NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The members of the three NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees are unanimously opposed to California Senate Bill 193 and have agreed to take action and let the state legislature know that the proposed bill could have a profoundly detrimental affect on the California schools that are members of the NCAA.

The SAAC members are looking at a variety of options on how to best express their opposition -- a letter-writing campaign or petition drive are two possibilities.

The proposed California bill would prohibit the state's colleges and universities from membership in any organization -- including the NCAA -- whose rules restrict student-athlete grants-in-aid, health insurance coverage, agent relationships and transfers to other institutions. It also contains a provision intended to protect student-athletes from enforcement sanctions for rules violations in which those students are not involved.

If the bill is enacted, it could require 47 California schools to withdraw their membership from the NCAA. The student-athletes also were concerned that if California passed this bill, other states could follow its lead.

The three SAACs met jointly during the NCAA Convention to discuss various issues of interest to the student-athletes. In addition to discussing California Senate Bill 193, student-athletes also had an opportunity to speak with NCAA President Myles Brand about issues of concern.

Brand talked with the student-athletes about the problem of unsportsmanlike fan behavior at games and challenged them to come up with solutions to the ever-growing problem. Poor fan behavior, he said, not only takes away from the game itself, but also from the hard work of the student-athletes participating in the competition.

"I think that's a real problem for student-athletes...(people who act out) are stealing from you and your colleagues," Brand said. "(Student-athletes) are not getting credit for their accomplishments."

Some SAAC members felt that having student-athletes appeal directly to fans -- for example, through a message shown at the stadium -- rather than an appeal from school administrators could help alleviate some of the problem. They felt that having the plea for decorum come from a peer could have more of an impact.

Some student-athletes also suggested that more enforcement could be part of the solution, though Brand noted that it's better to prevent the problem than having to contain it.

Another SAAC member suggested that changing traditions could help. For example, if the tradition is for fans to storm the field after winning a football game, perhaps the tradition should be revised to prevent injuries that can come when large numbers of people mob the field.

Brand noted that collapsible goal posts have been installed at some stadiums to prevent injuries that occur when goal posts are torn down after victories.

Many SAAC members said they were interested in becoming more involved in the promotion of positive behavior and planned to discuss the issue more thoroughly with their schools and conferences.

"I don't think there's a simple answer," Brand conceded, and asked the student-athletes to come up with a number of recommendations on how better fan behavior can be achieved. He promised the Association's help in getting these recommendations out to the member institutions.

Brand and the student-athletes also discussed the issue of whether athletes should receive funding for the full cost of attendance versus the grant-in-aid, which often is between $2,000 and $3,000 below the actual cost of attendance.

Brand said he supported giving student-athletes money for the full cost of attendance, but he also stressed that he is against paying students to play sports, saying it would ruin the collegiate model of athletics. SAAC members also were opposed to paying student-athletes and feared that doing so would hurt teams that don't bring in money.

Brand noted that if schools sponsored only sports that made money, only football and men's basketball would exist. He made the comparison that if colleges only offered classes that brought in money to the school, Psychology 101 and a couple of basic-level classes would be the only ones offered.

In addition to their discussions with Brand, the student-athletes had media training with Wally Renfro, Brand's senior advisor for communications. Renfro talked to the student-athletes about how to conduct themselves during interviews and how to be prepared for any questions that might be posed to them.

SAAC members also were given information on the NCAA's new partnership with "Declare Yourself," an initiative designed to encourage young adults to vote. "Declare Yourself" is a bipartisan effort and includes an original copy of the Declaration of Independence that travels to college campuses throughout the country as a way to inspire young people to register and vote.