Division III delegates to the 2006 Convention are slated to consider a total of 29 proposals. All proposals will be considered January 9 during the Division III general business session. Proposal Nos. 1-20 make up the Presidents Council grouping.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Management Council (Endorsements/Promotions Task Force).

Effective date: Immediate.

No. 2 Recruiting — Tryouts — Exception

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

(The Presidents Council intends to consider sponsoring an amendment-to-amendment during its January pre-Convention meeting that would limit this proposal to golf and tennis.)

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

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.

Source:  Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, Rhode Island College and University of Southern Maine.

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.

Source:  Midwest Conference

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

(The Presidents Council withdrew this proposal at its October meeting.)

Intent:To permit a student-athlete who has earned a baccalaureate degree at a four-year institution 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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Administrative Review Subcommittee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Membership Committee)].

Effective date: August 1, 2007.

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.

Source:  North Coast Athletic Conference.

Effective date: August 1, 2010.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Membership Committee)].

Effective date: August 1, 2010.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council (Future of Division III—Phase II Oversight Group).

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

(The sponsoring conferences have indicated their intent to withdraw the proposal.)

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.

Source:  College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, Northwest Conference and University Athletic Association.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council (Future of Division III—Phase II Oversight Group).

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.

Source:  North Coast Athletic Conference.

Effective date: Immediate (for provisional or exploratory institutions); June 1, 2006 (for Division I or II institutions that submit reclassification applications on or before June 1, 2006).

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council (Future of Division III—Phase II Oversight Group).

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.

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.

Source:  Commonwealth Coast Conference.

Effective date: August 1, 2007.

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.

Source:  Empire 8.

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.

Source:  Ohio Athletic Conference, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Effective date: August 1, 2007.

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.

Source:  Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference, Empire 8 and New Jersey Athletic Conference.

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

(The sponsoring conference has indicated its intent to withdraw the proposal.)

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.

Source:  Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference, Keene State College, Plymouth State University, Rhode Island College and University of Southern Maine.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Membership Committee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Membership Committee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council (Management Council).

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

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

Source:  Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

Effective date: August 1, 2006 [Note: Contracts between member institutions and high schools or preparatory schools signed prior to January 9, 2006, may be honored].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

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.

Source:  NCAA Division III Presidents Council [Management Council (Interpretations and Legislation Committee)].

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.

Source:  Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

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.