Automatic-qualification principles were again an item of discussion at the Division III Championships Committee meeting June 26-28 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The committee recommended that the Division III Management Council approve and adopt a timeline to review the division's automatic-qualification process and selection principles.

The proposed timeline, which calls for a division-wide review of the process and principles in 2001-02, adheres to the Division III Presidents Council's directive that no substantive changes be made to the principles for two years.

The committee has proposed that 1999-00 be considered year one of automatic qualification, and 2000-01 be considered year two, with 2001-02 as an evaluation year and 2002-03 as the first year that any significant changes would be implemented. The committee also would continue to gather data and suggestions from the membership for review by the Division III leadership.

In other action, the committee recommended that the Division III Management Council adopt legislation to amend Bylaw 31.1.4.1, effective immediately, to address conflicts between NCAA championships dates and commencement dates.

The committee has recommended that the legislation apply only to team sports and that institutions be required to give prior notice by declaring in writing their commencement dates. Also, the committee recommended that the policy not apply to predetermined finals sites or to nonpredetermined preliminary-round contests with multiple teams participating at the same site. The governing sports committee would reschedule the game on the nearest possible date if a participating school had a conflict (and all other conditions were met).

In a related action, the committee recommended that the Management Council amend the "Sunday competition" legislation (Bylaw 31.1.4.1) to permit the governing sports committee to reschedule the affected championships competition on the nearest available date. (The current legislation does not permit the competition to be rescheduled before the original competition.) The committee also recommended that 31.1.4.1.1 (the waiver) be deleted; this deletion would prevent sports committees and the championships committee from using this waiver opportunity to deny a request that the competition be moved due to religious reasons or commencement.

In other actions, the committee:

Recommended the establishment of an NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee composed of eight members (four from Division I, two from Division II and two from Division III), plus a nonvoting secretary rules editor.

Recommended that a special forum or discussion session regarding championships site selection be scheduled for the 2001 NCAA Convention.

Recommended that the NCAA Corporate Partner Program more actively support Division III championships.