Division I student-athletes may get their chance to punch some chads at future committee meetings.

That's because the Division I Management Council gave initial approval to a request at its April 9-10 legislative meeting to grant Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives on various Division I governance groups the right to vote.

The action would not include giving SAAC representatives voting rights at meetings of the full cabinets or the Management Council.

The idea had been broached during a joint SAAC/Management Council meeting at the January Convention and had gathered support from the above committees since then. SAAC members gradually had gained seats on those committees in 1997, but until now had not enjoyed formal voting privileges.

In a separate action, the Council also gave initial approval to a proposal that would grant SAAC members voting rights on certain Association-wide committees. That proposal also must be approved by Divisions II and III. The proposal stipulates that even though three student-athlete representatives (one from each division) would be present during Association-wide committee meetings, their votes would be counted as a single vote.

The voting-rights issue was among several recommendations the Division I SAAC developed or re-emphasized during its in-person meeting April 7-8 in Indianapolis.

The Council, however, did not support the recommendation because it had concerns with the administration of the process and the burden it might place on institutional compliance coordinators, particularly with the requirement regarding official visits.

Though the Council did not support the recommendation, it did not discard it, either. Rather, the Council agreed that there is a need to improve the communication of initial-eligibility standards to prospective student-athletes as early as possible and asked that its ad hoc subcommittee on student-athlete welfare issues revisit the issue in detail to see if another alternative might better address the concern.

Leadership conference growth

The Council expressed some concern that regional conferences might dilute the attendance at the national conference, but the SAAC argued that the regional sessions would facilitate increased student-athlete participation, create more opportunities for leadership development and foster the evolution of a long-lasting network of leaders. The SAAC also noted that Divisions II and III have supported the plan.

The Council's ad hoc subcommittee will report on the issue in October.

Definition of voluntary

In another important action, the Council voted to issue an official interpretation regarding voluntary workouts, an issue that has been high on the SAAC agenda for a long time. The language describing what constitutes "voluntary" was developed by the SAAC and the Council's ad hoc subcommittee and will be incorporated into the 2001-02 Division I Manual.

In order for any athletically related activity to be considered voluntary, the following conditions must be met:

* The student-athlete must not be required to report back to a coach or other athletics department staff member (for example, strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity. In addition, no athletics department staff member who observes the activity (for example, strength coach, trainer, manager) may report back to the student-athlete's coach any information related to the activity.

* The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete. Neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may require the student-athlete to participate in the activity at any time. However, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to provide information to student-athletes related to available opportunities for participating in voluntary activities (for example, times when the strength and conditioning coach will be on duty in the weight room or on the track). In addition, for student-athletes who have initiated a request to engage in voluntary activities, the institution or an athletics department staff member may assign specific times for student-athletes to use institutional facilities for such purposes and inform the student-athletes of the times in advance.

* The student-athlete's attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may not be recorded for the purpose of reporting such information to coaching staff members or other student-athletes.

* The student-athlete may not be subject to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in the activity. In addition, neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may provide recognition or incentives (for example, awards) to a student-athlete based on his or her attendance or performance in the activity.

Other highlights

Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

April 7-8/Indianapolis

* Reviewed a request from the newly created NCAA Football Study Oversight Committee and noted two additional concerns raised on a regular basis by football student-athletes: (1) how teams are ranked in the Bowl Championship Series and (2) off-season skill instruction in football. The committee agreed to obtain feedback from football student-athletes at the campus and conference levels regarding those issues, and others that the Football Oversight Committee had noted previously, for review at the committee's July meeting.

* Agreed to update the SAAC strategic plan in order to encompass the goals and objectives the committee would like to accomplish over the next several years. The committee's last strategic plan was developed in 1999. The group noted that Division I was in the process of developing a strategic plan as well, under the direction of the Management Council Strategic Planning Subcommittee.

* Recommended that Dylan Malagrino, a swimming and track student-athlete from Syracuse University (Big East Conference), be appointed to serve on the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet; and Courtney Hall, a basketball student-athlete from George Mason University (Colonial Athletic Association), be appointed to serve on the Division I Committee on Financial Aid.