The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recently reviewed several legislative items, including a preliminary look at a basketball issues package that is headed for Division I Management Council review in April.

The basketball package, composed of proposals from the Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues as well as alternative proposals from various Division I conferences, contains several pieces that impact student-athletes directly. Among those are revisions to the summer recruiting calendar and summer financial aid.

The committee, which met in conjunction with the 2000 NCAA Convention, took its first look at the package and prepared plans to develop a position on the various proposals before the package is reviewed by the Management Council at its April 10-11 meeting in Indianapolis.

The committee also met with representatives from the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet's Recruiting Subcommittee to discuss legislative matters pertaining to recruiting. The committee noted that it had not supported several recent proposals from the subcommittee regarding recruiting issues, and that in fact some of the subcommittee's proposals that had passed through the Management Council subsequently had been defeated by the Board of Directors.

Discussions with the subcommittee representatives provided a forum for both groups to bridge some differences regarding the development of future legislation.

The SAAC also reviewed several policy documents, including a newly created Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee handbook, which provides the history of student-athlete committees in the NCAA governance structure; the mission statement and guiding principles for the group; a review of the Division I legislative process; and committee meeting policies and guidelines. The committee agreed to make the handbook available on the SAAC Web site via NCAA Online.

The group also made final revisions to a document on countable athletically related activities that also will be available online. The document contains a number of frequently asked questions regarding countable athletically related activities that the committee believes will educate student-athletes on legislation that they believe is often misunderstood. The committee plans to make a similar document on summer voluntary workouts available within the coming months.

In other actions, the committee reviewed a request from the Management Council to comment on expanding the use of the special assistance fund to allow student-athletes in their sixth year to use funds to complete degrees. After review, the committee agreed with the concept of expanding the use of the special assistance fund, but recommended that funds be extended only up to one year beyond a student-athlete's exhausted eligibility.

In a related matter, the committee noted that during his State of the Association address to Convention delegates, NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey recommended that the special assistance fund be increased from $10 million to $25 million in 2003, the first year of the NCAA's new television contract with CBS. The committee applauded this recommendation and submitted the following as additional uses for the increased revenue from the contract that would directly benefit student-athletes: (1) Increases in the academic enhancement fund; (2) funds to help institutions comply with Title IX; (3) funds to provide fifth-year scholarships; and (4) funds to enhance the Champs/Life Skills program.

Other highlights

Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
January 6-9/San Diego

Met with a representative from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to discuss issues related to health and safety, including an update on creatine and related legislation, the annual football rules survey, emergency-care issues, and the injury surveillance system.

Elected Bola Bamiduro from Columbia University as the new vice-chair. Bamiduro replaces Brian Dillon of the University of the Pacific (California), who will assume the role of chair.

Noted that Leah Nilsson of Michigan State University had been appointed as a representative to the Division I Committee on Financial Aid. Also noted that Kofi Bawuah from the University of Virginia and Jake Locklear of Stephen F. Austin State University had been appointed to the Division I Football Issues Committee as Division I-A and Division I-AA representatives, respectively.

Supported the NCAA's efforts related to upcoming federal legislation that would ban gambling on college sports.

Heard a presentation on the NCAA's public affairs plan.