III acting independently.) (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Initial approval
No. 99-60, establishing a separate Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship. (Effective date: August 1, 2000; effective with the 2001 championship.)
No. 99-62, establishing a National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship and a Women's Ice Hockey Committee (amended to include three representatives on the committee from Division I, one from Division II and one from Division III). (Common provision -- must be approved by Divisions II and III acting independently.) (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-63, establishing a National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship and a Women's Water Polo Committee (amended to include three representatives on the committee from Division I, one from Division II and one from Division III). (Common provision -- must be approved by Divisions II and III acting independently.) (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Referred
No. 99-58, requiring schools to meet the minimum scheduling requirements for two years to be eligible to enter a team or an individual in an NCAA championship. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.) [Referred to the Championships/
Competition Cabinet for additional review.]
Bylaw 19
Initial approval
No. 99-113, which would expand the Division I Committee on Infractions from eight to nine members to add a nonpublic member as the coordinator of appeals. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Bylaw 21
Second approval
No. 99-34, which would increase the size of the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports from 15 to 16 members. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-35, which would establish separate Division I men's and women's golf committees. (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-36, specifying that the six-member Women's Gymnastics Committee include five Division I members and one from either Division II or Division III. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
Initial approval
No. 99-93, establishing a standing common foreign student records committee (amended to provide three Division I representatives, three Division II representatives and two ex-officio members). (Effective date: Immediately.)
No. 99-59, stipulating that no more than two members of the Division I Softball Committee may be appointed from the same region.
No. 99-80, which specifies that at least 50 percent of total positions on the Association-wide and common committees with rules administration responsibilities shall be filled by coaching staff members. (Effective date: August 1, 2000.)
No. 99-116, which would add one Division I student-athlete to the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee to serve in an advisory capacity. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Tabled
No. 99-49, which expands the Core-Course Review Committee from 18 to 20 members. (Effective date: Immediately.) (The proposal was tabled pending proposed legislation that could change the minimum number of core courses required for initial eligibility.)
Bylaw 30
Approved
No. 99-105, permitting all-star competition between sanctioned summer baseball leagues under specified conditions. (Effective date: Immediately.) [Note: Because the proposal deals with Bylaw 30 provisions, it will be forwarded to the Board of Directors for adoption.]
No. 99-57, specifying that a bowl that sells an amount of tickets equal to the value of the contracted obligations of the two participating schools would satisfy the minimum ticket-sales criteria. (Effective date: Immediately.)
Defeated
No. 99-102, revising contact periods in the 1999-00 recruiting calendar in women's basketball. (The proposal was no longer necessary due to the National Letter of Intent date being moved back one week.)
Bylaw 31
Approved
No. 99-64, precluding a sports committee from obtaining a waiver of the Sunday competition rule if it felt that moving the dates of competition to accommodate the institution with a restrictive religious policy would unduly disrupt the championship.
No. 99-94, establishing procedures for schools with written policies against competition on a particular day for religious reasons to submit those policies on an annual basis. (Effective date: Immediately.)
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