The Commission, which first met in August to address concerns of escalating costs in intercollegiate athletics, among other issues, has spent each of its first three meetings hearing testimony from those involved with intercollegiate athletics, from NCAA officials to authors, coaches, athletics directors, commissioners and student-athletes.

At its latest meeting November 28, the Commission heard from a group of three student-athletes: Joseph Whitt, a football player from Auburn University who also is a member of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC); and two basketball players -- Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje from Georgetown University and Cathy Joens from George Washington University.

They were among several presenters who told the Commission that while the state of college athletics has improved since the NCAA began to emphasize presidential control more than a decade ago, issues remain that have grown from the rapid increase in the popularity of college sports and the ensuing pressures on athletics departments to not only be self-sufficient, but to generate revenues for their institutions.

The student-athletes provided candid testimony from their participation in high-profile, revenue-producing sports. Many of the concerns they presented to the Commission were the same that already had been voiced at the SAAC level or at other levels within the Division I governance structure -- primarily concerns of the time commitment student-athletes are expected to make in their sport, and the issue of a trusting relationship between student-athletes and coaches, not only during the recruiting process, but throughout the student-athlete's career at the school.

Specifically, concerns were raised about the "20-hour rule," which many Division I student-athletes believe is too often abused by coaches and other athletics administrators, and issues regarding voluntary workouts during the summer months -- workouts that some student-athletes believe are becoming more mandatory than voluntary.

Though some members of the Commission were hearing those concerns perhaps for the first time, those issues and others already have been taken on by a Division I Management Council subcommittee charged with addressing the so-called "trust gap" between student-athletes and coaches and administrators. That subcommittee, which is relying on student-athlete input to formulate recommendations, is targeting a redefinition of the term "voluntary" as it relates to summer workouts, as well as developing recommendations regarding the application of the 20-hour rule and whether more oversight or perhaps some type of enforcement penalty could be applied in cases of known abuse.

All three student-athletes who testified before the Commission agreed that while their experiences as student-athletes had helped them develop as better citizens, they did express some concern about the difficulties of assimilating student-athletes into the rest of the student body. They also addressed the issue of a possible stipend for student-athletes -- in all sports, not just football and basketball -- to help defray costs not covered by athletics scholarships.

Others testify

The Commission also heard from coaches and athletics directors from Division I institutions who addressed competitive-equity and diversity concerns, among others. For example, Rene Portland, women's basketball coach at Pennsylvania State University, told the group that while many strides had been made in the quality of women's basketball, many inequities still exist between the men's and women's game, including television coverage, quality of facilities and access to resources.

And Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), spoke on behalf of football coaches when he addressed the Commission about the escalation of coaches' salaries being perceived as "out of control." Teaff said that while the media calls attention to coaches who earn salaries of $1 million or more, the vast majority of football coaches earn significantly less. That, he said, has led to a perception that football costs are spiraling when in fact the "arms race" has more to do with a small percentage of Division I programs and not football programs in general, particularly those in Divisions II and III.

Teaff also addressed the lack of minority head coaches in Division I football, an issue that is highly publicized at this time of year when many programs are making coaching changes. Teaff said that while organizations like the NCAA and the AFCA have long signaled the need for heightened attention to this issue, it still is a matter of "personal responsibility" on the part of individual institutions to effect change.

Conclusions expected

The Commission also heard from Gene Keady, men's basketball coach at Purdue University and president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), who said he believes the NABC should emphasize the role of coaches as mentors and educators.

That initiative fits with what NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey, who also is a member of the Knight Commission, has termed as the need for institutions to refocus on the educational mission. Dempsey also has been outspoken about his concerns regarding the arms race, an issue he plans to address through the NCAA's governance structure by perhaps establishing some sort of financial model or guidelines that might assist institutions in curtailing athletics spending.

Another important group that testified during the Commission's November meeting was conference commissioners, who spoke about the Association's new governance structure implemented in 1997 that emphasizes presidential control and more hands-on involvement in representation and review of issues by conferences.

While the Knight Commission did not build time into its meeting to respond to the testimony or discuss possible solutions to the problems identified, it has indicated that it will begin to deliberate during its next meeting, scheduled for January 22-23.

"The Commission has spent a great deal of time doing what it said it wanted to do from the start, and that is gathering as much information as possible and hearing from those individuals who are closely tied to intercollegiate athletics," Dempsey said.

"What they're hearing is that the issues of greatest concern tend to be concentrated in high-profile, revenue sports at the highest level of Division I-A. That's an important distinction for the Commission to make. When there is a problem in intercollegiate sports, it often is attributed to all sports, and that rarely is the reality. I hope what the Commission does -- and what the NCAA has begun to do already -- is focus on specific issues rather than paint intercollegiate sports with a broad brush."

Dempsey said the Commission hasn't determined whether its January meeting will be the final in-person gathering, or when a final report might be issued.

"So far, the Commission has been quite comprehensive," he said. "I don't believe any of the members want to rush to any conclusions. Whatever they submit as a final report will be very thorough."