Calendar

HONORS

Shriver selected to receive Theodore Roosevelt Award

Eunice Kennedy Shriver will become the second woman to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the Association's highest honor, when she is recognized January 13 during the Association's annual Honors Dinner.

Shriver -- the fifth of nine Kennedy siblings including a president, two senators and an ambassador -- is the founder of the Special Olympics.

Staff contact: Kellie Leeman -- kleeman@ncaa.org

DIVERSITY TRAINING

On-campus workshops available for NCAA member institutions

NCAA member institutions now will be able to provide diversity training seminars to their athletics staffs, free of charge.

The NCAA's Diversity Education Workshops are available for athletics staff and student-athletes at member schools. The Association will provide a skilled facilitator and training materials at no cost to the institution. Workshops can be conducted in half-day or full-day sessions. Schools must guarantee not fewer than 25 and not more than 40 participants (student-athletes, coaches and/or administrative staff) per session, and provide lodging for the facilitator (if necessary), a meeting location and audio-visual equipment.

The NCAA has conducted Diversity Education Workshops since 1996 to provide a foundation in the basic concepts of diversity and to develop a personal awareness and appreciation of diversity. Applications will be accepted on a first-request basis. For more information, contact Rekha Patterson at the national office (317/917-6311).

Staff contact: Rekha Patterson -- rpatterson@ncaa.org

SECURITY

Championships to reflect heightened security concerns

Championships participants, staff and fans will notice security-based changes at NCAA championships this fall.

In some cases, the effort will be similar to the measures that member institutions already have taken in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Several NCAA championship finals are held on the campus of a participating institution, and in such cases, the NCAA is relying on those sites to keep doing what they have been doing to establish a heightened sense of security. Likewise, predetermined sites are being advised to use the extra planning time wisely.

The NCAA is saying that the No. 1 priority for championships hosts is to consult with all representatives of appropriate public-safety agencies, including campus security; local, state and national law-enforcement agencies (for example, police, FBI, ATF, Secret Service); fire departments and hazardous materials response units; state and local emergency management agencies; elected public officials and campus leaders; and emergency medical services.

Staff contact: Donna Noonan -- dnoonan@ncaa.org

POSTSEASON FOOTBALL

Division I committee adjusts criteria for bowl-game eligibility

The NCAA has adjusted criteria for postseason bowl eligibility this season for teams that either played 10 games of their original 11-game schedules or rescheduled games during the week following national events on September 11.

The NCAA's Division I Administrative Review Subcommittee approved a one-year waiver of the postseason football eligibility rules. The Executive Committee had instructed that necessary actions be taken to ensure that institutions forced to adjust their schedules not be adversely affected by the changes.

According to postseason eligibility bylaws, a Division I-A team can use an exception once every four years to count a victory against a Division I-AA opponent toward the minimum number of wins necessary to become bowl eligible. This waiver will allow a I-A team to use the I-AA exception this year without regard to use of the exception in previous years. The 2001 season will not be counted in the application of the I-AA exception for future scheduling.

In an 11-game season, NCAA bylaws require that a Division I-A team win a minimum of six games against I-A opponents and have more wins than losses to be bowl-eligible. If a I-A team is able to play only 10 games this season, finishes the regular season with a record of 5-5 and no more than one win against a Division I-AA opponent, the team will be eligible for postseason competition for this season only.

Staff contact: Dennis Poppe -- dpoppe@ncaa.org