The deadline is approaching for Division III institutions to report financial aid information through Division III’s Financial Aid Data Management System.

Active and provisional member institutions are required to submit information by September 29 for all new students — freshmen and transfers — who entered school during 2005-06.

Institutions participating in the program this year will receive a full report by December 1 indicating whether justification will be required either because aid to student-athletes excceded aid to nonathletes who demonstrated similar need by more than 4 percent or because of new "triggers" of reviews that were adopted by the committee this year (see the July 3 issue of The NCAA News).

The Division I Academics/Eligibility/ Compliance Cabinet agreed during its September 6-8 meting to sponsor legislation that would restrict the use of text messaging and other forms of electronic communication between coaches and prospective student-athletes.

The proposal would limit the use of computer-mediated communication to between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (the times would be in the time zones where the prospect resides). Additionally, the legislation would prohibit any such communication before September 1 of the prospect’s junior year — June 15 for prospective men’s basketball student-athletes.

The legislation exempts e-mail from the restrictions.

In a related action, the cabinet declined to support a measure from the Ivy Group that would have eliminated all forms of computer-mediated communication between coaches and recruits with the exception of e-mail and facsimile. However, the group believed the proposal should go forward in order to receive proper feedback from the membership.