BOSTON -- Significant decisions regarding reviews of championships automatic-qualification and selection principles as well as financial aid policies highlighted the actions of the Division III Management Council at its July 24-25 meeting.

The Council approved a timeline developed by the Division III Championships Committee for the review of the automatic-qualification and selection principles guidelines that took effect with the 1999-00 academic year. At the request of the Division III Presidents Council, the guidelines are to remain in place for at least two years, meaning they will be used once again for the 2000-01 championships.

Consequently, the timeline approved by the Management Council calls for the review of the current guidelines to begin in June 2001 and continue throughout the 2001-02 academic year. Any significant revisions to the guidelines would not take effect until the 2002-03 championships.

"Approving the timeline for review reaffirms what the membership was told when the current guidelines were adopted -- that it would have input in the review that takes place," said Walter Johnson, director of athletics at North Central College and Management Council chair.

"While the actual review will not begin until after the upcoming academic year, institutions should feel free to forward their opinions and suggestions to members in the Division III governance structure at any time. It certainly is possible that the review may result in guidelines that are much different from the ones now being used."

Financial aid

The Council voted to sponsor legislation developed by the Division III Financial Aid and Awards Committee for the 2001 Convention that would simplify Bylaw 15. Among the goals for the simplification are to award no athletically related financial aid to any student, to ensure that athletics participants are not treated differently from other members of the student body, to eliminate the approval process for awards of circumstance and non-athletics achievement awards, to ensure athletics department staff members are not involved with arranging or modifying student-athletes' financial aid packages, and to establish a review process to retain and enforce institutional compliance of the legislation to ensure consistent financial aid packages.

"We need to have some evaluative process," said Johnson. "What needs to be sorted out is what the appropriate process is."

Methods of evaluation that were discussed by the Council included the concept of establishing some type of campus audit process, similar to audits already mandated by the federal government, and possibly peer reviews. Creating a link between compliance and enforcement, if necessary, also was discussed.

According to the timeline approved by the Council, information regarding the proposed Bylaw 15 legislation, the revised Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) --including a compliance checklist -- and the draft plan for the new review process will be discussed by the financial aid committee at its September meeting, reviewed by the Council at its October meeting and sent to member institutions in November 2000. The legislation will be the topic of a discussion session planned for the 2001 Convention before a membership vote.

Institutions would receive the finalized ISSG in August 2001 and would conduct internal reviews of their financial aid policies during the 2001-02 academic year. The new review process, in whatever form is approved, would begin in August 2002.

"There has to be a way to address the rumors that exist among the membership concerning violations of financial aid legislation," Johnson said. "One of the ways to do that is to show that we are moving forward with establishing a new review process.

"It is too early to determine what process is best, but our discussion should give the financial aid committee a sense of direction as it continues its work."

Other championships issues

In addition to the adoption of the automatic-qualification and selection principles timeline review, the Council approved two other recommendations of the Division III Championships Committee. The first involves the adoption of legislation that would enable institutions participating in certain NCAA championships that conflict with their commencement date to have the competition rescheduled.

For such a schedule adjustment to occur, institutions must provide prior notice in writing of their commencement date and their intention to exercise the option to reschedule to the appropriate sports committee. The policy would apply to team championships only, but would not extend to those with predetermined finals sites or non-predetermined preliminary-round competition with multiple teams participating at the same site.

The governing sports committee would reschedule the contest on the nearest possible date.

A Championships Committee recommendation to revise legislation regarding institutions not competing on a particular day for religious reasons also was approved. The changes would require the governing sports committee to reschedule the affected championships competition on the nearest available date. Currently, the sports committee and Championships Committee can deny the request for accommodation, and any such adjustment could not require a team or individual to compete before the time originally scheduled.

The Council also recommended to the Division III Presidents Council that it support a legislative proposal sponsored by the membership for the 2001 Convention. Proposal No. 1-8, which the Council voted to support but not co-sponsor, would limit the nontraditional segment in the sports of baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, and men's and women's lacrosse to five weeks. In addition, the proposal would specify that no class time should be missed for competition in the nontraditional segment in the above sports.

In a related matter, the Council voted to recommend sponsorship of legislation to modify the maximum number of contests in baseball and softball from 36 in the traditional segment and nine in the nontraditional segment, to 40 in the traditional and five in the nontraditional. The proposal also would delete the tournament dates exemption in the two sports.

The group also supported Proposal No. 1-10, which specifies that institutions may commence on-court preseason basketball practice sessions on October 15. Currently, on-court practice shall not begin before the fourth Saturday preceding the first permissible contest date. The Council believes the new rule will be easier to interpret and help avoid numerous questions each year as to the actual starting date for on-court practice. The Council also noted that on-court conditioning activities currently begin on October 15.

In another action, Joy Reighn, director of athletics at Rowan University and current Management Council vice-chair, was elected to be the next chair. Oscar Page, president of Austin College, was selected to succeed Reighn as vice-chair. Both appointments take effect with the 2001 post-Convention meeting.

Other highlights

Division III Management Council
July 24-25/Boston

Approved a budget of $9,875,000 for Division III for fiscal year 2000-01.

Noted that Division III committees with initiatives that have 2001-02 budget ramifications must submit documentation by February 15, 2001.

Moved to encourage the Postgraduate Scholarship Committee to consider an increase in the scholarship amount to $7,500.

Supported a recommendation from the Walter Byers Scholarship Committee to award scholarships of the same amount as NCAA postgraduate scholarships to the four non-winning finalists.

Identified the role of the conference in Division III as a discussion topic for the 2002 Convention.

Recommended to the Division III Presidents Council that Concordia University at Austin, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and Trinity College (District of Columbia) be granted active membership status.

Recommended to the Presidents Council that Alverno College and Transylvania University be accepted as provisional members. The Council noted that the institutions had submitted their applications for membership before the recently enacted two-year moratorium on provisional members and were therefore granted exceptions.

Recommended that East Texas Baptist University and Lesley College be moved forward into their final year of provisional membership.

Referred a recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports mandating some form of eye protection for women's lacrosse student-athletes back to the Women's Lacrosse Committee.

Approved the following appointments to Division III sports committees: Baseball -- John Edwards, Central College (Iowa), and Scott McQuillin, Whitworth College; Men's Basketball -- Ira Zeff, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and John Quattrocchi, Skidmore College; Women's Basketball -- Becky Geyer, Trinity University (Texas), and Jack Surridge, North Park University; Field Hockey -- Jennifer Crispen, Sweet Briar College, and Charlyn Robert, Nichols College; Football -- Jim Moretti, Alfred University; Men's Ice Hockey -- Steve Nelson, University of Wisconsin, Superior; Men's Lacrosse -- Jim Berkman, Salisbury State University; Men's Soccer -- Wheaton College (Illinois), Kim Strable, Greensboro College, and George Nazario, College of New Jersey; Women's Soccer -- Greg Ruark, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Softball -- Cindy Zelinshky, Washington University (Missouri); Men's and Women's Tennis -- Ed Hegmann, Washington College (Maryland), and Maxanne Retzlaff, Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges; Men's and Women's Track and Field -- Monica Severson, Wartburg College, and Finn Pincus, Roanoke College; and Women's Volleyball -- Marsha Graef, Bates College.

Approved the following Division III appointments to NCAA rules committees: Women's Basketball -- Julie Goodenough, Hardin-Simmons University (reappointment); and Football -- Robert Bierie, Loras College.