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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Division III recommends male practice player limits
Council also seeks philosophical review
Council also seeks philosophical review
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By Jack Copeland
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Division III Management Council formally recommended a proposal for the 2008 Convention to limit how often and how many male practice players may be used at Division III schools, but also suggested that the Presidents Council should consider ways to lead the membership in deciding whether the use of male practice players is philosophically appropriate.
The Management Council — agreeing with the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that the division should at least limit practices with males — decided during its July 23-24 meeting to recommend legislation to allow their use one day per week in the traditional segment in all NCAA championship and emerging team sports. The Council, citing a recent membership survey that indicated interest by a majority of the Division III membership in limiting both the frequency of use and number of males who may practice with women, also proposed half a starting squad as the limit.
However, Council members also expressed doubts that using practice players is compatible with Division III philosophy supporting participation opportunities for women, and urged the Presidents Council to explore ways of leading the membership in considering that question. Options for prompting that debate range from scheduling a discussion of the question at the 2008 Convention to sponsoring legislation to eliminate male practice players’ use.
The Presidents Council will consider the recommendations during its August 9 meeting in Indianapolis.
The Management Council agreed to support the legislative proposal imposing limits after SAAC representatives told Council members they believe participation opportunities should be emphasized over the benefits that male practice players may provide in helping prepare women for competition.
SAAC representative Steven Suggs, a lacrosse student-athlete from Stevens Institute of Technology, acknowledged that a significant number of women student-athletes have expressed concern about limiting the number of male practice players, because there are various reasons for including males in practices, ranging from helping injury-depleted teams conduct scrimmages to learning to compete against bigger and stronger opponents. He said SAAC members wanted to represent those student-athletes’ views in creating legislation, and therefore asked the Council only for a limit on the number of days.
However, Council members also reviewed a recent membership survey about the use of male practice players. That survey indicated that 55 percent of the membership favors limiting their use, and that 71 percent of the schools favoring limits prefer to restrict both the number of days and number of males.
That information prompted the Council to propose half a starting squad as the limit. That proposed limit is nearly identical to a proposal tabled at the 2007 Convention, except that schools would be able to round up the number of practice players to the next whole number (for example, a basketball team could include three males in practice, rather than the two that would have been permitted under last year’s proposal).
After voting to support limits on frequency and numbers, a Council member pointed out that the Council never actually has discussed whether an outright ban of male practice players is the most appropriate action under the Division III philosophy.
Council members discussed various ways to create a division-wide discussion of that question, including the possibility of replacing the proposal to limit use of males in practice with a proposal to ban their use.
Ultimately, the Council encouraged the Presidents Council to consider the best way of prompting such a discussion, and the question will be on the agenda for the presidents’ August 9 meeting.
Student-athlete influence
While student-athletes played an important role in the debate over male practice players, they played the key role in Management Council decisions to support two other legislative proposals.
At SAAC’s urging, the Council agreed to support legislation that would require the presence at games and practices of at least one coach certified in first aid, CPR and use of an AED. In addition, the student-athletes convinced the Council to support a proposal by two Division III conferences to limit electronic correspondence to prospective student-athletes — an action that would ban the use by Division III coaches and other athletics personnel of text messaging, instant messaging and social networking sites to contact recruits.
The SAAC-supported measures also will be forwarded to the Division III Presidents Council, which will decide whether to sponsor the emergency-treatment certification proposal and decide whether to co-sponsor the text-messaging ban with the Centennial and New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conferences.
The Presidents Council sponsored a similar proposal at the 2007 Convention to require the presence of an individual certified in first aid, CPR and the use of an AED at athletically related activities, including practices. However, the membership tabled the proposal for further study.
Management Council members agreed with SAAC that Division III should wait no longer to require emergency-treatment certification, and then went a step further than last year, proposing that at least one coach present at such activities should be certified. Council members said immediate action is justified because standardized training for certification is readily available and affordable; the training is useful in situations even where the coach does not have convenient access to an AED; and institutions can support certified coaches by purchasing AEDs with funds from Division III strategic initiatives grants.
SAAC also won the Council’s support for banning text messaging and other “uninvited” contacts with prospective student-athletes using technologies that SAAC members say are meant for social interaction among friends rather than recruiting.
“We feel these and other electronic communication that may surface are very intrusive to student-athletes — potentially distracting not only student-athletes but other students around them in the classroom,” Suggs told Council members. “They potentially are distracting to student-athletes doing academic work at home.”
SAAC representatives told the Council that the legislative proposal submitted by the Centennial Conference and NEWMAC addresses the problem appropriately, and persuaded the Council to ask the Presidents Council to co-sponsor the proposal.
Legislative agenda
The SAAC-supported proposals are among as many as 16 legislative proposals that currently appear to be headed toward consideration at the 2008 Convention, including nine sponsored by Division III conferences.
A potential 17th proposal was defeated by the Council, also at the SAAC’s urging. Council members decided not to support a proposal to allow football teams to conduct one-hour “walkthrough” sessions each day during the five-day acclimatization period that occurs at the beginning of the practice season.
The purpose of the proposal was to permit a teaching opportunity during the acclimatization period for purposes such as learning plays, without using helmets, pads, a ball or equipment. However, SAAC objected to adding an hour to a student-athlete’s practice day and potentially creating an additional risk of injury during a time when they are recovering from a previous three-hour practice session, noting that student-athletes also spend time viewing film, participating in strength and conditioning activities and receiving athletic training room treatments.
The Council forwarded to the Presidents Council a total of five proposals to consider for sponsorship at the Convention, including those addressing male practice players and first aid/CPR/AED certification. (The Presidents Council decided earlier this year to sponsor two other proposals at the Convention — one permitting the employment of prospective student-athletes and presence of institutional personnel at sports camps and clinics; the other permitting an extended term for the chair of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.)
After agreeing to co-sponsor the proposal to ban text messaging, the Council submitted the other eight membership-sponsored proposals to Division III committees for review and comment. Included are proposals to:
The Management Council — agreeing with the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee that the division should at least limit practices with males — decided during its July 23-24 meeting to recommend legislation to allow their use one day per week in the traditional segment in all NCAA championship and emerging team sports. The Council, citing a recent membership survey that indicated interest by a majority of the Division III membership in limiting both the frequency of use and number of males who may practice with women, also proposed half a starting squad as the limit.
However, Council members also expressed doubts that using practice players is compatible with Division III philosophy supporting participation opportunities for women, and urged the Presidents Council to explore ways of leading the membership in considering that question. Options for prompting that debate range from scheduling a discussion of the question at the 2008 Convention to sponsoring legislation to eliminate male practice players’ use.
The Presidents Council will consider the recommendations during its August 9 meeting in Indianapolis.
The Management Council agreed to support the legislative proposal imposing limits after SAAC representatives told Council members they believe participation opportunities should be emphasized over the benefits that male practice players may provide in helping prepare women for competition.
SAAC representative Steven Suggs, a lacrosse student-athlete from Stevens Institute of Technology, acknowledged that a significant number of women student-athletes have expressed concern about limiting the number of male practice players, because there are various reasons for including males in practices, ranging from helping injury-depleted teams conduct scrimmages to learning to compete against bigger and stronger opponents. He said SAAC members wanted to represent those student-athletes’ views in creating legislation, and therefore asked the Council only for a limit on the number of days.
However, Council members also reviewed a recent membership survey about the use of male practice players. That survey indicated that 55 percent of the membership favors limiting their use, and that 71 percent of the schools favoring limits prefer to restrict both the number of days and number of males.
That information prompted the Council to propose half a starting squad as the limit. That proposed limit is nearly identical to a proposal tabled at the 2007 Convention, except that schools would be able to round up the number of practice players to the next whole number (for example, a basketball team could include three males in practice, rather than the two that would have been permitted under last year’s proposal).
After voting to support limits on frequency and numbers, a Council member pointed out that the Council never actually has discussed whether an outright ban of male practice players is the most appropriate action under the Division III philosophy.
Council members discussed various ways to create a division-wide discussion of that question, including the possibility of replacing the proposal to limit use of males in practice with a proposal to ban their use.
Ultimately, the Council encouraged the Presidents Council to consider the best way of prompting such a discussion, and the question will be on the agenda for the presidents’ August 9 meeting.
Student-athlete influence
While student-athletes played an important role in the debate over male practice players, they played the key role in Management Council decisions to support two other legislative proposals.
At SAAC’s urging, the Council agreed to support legislation that would require the presence at games and practices of at least one coach certified in first aid, CPR and use of an AED. In addition, the student-athletes convinced the Council to support a proposal by two Division III conferences to limit electronic correspondence to prospective student-athletes — an action that would ban the use by Division III coaches and other athletics personnel of text messaging, instant messaging and social networking sites to contact recruits.
The SAAC-supported measures also will be forwarded to the Division III Presidents Council, which will decide whether to sponsor the emergency-treatment certification proposal and decide whether to co-sponsor the text-messaging ban with the Centennial and New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conferences.
The Presidents Council sponsored a similar proposal at the 2007 Convention to require the presence of an individual certified in first aid, CPR and the use of an AED at athletically related activities, including practices. However, the membership tabled the proposal for further study.
Management Council members agreed with SAAC that Division III should wait no longer to require emergency-treatment certification, and then went a step further than last year, proposing that at least one coach present at such activities should be certified. Council members said immediate action is justified because standardized training for certification is readily available and affordable; the training is useful in situations even where the coach does not have convenient access to an AED; and institutions can support certified coaches by purchasing AEDs with funds from Division III strategic initiatives grants.
SAAC also won the Council’s support for banning text messaging and other “uninvited” contacts with prospective student-athletes using technologies that SAAC members say are meant for social interaction among friends rather than recruiting.
“We feel these and other electronic communication that may surface are very intrusive to student-athletes — potentially distracting not only student-athletes but other students around them in the classroom,” Suggs told Council members. “They potentially are distracting to student-athletes doing academic work at home.”
SAAC representatives told the Council that the legislative proposal submitted by the Centennial Conference and NEWMAC addresses the problem appropriately, and persuaded the Council to ask the Presidents Council to co-sponsor the proposal.
Legislative agenda
The SAAC-supported proposals are among as many as 16 legislative proposals that currently appear to be headed toward consideration at the 2008 Convention, including nine sponsored by Division III conferences.
A potential 17th proposal was defeated by the Council, also at the SAAC’s urging. Council members decided not to support a proposal to allow football teams to conduct one-hour “walkthrough” sessions each day during the five-day acclimatization period that occurs at the beginning of the practice season.
The purpose of the proposal was to permit a teaching opportunity during the acclimatization period for purposes such as learning plays, without using helmets, pads, a ball or equipment. However, SAAC objected to adding an hour to a student-athlete’s practice day and potentially creating an additional risk of injury during a time when they are recovering from a previous three-hour practice session, noting that student-athletes also spend time viewing film, participating in strength and conditioning activities and receiving athletic training room treatments.
The Council forwarded to the Presidents Council a total of five proposals to consider for sponsorship at the Convention, including those addressing male practice players and first aid/CPR/AED certification. (The Presidents Council decided earlier this year to sponsor two other proposals at the Convention — one permitting the employment of prospective student-athletes and presence of institutional personnel at sports camps and clinics; the other permitting an extended term for the chair of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.)
- Other proposals recommended for Presidents Council sponsorship include:
- Permitting single-sport conferences with seven or more active members as of February 1, 2008, to receive automatic qualification to championships and also establishing a waiver process to permit the formation of new single-sport conferences in sports with low division-wide sponsorship, sports that recently have added a new championship and sports in those championships in which multi-sport conferences historically have not sponsored the sport. The Division III Championships Committee recommended the proposal (see the July 16 issue of The NCAA News).
- Clarifying that strength and conditioning personnel may monitor student-athletes’ voluntary individual workouts for safety reasons, but cannot conduct the workout. The proposal also specifies that when a strength and conditioning coach also is a coach for one of the institution’s teams, the coach may monitor the workout only if that staff member performs such duties for general groups of student-athlete using the facility. The proposal was recommended by the Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee.
- Permitting an institution to decide whether to accept online courses taken at any institution for purposes of determining a student-athlete’s academic standing or satisfactory progress. The proposal was recommended by the Interpretations and Legislation Committee.
After agreeing to co-sponsor the proposal to ban text messaging, the Council submitted the other eight membership-sponsored proposals to Division III committees for review and comment. Included are proposals to:
- Permit 16 practice opportunities in fall sports other than football even when September 1 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Monday and the first contest is played before that date. The proposal is sponsored by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic, Northern Athletics and State University of New York Athletic Conferences, and was referred to the Management Council’s Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee.
- (In a related action, the Council discussed the likelihood that some institutions may have miscalculated practice opportunities for fall 2007 because September 1 falls on a Saturday. It approved a limited waiver that permits institutions to accommodate student-athletes’ travel plans, lodging and meals if they arrive early due to a miscalculation of practices opportunities, without permitting additional practices.)
- Permit providing academic or other support services for student-athletes that are “similar” to those available to students in general, thus providing institutions more flexibility to provide programming or services geared more specifically to needs and interests of student-athletes. The proposal is sponsored by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic, American Southwest, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic and Northern Athletics Conferences and was referred to the Interpretations and Legislation, Strategic Planning and Finance, and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
- Permit extending a conference postseason event or playing schedule beyond the playing season for purposes of determining a conference champion or NCAA automatic qualifier, when weather or other unforeseen circumstances prevent doing so during within the season limit. The proposal is sponsored by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic and Northern Athletics Conferences and was referred to the Championships Committee and Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee.
- Allow institutions that are provisional members before August 1, 2007, and have completed the first year of provisional membership, as well as any institution that becomes a provisional member after that date to be counted by a conference toward the seven-institution requirement to receive automatic qualification in a sport. The proposal is sponsored by the North Eastern Athletic Conference and North Atlantic Conferences, and was referred to the Championships and Membership Committees.
- Allow more time (until September 1) for a conference or 10 institutions agreeing by July 15 to sponsor a proposal at the Convention to obtain co-sponsorship for that proposal from another conference or 10 additional institutions. The proposal is sponsored by the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate, American Southwest and Northern Athletics Conferences, and was referred to the Interpretations and Legislation Committee.
- Permit admissions offices to publicize campus visits of prospective student-athletes in the same manner that all prospective students at an institution are publicized. The proposal is sponsored by the Midwest, American Southwest, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic and Northern Athletics Conferences, and was referred to the Interpretations and Legislation and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
- Change the starting date for the first contest in basketball from the Friday immediately before Thanksgiving to November 15. The proposal is sponsored by the Capital Athletic and State University of New York Athletic Conferences and was referred to the Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
- Permit single-sport conferences that existed before February 1, 2007, to maintain automatic qualification for NCAA championships. The legislation, sponsored by the North Atlantic and Massachusetts State College Athletic Conferences, would replace a current bylaw permitting only single-sport conferences that have maintained the same original seven members since February 1998 to receive automatic qualification. The proposal was referred to the Championships Committee.
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