Faculty athletics representatives spoke in support of Division I academic reform at a recent meeting but hesitated on a pair of Division III reform proposals that are slated for a vote at the NCAA Convention in January.

At the annual Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA) Fall Forum November 20-22 in New Orleans, faculty reps passed a resolution backing current efforts in Division I to implement enhanced eligibility standards and an incentives/disincentives structure designed to improve student-athletes' academic performance.

FARA's Division III legislative committee, however, did not support a proposal in Division III that would eliminate a waiver that allows certain institutions to offer financial aid for sports classified in another division. The group also did not support a Division III proposal to end the practice of "redshirting." Both proposals are among the nine-proposal reform package sponsored by the Division III Presidents Council.

The financial aid proposal from the membership (No. 65 in the Official Notice) would eliminate a waiver that has existed since 1982-83. The Presidents Council reaffirmed its support for the measure at its most recent meeting, stating that the proposal does not prohibit institutions from sponsoring a sport in another division. Council members also noted that the Division III membership has indicated support for elimination of multidivision classification, and that the proposal is consistent with the fundamental Division III philosophy of offering no athletically related financial aid to student-athletes.

FARA President Edward Streb, faculty athletics representative at Rowan University, said the Division III legislative committee believes the proposal precluding financial aid for sports classified in another division unduly harms those institutions that have been allowed to do that for many years.

"Members believe that the proposal would impose a burden on the affected institutions in terms of potential damage to their institutional identities, while no significant benefit would accrue to other member institutions," Streb said, noting that the panel was unanimously opposed to the measure.

FARA members, though, unanimously supported reform efforts in Division I. The group's resolution calls the Division I academic-reform initiatives "essential to improving student athlete welfare, ensuring academic integrity and enhancing the image of college athletics generally."

Streb called the measure a signal event, saying that it was the first time FARA had spoken with a single voice on a significant issue.

"Part of FARA's mission is to represent the collective voice of faculty representatives across the country and we don't do that enough," Streb said. "Though this particular resolution probably was a no-brainer -- how could FARs be against academic reform -- it was about time that we started saying something at these meetings and taking a position."

David Knight Award

Another important action FARA members took was to approve establishment of the David Knight Award for Outstanding Service to FARA, named for the distinguished FAR at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, who died earlier this fall after a battle with cancer. Knight, who served as the first chair of the Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, was influential in the early stages of the current academic-reform movement, helping Division I develop a data-based platform upon which to establish strengthened eligibility standards.

The award recognizes extraordinary contributions to FARA and will be presented annually at the Fall Forum. This year's recipients were Jerry Kingston, faculty athletics representative at Arizona State University, and Karen Cooper, an assistant on the NCAA research staff. Kingston is a longtime NCAA committee member who currently chairs a group working on student-athlete time-demand issues. Cooper has been an NCAA staff member since 1999 and serves as the staff liaison to FARA.

"David Knight worked tirelessly on behalf of faculty athletics representatives and for the academic interests of NCAA student-athletes," Streb said. "It's appropriate that FARA establish this type of service award in his honor."

In other action, FARA members approved another resolution regarding the appointment of FARs. The resolution recommends that faculty athletics representatives be appointed through a process that includes consultation with the appropriate shared governance bodies and that when turnover in the position occurs, member institutions strongly consider the appointment of women and minorities to the position.

FARA members tabled two additional components of the appointment process regarding term limits and status of nominees. Members considered a proposal that would not place a limit on faculty athletics representatives' length of service and would require nominees to be both tenured and active members of the teaching faculty, but FARA decided to deliberate further on those matters before making a decision.