After preliminary discussions, the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has agreed to support the majority of the "reform" package slated for consideration at the 2004 Convention, but the group is strongly opposed to proposals eliminating the practice of "redshirting" and decreasing the number of contests allowed.

The SAAC also supported an amendment to perhaps the package's most controversial proposal, which would grant a waiver to the eight Division III schools that currently provide financial aid for sports sponsored at the Division I level. The student-athletes said that the majority of schools would not be affected, yet not granting the waiver could severely hurt the eight schools involved.

The SAAC, which voted on the proposals at its November 21-23 meeting in Indianapolis, will revisit those issues, and the additional pending legislation, at January's Convention. The group will have one last chance to refine their views before presenting them to the voting body.

Of the nine "reform" proposals, the SAAC supported or did not take a position on the majority. The group supported the elimination of the use of endowment funds specifically designed for student-athletes; requiring institutions to compare financial aid packages for freshman and transfer student-athletes against those for other freshman and transfer students; and allowing student-athletes to issue their own release statements, meaning they could contact other institutions about a potential transfer without obtaining permission from their own athletics department.

The SAAC also supported a proposal to shorten the overall playing season for 18 weeks in fall sports and 19 weeks in winter and spring sports. This proposal does not include a reduction in the number of contests allowed.

SAAC members agreed this was a good solution to cleaning up Bylaw 17, noting that it was likely some legislation on the matter probably would pass at the Convention. The group also noted that most sports do not use the full 21 weeks allowed, and swimming was likely to be one of the only sports affected by the reduction in weeks.

Student-athletes said support of the shortening of playing seasons showed a good-faith effort that the student-athletes were willing to compromise.

Legislation that would reduce the number of contests, as well as the length of the playing season, received the most opposition of all of the proposed legislation, with the SAAC voting 15-3-3 against the proposal.

The student-athletes said independents would likely be hurt as teams had a tighter schedule in which to play conference games, not allowing time for contests against independents. They also noted that the vast majority of the conferences they represent were strongly opposed to such changes.

Among the additional "reform" proposals, the SAAC also supported the elimination of the out-of-season coaching exception.

On the issue of eliminating the practice of "redshirting," the student-athletes noted that most of their conferences were against such legislation. They also said if a student takes more than four years to graduate for academic reasons, such as a double major, they should not be precluded from playing sports in their final year if they are eligible.

Other actions

In other Division III SAAC news, the group heard a report from Dan Dutcher, vice-president for Division III, about a strategic plan for the division and the future of Division III. Dutcher noted that Division III receives 3.18 percent of the NCAA budget, which this year is about $14.5 million. Eighty percent of that, he said, is spent on championships. Dutcher said there also are plans to educate the general public about Division III and the division's philosophy, and this likely will be done at a local, rather than national, level.

The SAAC also discussed the creation of a poster and/or Web site with information about eligibility issues and how student-athletes can keep from losing their eligibility.

The group also is considering a questionnaire to all Division III conferences to gauge the role of SAACs in each conference and help those who are behind in the process of starting a SAAC for their campus and conference. SAAC members noted a discrepancy among the conferences as to how SAACs are run -- some have organized meetings, while others rarely meet. This questionnaire will help the national SAAC get a better feel for how it can help all conferences maintain strong SAACs.

Questions on the survey will focus on how often SAACs meet, where the meetings are held, committee objectives and issues facing student-athletes.

The SAAC also heard a report from Mary Wilfert, NCAA assistant director of education outreach, about the use of banned substances in collegiate athletics, including information on nutritional supplements. They were given a list of banned substances and told where they could find more information.

Finally, SAAC members Sarah Forbus and Dave Masilunas were elected to the Division III Management Council, with their terms set to begin after the Convention in January. They replace Kary Couchman and Joshua Espinosa. Forbus is a graduate of Denison University, where she was a basketball student-athlete. Masilunas attends Pennsylvania State University Erie, the Behrend College, where he is a track and field student-athlete.