As Division I sets its legislative lineup for the first year in its new single cycle, one of the most pivotal players in the process will be a multi-dimensional performer, the Legislative Service Database, otherwise known as the LSDBi.

The LSDBi made its debut in August 2000. Established to house updated division manuals and more than 9,000 interpretations of NCAA rules, the database made life easier for the NCAA institutions and conferences. But just as the advancement of technology continues to grow, so does the LSDBi.

The expanded database not only offers new features, but also saves money and time. The first phase of the LSDBi included the three manuals and legislative interpretations. Phase two added Administrative Review Subcommittee waivers, major infractions and the eligibility/secondary database. Following those improvements came the ability to submit and track legislative proposals as well as a bulletin board/message board and a historical database.

In the past, Division I institutions or conferences faxed proposals to the NCAA, which required the NCAA staff to transform the information to independent documents. In the new, more user-friendly process, members simply log onto the system with a user name, click on an icon to submit a new proposal and fill out the form online. Users are able to enter information just as they would via the hard copy proposal submissions forms. The institution can then save the data to a computer or submit it to the national office.

Tammy Newman, coordinator of governance communications for the Pacific-10 Conference, said the new submission process is a hit.

"The LSDBi has decreased the amount of time and paperwork necessary to submit, track and maintain status reports, print specific proposals and reports, and to collect data concerning legislation proposals," she said.

But time isn't the only thing the membership and national office staff are saving. In 2001, the NCAA spent more than $80,000 in legislative mailings that may no longer be needed because of the LSDBi.

Online comment

Not only is the LSDBi more cost efficient, it has increased communication efficiency as well. Now, Division I institutions and conferences have access to two online discussion vehicles. One is a bulletin board/message board, which allows institution and conference members to view a list of proposals being considered in the cycle and to comment on them or other hot issues. The other is the ability for members to submit official comments on proposals that will then be provided to the Management Council after the 60-day comment period in January and February.

According to Beth Chapman, associate commissioner and legal counsel of the Southland Conference, that kind of interaction gets more people involved in the legislative process.

"The ability of institutions to directly register their comments and positions on LSDBi has eliminated a great deal of paperwork and compilation at the conference level," Chapman said. "It encourages participation in the comment period, which is critical to the overall legislative process."

The Division I legislative process has been criticized since the division moved to a more representative structure in 1997 because fewer people typically are involved in the decisions to adopt proposals. Many administrators, particularly athletics directors, faculty athletics representatives and senior woman administrators -- the so-called practitioners of college sports administration -- have said they feel disenfranchised because of the legislative process. But Division I's move to a single cycle, which should help administrators track legislation more easily, and the increased role of the LSDBi might help reduce that disenfranchisement.

"Any help a conference can get with the ongoing struggle to engage to the membership in legislation process is a step in the right direction," Chapman said.

The online comment process occurs during the 60-day period after the Management Council considers proposals at its January meeting in conjunction with the NCAA Convention. Viewers also will have access to a comment archive, which may help add perspective to proposals at a given time. For Division I, the archive currently holds 968 proposals that date back to 1997, when federation of the divisions occurred. The archive continues to grow each day. That historical perspective should allow institutions to review precedent and prepare more complete submissions.

In effort to ensure the credibility of the information within the LSDBi, the NCAA staff monitors everything that goes through the database, parts of which are password-protected.

Gil Grimes, assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, said the LSDBi may be the best tool that conference compliance administrators use in their day-to-day work.

"It is invaluable as an interpretative tool, and also in tracking and researching NCAA legislation," he said. "It is hard to imagine performing my job without the LSDBi."