National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Mar 31, 2010 8:33:37 AM

Division II has begun considering changes in its nonchampionship segment and the way institutions use discretionary and annual exemptions in a continuing effort to bring more balance to student-athletes' educational experiences.

Signaling the "official start" of Phase II of the division's Life in the Balance project, the Division II Legislation Committee developed a number of concepts and alternatives for the governance structure and other constituents to consider that address policies and procedures in Bylaw 17 that aren't tied directly to regular-season competition. The division already dealt with the latter in Phase I of the initiative last year when delegates approved moderate reductions in the length of seasons and the number of games in 10 sports, including basketball.

But presidents and chancellors promised to extend the balance-driven review to other aspects of the playing and practice season.

With the goal of giving student-athletes more time away from their sport to experience all the campus has to offer, Legislation Committee members at their March 19 meeting targeted three primary areas for concepts that could eventually become proposals for the 2011 Convention.

The concepts are based upon feedback the Legislation Committee has gathered thus far from coaches associations, sport committees and other constituents, including tips from an e-mail "hot line" the Division II staff established for membership comment.

The nonchampionship segment. While Division II chancellors and presidents stated at the 2010 Convention that they were not interested in eliminating one of the division's unique features, they would consider changes that reduce athletics time commitments during the nonchampionship segment.

In that vein, the Legislation Committee posed two ideas, including one that would maintain the 45-day period in which to conduct 24 days of practice or competition but preclude any athletically related activities from being conducted during the remaining 21 days (current rules allow weight-training and conditioning activities, for example, on non-competition or non-practice days). That would keep the competitive opportunities and skill instruction student-athletes and coaches value but scale back the time student-athletes spend on their athletics pursuits.

Legislation Committee members cited anecdotal evidence suggesting that many schools operate under those parameters anyway.

Another time-related option is to amend the start date of the nonchampionship segment for spring and winter sports, which currently is September 7 or the first day of classes, whichever is earlier. Legislation Committee members believe a later date could be adopted to give these student-athletes more time to acclimate to campus life before beginning their sport-related activities.

Two other concepts also are being forwarded. One adds four dates of competition in the nonchampionship segment for baseball and softball and allows student-athletes to engage in those dates without using a season of competition (they must be academically eligible). Some people worry that this would create a "tryout" atmosphere in the fall, while others believe it counters the intent of "Life in the Balance" by providing opportunities for multiple-contest days in those sports. Proponents, though, believe baseball and softball should be afforded the same contest opportunities in their nonchampionship segment as other sports.

The other concept is a retroactive approach that would establish a 132- or 144-day season consisting of two segments that would be determined by institutions or conferences. That model existed before 2002 when Bylaw 17 was deregulated.

Annual and discretionary exemptions. The committee forwarded four concepts in this area, including one that maintains the status quo, which affords teams in most sports an unlimited number of "annual" exemptions (for example, alumni games, conference championships, and games against Division II schools in Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico) and three "discretionary" exemptions (scrimmages, contests against non-Division II schools).

While "no change" is one alternative, committee members also forwarded a combination  approach that changes some of the annual exemptions to discretionary (the alumni contests and fund-raising activities, for example), raises the limit in that category from three to four and then gives schools the option of which to choose.

That approach may appeal to some people, particularly in basketball, since it would give schools the option of playing four contests against non-Division II schools (usually Division I, thus increasing revenue opportunities) or playing an additional scrimmage.

Another concept that relates specifically to scrimmages would restrict opponents in those activities to teams in the same geographic region. The idea there is to reduce missed class time and travel costs.

A fourth concept came from the Division II Men's Basketball Committee, which is proposing that the Disney Tip-Off Classic in Orlando be morphed into a new event or events sponsored by the Conference Commissioners Association based more on in-region, nonconference competition.

The 20/8 hour rule and skill instruction. In this area, the Legislation Committee developed a concept that clarifies what constitutes a countable athletically related activity by creating a figure that would be included in the Division II Manual. Those activities were more clearly designated before Bylaw 17 was deregulated in 2003, but relying on institutions to "self-determine" what counts as athletically related activities and what doesn't has produced inconsistent results.

The committee believes that adding the examples back as a figure and not as part of the bylaw is a reasonable compromise.

Other concepts involve skill instruction, though the committee approached this area reluctantly, given the three-year debate that produced the current model that has been in place only two years.

One of the alternatives, in fact, would let the current rule stand.

Others would amend the two allowable hours of skill instruction as follows:

• One hour per week of skill instruction and one hour per week of practice.
• Two hours per week of skill instruction during the first half of outside the playing season, and two hours per week of practice in the second half of outside the playing season.
• Two hours per week of practice.

Next steps

These concepts now head to the Management and Presidents Councils for review at those groups' April meetings. The Councils won't take positions or ask for legislative drafts; they will  just provide feedback. The Legislation Committee is looking for reaction from other constituents as well.

Whatever proposals emerge from the concepts may be incorporated into one piece of legislation. In other words, the concepts the Legislation Committee has developed thus far don't have to be considered as stand-alone ideas.

The Legislation Committee meets again in June to incorporate the feedback and begin to craft legislative drafts. Those will be vetted further in governance meetings this summer before they are sent to the Presidents Council in August. Proposals from that body will carry forward to the 2011 Convention.

Share your feedback, ideas and thoughts for Life in the Balance Phase II by sending an e-mail to lifeinthebalance@ncaa.org. That e-mail address is monitored for feedback and ideas only and is not intended for questions requesting a response.