Acting on a recommendation from its Subcommittee on Agents and Amateurism, the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet agreed to support legislation permitting prospective student-athletes to accept educational expenses from any individual or entity paid directly to the educational institution.

The action came at the cabinet's June 5-7 meeting in Indianapolis and will be forwarded to the Division I Management Council at its October meeting. The cabinet also supported a number of other amateurism deregulation recommendations.

Permissible educational expenses would include tuition, fees, books, room and board but could not be provided by an agent, professional sports team or organization, or a representative of an institution's athletics interest on behalf of a collegiate institution. The earliest the legislation could be approved would be April 2001.

"This proposal will address a significant issue that affected a number of basketball student-athletes this past season," said David Knight, faculty athletics representative at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and cabinet chair. "I believe this is a piece of deregulation that the membership can support."

The Subcommittee on Agents and Amateurism also received endorsement from the cabinet for an extended legislative timeline for the entire deregulation package. The proposed timeline would have the Management Council give initial approval to the package in October and would withhold final consideration by the Division I Board of Directors until October 2001.

"We know we have a significant educational process ahead of us," said Knight. "The extended timeline will allow us to meet with a number of constituents over the next year and a half and engage them in a full discussion of the deregulation package."

In other action that would affect prospective student-athletes, the cabinet requested the Legislative Review and Interpretations Subcommittee to alter the existing interpretation of Bylaw 12.1.1.1.6 to enable a prospect to receive reasonable living expenses from any individual with whom the prospect has a relationship.

The subcommittee will also support legislation for enrolled student-athletes that would permit them to accept any form of Operation Gold money for an annual event designated by the United States Olympic Committee. Another proposal for enrolled student-athletes would allow them to accept a fee-for-lesson payment provided that the fee is commensurate with those charged by others for similar lessons.

The cabinet will receive additional recommendations for amateurism deregulation at its September meeting and is expected to send a comprehensive package to the Management Council in October.