For the fourth consecutive year, Division I delegates will participate in an override vote during the Division I Legislative Forum. As opposed to previous years, however, the membership will provide the final word on only one proposal.

The legislation, which took effect in August, prohibits men’s basketball coaches from observing nonscholastic events in the month of April. The Board adopted the proposal in April 2007 and maintained its support of the new rule after an override request prompted reconsideration in August.

Supporters of the proposal, 2007-30-C, say it helps protect the academic interests of prospective men’s basketball student-athletes and addresses some of the concerns regarding the increased nonscholastic influences in the lives of high school athletes. They point out that high school basketball tournaments conducted all over the country draw prospects from different geographic locations and can infringe on class time.

Opponents, however, believe the new rule will increase costs of recruiting and prevent coaches from seeing top talent competing together. The rule will be especially burdensome for programs that can’t afford to travel to multiple locations or are still recruiting for the upcoming season, some believe.

To read more about the arguments on both sides of the proposal, click here.

The override vote will be taken at the Division I business session, which will begin after the Division I Legislative Forum, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on January 16. The override vote is expected to begin at 3 p.m. Delegates, including members of the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee who do not vote on the override, will have the opportunity to speak to the proposals at that time. For a successful override, a five-eighths majority of those Division I delegates present and voting must cast votes to overturn the legislation.

Division I delegates have voted on overrides during Convention for four consecutive years. In 2006, the members voted on scholarship expansion in several women’s sports, deciding to expand opportunities in women’s soccer but keeping grant maximums in women’s gymnastics, volleyball and track and field.

At the 2007 Convention, delegates overturned a rule that would allow graduate student-athletes who want to transfer to a new institution to compete immediately. They also upheld a Board defeat of a proposal that would have added a 12^th game in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Last year, the membership voted on three proposals. Delegates supported proposals modifying financial aid regulations for baseball student-athletes and banning text-messaging to prospective student-athletes, but overrode a proposal that would provide for nine three-day tournaments (with 54 holes per tournament) or 24 dates of competition in golf.