2000 Telephone Conference No. 17
November 15, 2000

Acting for the Division I Management Council, the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Legislative Review/Interpretations issued the following interpretations:

Eligibility/Hardship Waiver

1. Medical Documentation for Hardship Waiver. The subcommittee confirmed that the medical documentation required to grant a hardship waiver must come from a physician (that is, a medical doctor) who administered care at the time of the injury or illness. It noted that documentation from an individual other than a physician (for example, chiropractor, physical therapist) only may be used to support the physician's documentation. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 14.2.4.3.2 (medical documentation).]

Eligibility/Graduate Student Participation

2. Eligibility of Graduate Student Who Returns to Institution Where Undergraduate Degree was Obtained. A student-athlete who graduates from a Division I institution, enrolls in graduate school at another institution for one semester and, during the following semester, returns to and enrolls in graduate school at the Division I institution where he or she received a baccalaureate degree is immediately eligible for competition, provided the student-athlete has remaining eligibility. [Reference: Bylaw 14.1.7 (graduate student/postbaccalaureate participation).]

Eligibility/One-Time Transfer Exception/NCAA Proposal No. 2000-07

3. Use of One-Time Transfer Exception in Division I-AA Football. A student-athlete in the sport of football may not use the one-time transfer exception if the student-athlete transfers from a Division I-AA institution that offers athletically related financial aid in the sport of football to another Division I-AA institution that provides athletically related financial aid in football, even if the second institution bases the award solely on the financial need of the recipient. [References: NCAA Proposal No. 2000-07 (eligibility -- one-time transfer exception) and Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10 (one-time transfer exception).]

Benefits/Expenses for Competition

4. Providing Expenses to Participate in Ergometer Competition. It is not permissible for an institution to pay expenses for a student-athlete to participate in an ergometer competition, inasmuch as an ergometer is not considered equipment related to the sport of rowing. [References: Bylaw 16.8.1.2 (competition while representing institution); 10/25/00 NCAA Division I Management Council official interpretation, Item No. 9-b-(2)-(a); and 08/31/93 official interpretation, Item No. 1.]

2000 Telephone Conference No. 18 November 29, 2000

Recruiting/Banquets and Meetings

1. Coach Attending Meeting Outside of a Contact Period. It is not permissible for an institution's basketball or football coach to speak at any meeting or banquet at a prospect's educational institution that occurs outside the contact period, unless the meeting or banquet is initiated and conducted by the educational institution and all other applicable legislative restrictions set forth in NCAA Bylaws 13.1.9-(b)-(2) and 13.1.9-(c)-(2) are observed. [References: Bylaws 13.1.9-(b)-(2), 13.1.9-(c)-(2) and 13.1.9-(a)-(1); and staff interpretation 11/16/90, item b.] 

2000 Telephone Conference No. 19

December 6, 2000

Eligibility/Satisfactory Progress

1. Waiver of Satisfactory-Progress Requirements for Participation in FIFA (Federation of International Football Association) World Youth Championship. It is permissible to apply the international competition waiver to waive the credit-hour requirement of NCAA Bylaw 14.4.3.1-(a) during an academic year in which a student-athlete in the sport of men's soccer is not enrolled in a term or terms or is unable to complete a term due to participation in the FIFA World Youth Championship. [References: Bylaws 14.4.3.1-(a) (fulfillment of credit-hour requirements) and 14.4.3.6-(b) (waiver of satisfactory-progress rule -- international competition); official interpretation 1/28/00, Item No. 1; and 1996 NCAA Convention Proposal No. 46.] 

Recruiting/Evaluations/Proposal No. 2000-105

2. Coaches Attending a Certified Final Four Basketball Event. An institution is not charged with an evaluation or evaluation days in the sports of men's and women's basketball if members of its basketball coaching staff attend a single basketball event involving prospective student-athletes that is selected at the discretion of the institution, certified by the NCAA, and held in conjunction with and conducted within a 30-mile radius of the championship site and host city of the men's or women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. [References: Bylaw 13.1.8.4 (evaluation days -- basketball) and NCAA Proposal No. 2000-105.]