Legislative action taken during the January 12 business session of the 2004 Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Effective dates are August 1, 2004, unless otherwise noted.

No 55 Financial Aid -- Athletics Endowments

Intent: To prohibit an institution from using, in its financial aid budget, income from endowment funds specifically designated for student-athletes and received by the institution before January 1, 1979. Adopted, 414-3-3.

Effective date: August 1, 2008.

No. 56 Financial Aid --

Annual Electronic Reporting Process

Intent: To require an institution to compare financial aid packaging for freshmen and transfer student-athletes with the aid packages awarded to other freshmen and transfer students via an annual electronic reporting process. Adopted, 356-61-4

Effective date: August 1, 2005.

No. 57 Eligibility -- Determining Season of Eligibility -- Minimum Amount of Participation

Intent: To specify that a student-athlete will be charged with a season of participation if he or she practices or competes during or after the first contest following the student-athlete's initial athletics participation at the institution; effective for any athletics participation occurring on or after August 1, 2004. Adopted, 249-163-1, as amended by No. 57-1.

No. 57-1 Eligibility -- Determining Season of Eligibility -- Minimum Amount of Participation

Intent: To amend 2004 Convention Proposal No. 57 to indicate that a student-athlete may participate in the nontraditional segment without counting a season of participation if the student-athlete missed the traditional season for academic reasons (excluding academic probation) as certified by the academic authorities at the institution. Adopted, 362-47-4.

No. 58 Philosophy Statement -- Recruiting

Intent: To revise the Division III philosophy statement to specify that athletics recruitment complies with established institutional policies and procedures applicable to the admissions process. Adopted, 392-22-0.

No. 59 Recruiting -- Permission

to Contact -- Self-Release

Intent: To grant student-athletes transferring to a Division III institution the authority to issue, on their own behalf, written permission that permits other institutions to contact the student-athlete about a potential transfer. Adopted, 221-195-5.

No. 60 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Length of Seasons and Contest Limits

Intent: To limit the length of an institution's playing season segment to 18 weeks in fall sports, and 19 weeks in winter and spring sports; further, to decrease the combined current traditional and nontraditional segment contest limits by 10 percent and establish combined maximums for traditional and nontraditional segments as specified, while retaining the current caps on the maximum number of permissible contests or dates of competition in each segment. Defeated, 262-151-2.

Effective date: August 1, 2006.

No. 61 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Length of Playing Season

Intent: To specify that the length of the playing season shall not exceed 18 weeks for fall sports and 19 weeks for winter and spring sports. Adopted, 238-180-1.

No. 62 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Elimination of Contests

Intent: In all sports except golf and tennis, to eliminate all competition in the nontraditional segment. Defeated, 234-181-5, as amended by No. 62-1.

No. 62-1 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Elimination of Contests

Intent: To add women's rowing to the sports exempt from the elimination of all competition in the nontraditional segment. Adopted, 309-64-37. (Proposal No. 62's defeat rendered this proposal moot.)

No. 63 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Nontraditional Segment -- Practice

and Contest Limitations

Intent: In baseball, field hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball and women's volleyball, to limit practice and competition in the nontraditional segment to 16 days, including one date of competition. Adopted, 218-196-5. (Motion to reconsider defeated, 214-191-1.)

No. 64 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Elimination of Out-of-Season Exception

Intent: To further limit voluntary out-of-season workouts that occur outside the permissible playing and practice seasons in fencing, gymnastics, rifle, rowing, skiing, and swimming and diving. Adopted, 315-68-35.

No. 65 Multidivision Classification --

Awarding of Athletics Aid

Intent: To eliminate the waiver that permits a Division III institution that conducted a sport classified in Division I during 1982-83 to award athletically related financial aid in that sport, as well as a sport for the opposite gender later reclassified to Division I. Adopted, 304-89-18, as amended by No. 65-1.

Effective date: August 1, 2008.

No. 65-1 Multidivision Classification --

Awarding of Athletics Aid

Intent: To permit an institution that conducts a men's or women's sport that was classified in Division I during the 1982-83 academic year, was granted a waiver of the application of the Division III regulations to that sport prior to January 1, 2004, and used it during the 2002-03 academic year to continue using that waiver; further, to specify that an institution that obtained the waiver for a sport for one gender prior to January 1, 2004, may later request the waiver be applied to a sport for the other gender, under specified conditions. Adopted, 295-107-17.

No. 66 Resolution -- Strategic Planning and Membership Growth

Adopted, 399-9-6.

No. 67 Executive Regulations -- Selection

of Teams and Individuals for Championships Participation -- Automatic Qualification

Intent: To expand the team sports groupings for automatic qualification to include tennis, golf and cross country. Withdrawn.

Effective date: August 1, 2006.

Certification of Insurance Coverage

Intent: To require as a condition and obligation of NCAA membership that an institution certify on an annual basis insurance coverage for athletically related injuries sustained by specified participants in covered events. Adopted.

Certification of Insurance Coverage

Intent: To delay the effective date of 2004 Convention Proposal No. 68 from August 1, 2004, to August 1, 2005. Adopted.

Annual Exemptions

Intent: In all sports except fencing and football, to exempt competition in one championship tournament among independent member institutions conducted after the end of the regular season and before the NCAA or national governing body championship. Adopted.

No. 70 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Coaching Activities Outside the Playing Season

Intent: To permit an institutional coaching staff member to engage in coaching activities when a student-athlete participates in an established national-championship event or Olympic, Pan American, World Cup and World University games qualifying competition. Adopted.

No. 71 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Exception to First Contest Date --

Exhibition Contests -- Basketball

Intent: In basketball, to permit an institution to play an exhibition contest against either a Division I or II institution between November 1 and the first permissible contest. Adopted.

No. 72 Playing and Practice Seasons --

Track and Field -- Maximum

Contest Limitations -- Multi-Day Events

Intent: In track and field, to amend the maximum contest limitations for multi-day events, as specified. Adopted.