NCAA regional rules seminars soon will be a reality for the Division III membership. The Division III Membership Committee, which met June 26-27 in Indianapolis, discussed the 2001 seminars, the first of their kind in Division III, which will include four educational sessions devoted specifically to Division III and one session with members of Division I and II (on camps and clinics).

Topics for the one-day Division III sessions are playing and practice seasons, recruiting and transfers, governance issues and financial aid. Members also will have access to sessions on Association-wide issues for the remainder of the two-day seminars. Past Association-wide sessions have included topics such as Title IX and recruiting via the Internet.

One Division III session will be offered specifically for Division III independent members, providing them with an opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from NCAA staff. (NCAA staff members already visit conference meetings, and this session provides a similar opportunity for independent members.)

The regional rules seminars will be April 18-20 in New Orleans; May 2-4 in Washington, D.C.; and May 23-25 in La Jolla, California. There is no registration charge for NCAA members, so costs are limited to lodging and transportation. Registration materials for the seminars will be sent to the membership in March.

In other action, the Membership Committee recommended to the Division III Management Council that legislation be sponsored to standardize the penalties associated with failure to meet the four-sport/three-season requirement.

The committee recommended that institutions that do not sponsor one sport in each of the three seasons be placed on probation for one year, then in restricted membership, and ultimately relegated to corresponding membership if the requirement is still not met.

Under current legislation, an institution that does not sponsor one sport in each of the three seasons is immediately placed in corresponding membership. However, an institution that does not sponsor the minimum number of sports faces a three-tiered penalty similar to the one proposed above. Members of the committee believe that the penalties should be consistent.

Other highlights

Division III Membership Committee
June 26-27/Indianapolis

Recommended that the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee issue an interpretation of Constitution 3.2.1.4 clarifying that institutions do not have to sponsor at least one team sport per season. (Current legislation requires institutions to sponsor at least four sports for each gender, two of which must be team sports, in the three sport seasons. This requirement will increase to five sports for each gender, three of which must be team sports, effective August 1, 2001. Even with the increase, institutions will not be required to sponsor at least one team sport each season.)

Recommended that NCAA Bylaw 20.02.3 be revised editorially to specify that provisional membership shall "not be less than four years" as opposed to being "limited to four years," as the legislation currently reads.

Recommended that the Commonwealth Conference, Freedom Conference and Middle Atlantic States Conference be granted active-conference status.

Recommended that Alverno College and Transylvania University be accepted as provisional members. Both institutions were granted exceptions to the two-year membership moratorium by the Division III Presidents Council.

Recommended that Concordia University at Austin, the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor and Trinity College (District of Columbia) be granted active-member status.