National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Cabinet proposal protects athlete aid
Legislation covers medical conditions, including pregnancy
Legislation covers medical conditions, including pregnancy
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By Michelle Brutlag Hosick
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
The Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet is sponsoring emergency legislation to amend the bylaws regarding financial aid for student-athletes diagnosed with a medical condition, illness or injury. The cabinet met September 10-12 in Indianapolis.
The emergency legislation would prohibit institutions from reducing or canceling aid to student-athletes during the scholarship term because of any injury, illness or medical condition, regardless of whether it affects the student-athlete’s ability to participate with the team during that academic year. The provision applies to pregnant student-athletes and to those with other conditions such as mental illness or eating disorders.
The proposal will go before the Division I Management Council and, possibly, the Division I Board of Directors for adoption this fall.
The legislation grew from a Committee on Women’s Athletics discussion. NCAA President Myles Brand had charged the CWA with examining the issue of pregnant student-athletes after the media aired stories this spring about student-athletes who signed agreements with their coaches that could affect their athletics aid should they become pregnant.
CWA members determined the issue was not confined to student-athletes who become pregnant, but protections should also exist for student-athletes who suffer from an illness (like mononucleosis or depression) or other medical condition (including eating disorders and addictions) during the term of their scholarships.
Because CWA is not a legislating body, its members referred the issue to the AEC Cabinet’s financial aid subcommittee, which developed the emergency legislation. Subcommittee members believe the change will protect student-athletes who experience circumstances outside the scope of a typical sports-related injury and also will promote student-athlete well-being.
The CWA plans to develop a toolkit for institutions to use as a guide should a student-athlete become pregnant, and financial aid subcommittee members offered some suggestions for the toolkit and a best-practices document.
In other business, the cabinet reviewed dozens of legislative proposals submitted by the membership. Members agreed to support proposals in the regular legislative cycle that would allow text-messaging with prospective student-athletes who have signed a National Letter of Intent or other written commitment with the institution. Division II will consider similar legislation at the 2008 NCAA Convention in Nashville.
However, the cabinet took a general position in most cases that it would not support any legislation that modified proposals adopted within the last year, preferring instead to monitor how the new rule changes develop. Included in that category are a measure that would add instant-messaging to the list of permitted contact methods with recruits, one that would permit a baseball student-athlete who has never received athletics aid to be eligible for the one-time transfer exception and another that would allow prospective student-athletes to complete two core courses after high school graduation instead of one. The cabinet opposed all three proposals.
Cabinet members also opposed a proposal that would have allowed prospective tennis student-athletes to receive $10,000 in prize money per calendar year, plus additional money for “actual and necessary expenses” once the recruit reaches the $10,000 limit. A modification suggesting a “hard cap” at $10,000 — eliminating the receipt of any additional “actual and necessary expenses” — also received mixed reviews, though a sizable minority did support the alternative. Some members indicated they were concerned about blurring the line between amateurism and professionalism, and others believed it wasn’t fair to allow only student-athletes in some sports to receive prize money.
All legislative proposals reviewed by the cabinet will be forwarded to the Management Council for further consideration. The Council will take an initial vote on all legislation at the Convention.
September 10-12/Indianapolis
The emergency legislation would prohibit institutions from reducing or canceling aid to student-athletes during the scholarship term because of any injury, illness or medical condition, regardless of whether it affects the student-athlete’s ability to participate with the team during that academic year. The provision applies to pregnant student-athletes and to those with other conditions such as mental illness or eating disorders.
The proposal will go before the Division I Management Council and, possibly, the Division I Board of Directors for adoption this fall.
The legislation grew from a Committee on Women’s Athletics discussion. NCAA President Myles Brand had charged the CWA with examining the issue of pregnant student-athletes after the media aired stories this spring about student-athletes who signed agreements with their coaches that could affect their athletics aid should they become pregnant.
CWA members determined the issue was not confined to student-athletes who become pregnant, but protections should also exist for student-athletes who suffer from an illness (like mononucleosis or depression) or other medical condition (including eating disorders and addictions) during the term of their scholarships.
Because CWA is not a legislating body, its members referred the issue to the AEC Cabinet’s financial aid subcommittee, which developed the emergency legislation. Subcommittee members believe the change will protect student-athletes who experience circumstances outside the scope of a typical sports-related injury and also will promote student-athlete well-being.
The CWA plans to develop a toolkit for institutions to use as a guide should a student-athlete become pregnant, and financial aid subcommittee members offered some suggestions for the toolkit and a best-practices document.
In other business, the cabinet reviewed dozens of legislative proposals submitted by the membership. Members agreed to support proposals in the regular legislative cycle that would allow text-messaging with prospective student-athletes who have signed a National Letter of Intent or other written commitment with the institution. Division II will consider similar legislation at the 2008 NCAA Convention in Nashville.
However, the cabinet took a general position in most cases that it would not support any legislation that modified proposals adopted within the last year, preferring instead to monitor how the new rule changes develop. Included in that category are a measure that would add instant-messaging to the list of permitted contact methods with recruits, one that would permit a baseball student-athlete who has never received athletics aid to be eligible for the one-time transfer exception and another that would allow prospective student-athletes to complete two core courses after high school graduation instead of one. The cabinet opposed all three proposals.
Cabinet members also opposed a proposal that would have allowed prospective tennis student-athletes to receive $10,000 in prize money per calendar year, plus additional money for “actual and necessary expenses” once the recruit reaches the $10,000 limit. A modification suggesting a “hard cap” at $10,000 — eliminating the receipt of any additional “actual and necessary expenses” — also received mixed reviews, though a sizable minority did support the alternative. Some members indicated they were concerned about blurring the line between amateurism and professionalism, and others believed it wasn’t fair to allow only student-athletes in some sports to receive prize money.
All legislative proposals reviewed by the cabinet will be forwarded to the Management Council for further consideration. The Council will take an initial vote on all legislation at the Convention.
Other highlights
Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance CabinetSeptember 10-12/Indianapolis
- The financial aid subcommittee began reviewing recommendations identified by the Presidential Task Force related to financial aid — multi-year athletics awards/presumption of renewal and hearing opportunities for student-athletes whose aid is not renewed. The subcommittee has asked the NCAA staff to gather feedback on those topics from the Collegiate Commissioners Association Compliance Administrators and the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The subcommittee hopes to make recommendations on the issues within 12-18 months.
- The initial-eligibility subcommittee decided to monitor the use of the exception to the core-course time-limit legislation for prospective student-athletes with learning disabilities. The NCAA staff will gather data about student-athletes who receive initial-eligibility waivers based on a diagnosed learning disability.
- The cabinet updated its required documentation for student-athletes with a diagnosed learning disability to comply with changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- The continuing-eligibility subcommittee began reviewing nontraditional coursework — including distance-learning courses, Internet courses, advanced-placement credit, independent study and other educational settings outside the traditional classroom. The subcommittee will seek counsel from an expert to clarify terminology and provide insight into the future of nontraditional methods of education.
- The recruiting subcommittee discussed the definition of the term “prospective student-athlete,” especially as it applies to recruits who have signed a National Letter of Intent or other written offer of admission or financial aid. The subcommittee is interested in providing increased flexibility with regard to communication with prospects who have committed to an institution in writing.
- The transfer issues working group refined a survey that members hope will provide insight into the characteristics, circumstances and behavior of student-athletes who transfer. The working group will be meeting with members of the two-year college community at the cabinet meeting in February to discuss the issue.
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