Among issues the subcommittee will review are bracket sizes and the philosophy of providing automatic qualification into NCAA championships for all conference champions while ensuring quality competition and highly selective events.

The issue was prompted by a request from the Division I Management Council, which had expressed concerns about the consistency in requests for bracket expansions and whether current philosophical guidelines were being followed. The Council also had philosophical concerns whether there was a point at which bracket expansions dilute the championships experience for student-athletes.

Meeting June 26-28 in Bernalillo, New Mexico, the cabinet decided to develop the subcommittee to provide an appropriate forum for meaningful philosophical dialogue. The subcommittee also will address a number of other related issues, including site selection, issues related to bracket assignment, the establishment or revision of championships formats, seeding of teams, sizes of sports committees in relation to sports-sponsorship numbers, and championships marketing and financial issues. The subcommittee will be charged to identify a set of core principles and report back to the cabinet in September.

The cabinet did agree that when the subcommittee is created, it would have the authority to approve, between regularly scheduled cabinet meetings, recommendations regarding NCAA championships sites and hosts. In the interim, the cabinet's Administrative Committee will act on those recommendations.

The cabinet also continued to work on a complicated issue in track and field involving a Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee recommendation to expand the field and establish regionals to qualify into the championships. The cabinet supported the recommendation and had proposed in April that the Division I Board of Directors allocate $363,000 to initiate regionals and increase the field size. The Board did not disagree with the intent to expand, but it took issue with the establishment of regionals that may interfere with exam schedules, devalue conference championships and possibly extend the season. Thus, the Board embargoed funds from the 2001-02 NCAA budget that would be allocated to establish or conduct regional meets or expand NCAA championships until the cabinet further reviewed the matter.

Since then, the track and field committee has recommended to the cabinet that the 2002 outdoor championships not include regionals and that the men's and women's meets end the first weekend in June. That recommendation was based on the committee's belief that the Board's action leaves the date of the 2002 championships in question. The championships would conclude either the first or second Saturday in June, depending on whether the Board approved or rejected the original proposal at its August meeting. The committee felt that waiting on that decision puts a significant burden on schools that are deep into the scheduling process for the 2002 season. Such a delay also impacts schools' budgeting process, as well as the scheduling of conference meets and preparations for hosting the nationals.

After discussion, the cabinet endorsed the track and field committee's recommendations because it felt they gave the Management Council and the Board the most comprehensive and accurate information to assist the two groups in making a fully informed decision. The cabinet also believes that logistical problems would make it extremely difficult to make significant changes to the 2002 championships format.

The track and field committee -- and the cabinet -- continued to support the concept of establishing regionals for the championships, and has asked for that to be approved for the 2003 season.

Committee appointments

In another matter referred to the cabinet from the Management Council, the cabinet reviewed and clarified policies related to the committee appointment process.

The additions/clarifications to the process are as follows:

* If an individual resigns from a committee before the expiration of his or her term, preference will be given to refilling the position with a qualified and eligible individual nominated by the resigning member's conference.

* Individuals eligible for reappointment (that is, if they have served less than half a term) will not automatically be reappointed, in order to ensure rotation of committee representation among all conferences.

* The cabinet will resolicit additional nominations when there are no eligible and qualified individuals nominated before the deadline.

* Delete the policy permitting more than one individual from the same conference to serve on the same committee if one is a female and one is a male or if one of the two is the chair of the committee. The cabinet, on a case-by-case basis, still may consider appointing more than one individual from the same conference when necessary to meet bylaw requirements or when a committee administers both a men's and women's championship.

The cabinet also agreed that it has been and will continue to be consistent in its approach to accepting conference nominations. The cabinet's unwritten policy has been to accept a conference's replacement of a nominee, provided the conference's original submission was received before the appropriate deadline. The cabinet will include this policy in its Policies and Operating Procedures Manual and will specify in the procedures that replacements of a conference's original submission will be accepted only if the replacement is received by the cabinet chair at least seven calendar days before the first day of the cabinet's next regularly scheduled meeting.

Sports sponsorship

The cabinet also reviewed an issue that came from the Olympic Sports Liaison Committee regarding a bill proposed by Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minnesota, that would, among other things, require NCAA institutions to document in writing reasons for reducing or discontinuing sports teams, as well as document an internal process for appealing the reduction or termination.

Wellstone's bill also would direct grants to the U.S. Olympic Committee for developing Olympic sports that are declining in participation, and expand the Higher Education Act's Olympic scholarship program (which presently assists amateur athletes who are in training for the Olympic Games) to assist those student-athletes participating in Olympic sports shown to be losing teams.

The cabinet recommended that the Management Council and the Board of Directors oppose the bill. While the cabinet agreed that declining participation in Olympic sports is a critical and sensitive issue, it expressed concern with the part of the bill requiring institutions to establish and publicize procedures when discontinuing sports teams. The cabinet believes most institutions have their own policies and procedures for those types of decisions, and federal action only would impede institutional autonomy.

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics also has voiced its opposition to the bill.

Other bracket issues

In volleyball, the cabinet approved a recommendation from the Division I Women's Volleyball Committee to conduct the championship under the best three out of five games to 30 points using rally (point-per-play) scoring, effective with the 2001 championship.

The cabinet agreed with the committee's recommendation that the change in format would increase the level of intensity throughout matches for student-athletes and fans and broaden the appeal of women's collegiate volleyball, while providing less variance in match time and a more consistent format throughout the volleyball community.

The cabinet also approved one recommendation for bracket expansion, increasing the field in women's golf from 321 to 324 individuals (one additional individual qualifier per regional). The cabinet noted that such expansion would balance tee times and not result in additional NCAA expenses since institutions are not reimbursed for regional competition.

Other highlights

Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet
June 26-28/Bernalillo, New Mexico

Approved a recommendation from the Division I-AA Football Committee that the championship games in 2001 and 2002 be conducted in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with an option to extend the agreement for one year. The cabinet also noted that there have been discussions regarding whether the game would be conducted on Friday or Saturday, and that a change from Saturday to Friday would require cabinet approval. The cabinet requested that the committee clarify its position on the championship date.

Did not support a recommendation from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to conduct a year-round NCAA drug-testing pilot program in the second semester of 2001-02 in Division I baseball, without penalty to student-athletes who test positive during the pilot program. The cabinet was concerned about the inconsistent message that would be sent to student-athletes if the NCAA did not impose penalties for positive tests, while some institutions do impose penalties on baseball student-athletes who test positive. The cabinet referred the issue back to the committee for additional research and suggested that the committee attempt to obtain its information by surveying institutions that have drug-testing programs that include baseball student-athletes.

Agreed to sponsor legislation establishing a playing and practice season for women's equestrian.

Agreed that the current process for appealing a finding of or penalty related to misconduct/unsporting behavior should be reviewed. Rather than have the relevant sports committees serve as the fact-finder and appellate body, the cabinet believes it is worth exploring whether it would be appropriate for one entity to serve in that role for all allegations of misconduct/unsporting behavior. As a result, the cabinet will ask the Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct to draft a penalty/appeals model containing, but not limited to, the following elements: (1) a penalty schedule for acts of misconduct/unsporting behavior and (2) an appeals process in which the Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct is the final authority.

Approved the following recommendations in wrestling: (1) That the wrestling practice room temperature be changed to 80 degrees Fahrenheit from 75 degrees; (2) That continuing student-athletes not be required to submit both a Section I and a Section II weight certification form. The current weight certification program would remain in place for entering freshmen and two-year college transfer student-athletes. For all other student-athletes, the first matches would determine the student-athletes' certified weight classes for the year; and (3) That all wrestlers who compete in the finals must weigh in two hours before their final match, rather than only weighing in the morning of the final day of competition.