Jan 16, 2010 5:16:55 PM

ATLANTA – Division III delegates approved all nine legislative proposals at Saturday's business session during the NCAA Convention, though unsuccessful efforts to change two proposals pointed to nagging issues of playing warm-weather sports in cold climates and pressures arising from the recruiting culture in sports.

The tone for the session was set by a rare unanimous vote adding language to the Division III philosophy statement supporting presidential responsibility for and authority over intercollegiate athletics at the institutional, conference and national levels (see related story).

Though that was the day's only roll-call vote, each of the eight other proposals received approval by at least three-quarters of institutions and conferences during an hour-long voting session.

However, delegates also showed some sympathy for an unsuccessful effort to exclude golf, rowing and tennis from a proposal to end nontraditional seasons at least five weekdays before the beginning on an institution's final exams.

The Division III Presidents Council's proposal, which received vocal support from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, enacts the same standard for student-athletes participating in both fall and spring nontraditional seasons. The fall nontraditional season currently ends October 30, while the spring season can be conducted up to the day before exams begin.

"The time period immediately before final exams is crucial to a student-athlete's academic success and should not be encroached by a nontraditional segment – a session dedicated to instruction and team-building," said SAAC member Andrew Darkow, a tennis student-athlete at Westminster (Missouri).

However, delegates representing primarily institutions in Northern states sought a vote via a "motion to divide" to remove golf, rowing and tennis from the requirement, saying that bad weather already curtails opportunities for competition, particularly in golf. They argued those five days in spring not only permit schools to schedule competition needed during the spring for NCAA championships selection, but to offer what one athletics administrator termed "equitable" competition opportunities for all student-athletes.

"These sports have specific differences," said Leon Lunder, Carleton director of athletics. "If we wanted everything to be the same (across all sports), we would all play on Saturdays only, and we'd only have 10 contests a year."

However, SAAC member Issac Stein of Washington U. in St. Louis argued that all sports should be treated the same when it comes to providing opportunities to succeed academically.

"As a tennis student-athlete, I feel strongly that I should be afforded at least five weekdays before finals to concentrate solely on academics," he said, adding that excluding the three sports would deprive those student-athletes of academic opportunities available to others.

The attempt to divide the motion drew support from more than 40 percent of the membership, but required majority support. The final vote to approve the unaltered proposal attracted support of 80 percent of delegates.

Later in the day, the Division III Management Council asked its Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee to study issues raised by delegates who sought to change the proposal.

Another motion to divide, this one targeting a proposal to deregulate tryout legislation, also failed. Delegates moved to maintain the current prohibition on coaches' involvement with AAU basketball, saying that permitting it will increase competitive pressures in recruiting.

The membership was not persuaded by the argument, and 85 percent of voting delegates ultimately voted to adopt the overall proposal after rejecting the motion to divide.

Other notable actions included overwhelming support of conference-sponsored proposals to permit "walk-through" sessions during the early days of preseason football practice and to eliminate the distinction in transfer rules between students suspended for disciplinary reasons and those with academic or other issues.

For complete Division III voting results, click here.