Legislative actions taken during the January 9 Division III business session at the 2006 Convention in Indianapolis. Effective dates are August 1, 2006, unless otherwise noted.

Presidents Council grouping

No. 1 Amateurism — Promotional Activities

Intent: To revise the restrictions related to the use of a student-athlete’s name or image in institutional, charitable, educational or nonprofit promotional activities, as specified.

Effective date: Immediate.

Convention action: Adopted, 400-6-0.

No. 2 Recruiting — Tryouts — Exception

Intent: To permit institutional coaches to teach private lessons to a prospect, provided specified criteria are satisfied.

Convention action: Adopted, 313-85-6.

No. 3 Eligibility — Seasons of Competition

Intent: To specify that a student-athlete shall use a season of eligibility when he or she participates in any regular-season competition (including scrimmages occurring after the first contest or date of competition and competition in the nontraditional segment) or postseason intercollegiate competition.

Convention action: Defeated, 277-128-1.

No. 4 Eligibility — Seasons of Participation — Participation at Any Collegiate Institution

Intent: To specify that participation at any collegiate institution shall constitute the use of a season of eligibility.

Convention action: Defeated, 203-199-4.

No. 5 Eligibility — Graduate Student/Postbaccalaureate Participation — Exception

Intent: To permit a student-athlete who has earned a baccalaureate degree at a four-year institution to be immediately eligible on transfer to the certifying institution, provided the student-athlete has at least one season of participation remaining, meets an exception to the transfer residence requirement and has more than two semesters or three quarters of eligibility remaining pursuant to the 10-semester/15-quarter rule.

Convention action: Referred to Division III Management Council.

No. 6 Division III Membership — Sports Sponsorship — Minimum Contest Requirements

Intent: To revise the minimum contest requirements for sports sponsorship in team and individual sports to 70 percent of the division-wide average number of completed contests.

Effective date: August 1, 2007.

Convention action: Adopted, 318-84-2.

No. 7 Division III Membership — Active Membership — Sports Sponsorship Requirement

Intent: To increase the required number of sports sponsored to achieve or maintain active Division III membership from 10 to 14 based on institutional enrollment, as specified.

Convention action: Defeated, 371-37-3.

No. 8 Division III Membership — Active Membership — Sports Sponsorship Requirement — Six Sports for Males/Mixed and Female Teams

Intent: To increase the required number of sports an institution must sponsor to achieve or maintain active Division III membership from five to six per gender for institutions with enrollment greater than 1,000 students.

Effective date: August 1, 2010.

Convention action: Adopted, 233-170-5.

No. 9 Division III Membership — Philosophy Statement — Integration of Administration — Academic Performance — Admission Policies

Intent: To amend the Division III philosophy statement to note that coaches play a significant role as educators; to indicate that academic performance of student-athletes should be, at a minimum, consistent with that of the general student body; that admissions policies and procedures for student-athletes should be consistent with those applicable to the general student body; and that the administration of the institution’s athletics program should be integrated into the campus culture and educational mission.

Convention action: Adopted, 403-2-1.

No. 10 Division III Membership — Philosophy Statement — Elimination of In-Region Competition Emphasis

Intent: To eliminate the emphasis on in-region competition within the Division III philosophy statement and the championships selection process for all Division III team sports.

Convention action: Withdrawn.

No. 11 Executive Regulations — Selection of Teams and Individuals for Championships Participation — Maximum Size of Championships Fields

Intent: In team sports other than football, to establish a maximum bracket size of 64; further, in football, to specify a maximum bracket size of 32.

Convention action: Adopted, 391-20-0.

No. 12 Division III Membership — Maximum Capacity

Intent: To establish a maximum number of active, provisional and reclassifying Division III members as of June 1, 2006; further, to permit all exploratory members as of September 1, 2005, to be included in the membership total and to permit those current NCAA members of Divisions I and II which may choose to reclassify their institutions into Division III as of June 1, 2006, to be included in the membership total.

Convention action: Referred to NCAA Executive Committee Working Group to Study Membership Issues.

No. 13 Division III Membership and Championships Selection — Member Conference — Self-Study Guide and Limited Realignment Period

Intent: To require that conferences conduct a comprehensive self-study and evaluation at least once every five years, using a Conference Self-Study Guide; further, to specify that for a two-year period, a conference that completes the self-study may remain eligible for automatic qualification during a two-year period without satisfying the seven institution minimum requirement or continuity of membership requirement, as specified.

Effective date: August 1, 2006, to begin the two-year window for completion of the first self-study; August 1, 2008, for relief of the seven institution minimum and continuity of membership requirements.

Convention action: Adopted, 244-148-12.

 No. 14 Executive Regulations — Automatic Qualification — Conference Realignment Period

Intent: To permit a new conference to be eligible for automatic qualification for a limited time period, as specified.

Convention action: Defeated, 324-79-4.

 No. 15 Executive Regulations — Selection of Teams and Individuals for Championships Participation — Automatic Qualification — Seven Institution Requirement — Two-Year Grace Period

Intent: To provide conferences with automatic qualification status a two-academic-year grace period to meet the minimum member sponsorship requirement of seven teams, should the conference fall below that minimum; further, to specify that if the conference falls below four core institutions, the grace period would become void and the conference would lose its automatic qualification status.

Convention action: Defeated, 212-194-3. Motion to reconsider adopted, 254-133-1. Adopted upon reconsideration, 228-155-2.

No. 16 Executive Regulations — Selection of Teams and Individuals for Championships Participation — Primary Criteria — Ranking and Selection — Strength-Of-Season Index

Intent: To specify that the primary selection criteria for Pools B and C must include the results of the statistical standing compilation based on the strength-of-season index.

Convention action: Withdrawn.

No. 17 Playing and Practice Seasons — Exception to Playing Season Limitations and Contest Exemption — Postseason Championship Event

Intent: In all sports, to exclude from the declared playing and practice season one postseason championship event; further, to exempt from maximum contest limitations at least one postseason championship event, as specified.

Convention action: Defeated, 213-187-7. Motion to reconsider defeated, 201-183-4.

No. 18 Playing and Practice Seasons — Nontraditional Segment Length and Maximum Contest Limitations

Intent: In baseball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball and women’s volleyball, to add four days of athletically related activity and two dates of competition to the nontraditional segment, as specified.

Convention action: Withdrawn.

No. 19 Institutional Control — Self-Study Report — Failure To Submit

Intent: To specify that a member institution that failed to meet the Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) deadline shall be placed on probation, restricted status and corresponding membership on repeated failures of submission; further, to specify that the Management Council on recommendation from the Membership Committee, may waive the deadline if an institution demonstrates extenuating circumstances warrant such relief.

Convention action: Adopted, 374-24-2.

No. 20 Financial Aid — Failure to Submit Annual Electronic Report — Application of Restricted Membership Status

Intent: To specify that an institution that fails to submit the annual financial aid electronic report be moved to probation, restricted status and corresponding membership on repeated failures of submission; further, to specify that the Management Council, on recommendation from the Membership Committee, may waive the annual financial aid electronic report submission requirement if an institution demonstrates extenuating circumstances warrant such relief.

Convention action: Adopted, 390-9-3.

General

No. 21 Ethical Conduct — Unethical Conduct — Prescription Drugs

Intent: To specify that unethical conduct shall include the knowing involvement in providing a student-athlete a banned substance, impermissible supplement or medications contrary to medical licensure, commonly accepted standards of care in sports medicine practice, or state or federal law.

Effective date: Immediate as a result of a post-Convention Division III Management Council action.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 22 Personnel — Limitations on Scouting of Opponents — Exhibition Contests

Intent: To permit member institutions to scout opponents participating in exhibition contests.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 23 Recruiting — Official Visits — Meal Location

Intent: To specify that meals provided to the prospective student-athlete and the prospective student-athlete’s parents, legal guardians and spouse on an official visit must occur on campus and must be on a scale comparable to normal student life, but may be purchased from on- or off-campus vendors.

Effective date: Immediate as a result of a post-Convention Division III Management Council action.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 24 Recruiting — Tryouts — Competition Against Prospective Student-Athletes

Intent: To specify that subvarsity teams may not compete against high school or preparatory school teams.

Convention action: Referred to Division III Management Council, 213-178-9. Motion to reconsider referral defeated, 190-188-6.

No. 25 Recruiting — Prohibited Expenses — Donation of Used Athletics Equipment

Intent: To permit institutions to donate used athletics equipment to all youth groups, including high schools, according to the institutions’ regular policy regarding the discarding of equipment.

Effective date: Immediate as a result of a post-Convention Division III Management Council action.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 26 Eligibility — Transfer Residence Requirement — Championship Eligibility

Intent: To specify that a student-athlete who must complete an academic year of residence is not eligible to participate in any NCAA championships during the academic year of residence or during the vacation period immediately following the academic year of residence.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 27 Awards and Benefits — Benefits, Gifts And Services — Permissible — Occasional Meals

Intent: To permit a representative of an institution’s athletics interests to provide an occasional meal to a student-athlete(s) at any location in the locale of the institution.

Effective date: Immediate as a result of a post-Convention Division III Management Council action.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 28 Playing and Practice Seasons — First Contest and Practice Date — Football

Intent: In football, to permit an institution to play its first contest (game) on the Thursday before Labor Day in years when the first permissible contest date falls during Labor Day weekend; further, to permit a maximum of 25 practice opportunities before the Friday before Labor Day if the institution’s first contest (game) is scheduled for the Thursday before Labor Day.

Convention action: Adopted.

No. 29 Playing and Practice Seasons — Maximum Contest Limitations — Lacrosse

Intent: In lacrosse, to amend the maximum contest limitations to include 17 dates of competition in the traditional segment and one date of competition in the nontraditional segment.

Convention action: Adopted.