In-person meeting No. 1
February 16, 2000

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

Financial Aid/Equivalency Calculations

1. Calculating Equivalencies for Board Allowances in Excess of an Institution's Maximum Board Allowance. If an institution provides a student-athlete with a board allowance that exceeds the institution's maximum permissible board allowance for all students (as permitted under NCAA Proposal No. 99-30), the institution shall be required to calculate the equivalency value for such a student-athlete based on the maximum board allowance for all students and treat any additional meals as a benefit incidental to participation. For example, even if an institution's maximum board allowance for all students is based on a 17-meal board plan, and the institution provides some or all of its student-athletes with a board allowance based on a 21-meal board plan, the institution shall not include the cost of the 21-meal board plan in the value of a full grant-in-aid (i.e., in the denominator) when calculating equivalencies for any of its student-athletes. The equivalency calculations for all student-athletes shall be based on the maximum board allowance for all students (i.e., the cost of the 17-meal board plan), and the four additional meals shall be treated as a benefit incidental to participation. [References: Proposal No. 99-30 (effective August 1, 2000); NCAA Bylaws 15.2.2 (room and board), 15.2.2.1 (off-campus room and board stipend), 15.2.2.1.2 (determination of off-campus board costs) and 15.5.3.3 (equivalency computations).]

Awards and Benefits/Annual Participation Awards

2. Permissible Timing for Providing Annual Participation Awards. It is not permissible for an institution to provide an annual participation award (i.e., winter coats, travel blazers) to a student-athlete in a particular sport before the conclusion of the institution's regular playing season in that sport. [References: Bylaw 16.1.4.1 (annual participation awards) and Official interpretation 01/22/87, Item No. 4.]

Proposal No. 99-120/Summer Financial Aid/Basketball

3. Summer Financial Aid Before Initial, Full-Time Collegiate Enrollment in Basketball. Pursuant to Proposal No. 99-120, an institution that offers multiple summer-school sessions may award athletically related financial aid to a prospective student-athlete to attend any session before initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, provided the prospect satisfies the minimum-academic-hours requirement during the entire summer (i.e., either during a single summer session or by combining hours from multiple summer sessions). The subcommittee requested that the NCAA Division I Management Council determine whether a prospect may satisfy Proposal No. 99-120 by initially enrolling in the required minimum number of academic hours during the summer, or whether the prospect actually must complete the required minimum number of academic hours during the summer. [Reference: Proposal No. 99-120.]

Benefits/Use of the Internet

4. Payment of Internet Access and Long-Distance Charges During Official Team Travel. It is permissible for an institution to pay a student-athlete's Internet access charges and long-distance charges incurred during official team travel that are necessary to enable the student-athlete to complete academic course work, provided the academic course work is required to be completed while the student-athlete is away from campus on official team travel or within a reasonable period of time thereafter. The subcommittee noted, however, that if an institution elects to provide such expenses, the institution remains responsible for ensuring that the student-athlete's use of the Internet is not for personal reasons. [References: Bylaws 16.02.3 (extra benefit), 16.3.2 (academic and other support services -- permissible) and 16.12.2.1 (general rule).]