The NCAA News - News and Features

March 31, 1997

Administrative Committee minutes

1. Acting for the Council, the Administrative Committee:

a. Appointed James Frank, commissioner, Southwestern Athletic Conference, as chair of the Walter Byers Scholarship Committee, replacing John Hardt, who remains a member of the committee.

b. Appointed Donna J. Newberry, assistant director of women's athletics and softball coach, Muskingum College, to the Women's Softball Rules Committee, replacing Sheilah A. Lingenfelter, no longer at a Division III institution.

c. Approved the following recommendations from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports:

(1) Revised the drug-testing protocol to reduce from 1.010 to 1.005 the cutoff value for specific gravity (degree of concentration) of urine specimens, effective immediately.

(2) Amended Bylaw 11.1.7 per Constitution 5.4.1.1.1 (modification of wording) to specify that the establishment of uniform penalties for the use of tobacco products rests with rules-making committees and with sports committees with rules-making responsibilities, rather than with sports committees with only championships responsibilities; and noted that the competitive-safeguards committee would continue to consider the appropriate avenue for establishing penalties in sports in which the Association does not write playing rules.

d. Approved a request for an incidental-expense waiver per Bylaw 16.13.1 to permit an institution to provide transportation expenses for a student-athlete to return to campus after traveling home.

e. Denied a request for an incidental-expense waiver per Bylaw 16.13.1 to permit an institution to reimburse a student-athlete for towing charges incurred when his car was left overnight in a gymnasium parking lot while he was participating in an out-of-town track meet.

f. Amended the effective date of 1997 Convention Proposal No. 81 (Amateurism -- Basketball Draft) from August 1 to immediately. [Note: The Administrative Committee will reconsider this action during its March 19, 1997, telephone conference.]

g. Amended the effective date of 1997 Convention Proposal No. 97 (Exception to Outside Competition, Division II, Summer Basketball) from August 1 to immediately.

h. Amended the effective date of 1997 Convention Proposal No. 3 (Recruiting -- Complimentary Admissions, Conference Tournaments) from August 1 to immediately.

i. Amended the effective date of 1997 Convention Proposal No. 113 (Visit Unrelated to Recruitment -- National Student-Athlete Day) from August 1 to immediately.

2. Acting for the Executive Committee, the Administrative Committee:

a. Designated Massachusetts Institute of Technology and USA Track and Field of New England as cohosts for the 1997 Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships.

b. Amended Executive Regulation 31.2.2 as follows (bold-faced type indicates new language): "All student-athletes, regardless of division, must meet the eligibility standards established for NCAA championships competition. The general and academic eligibility requirements are set forth in detail in Bylaw 14, in which there is also reference to other legislation regarding eligibility of the individual student-athlete. Other specific requirements for eligibility for NCAA championships (e.g., authority of the Eligibility Committee, amateur status certification and ineligibility for use of banned drugs) are set forth in 18.4.1, 10.3 and 10.4. The Executive Committee may require the student-athletes to certify their eligibility for championship competition."

3. Report of actions taken by the executive director per Constitution 4.3.2.

a. Acting for the Council:

(1) Granted a request from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, to temporarily replace one of its countable coaches in the sport of men's basketball.

(2) Granted a request from Syracuse University to temporarily replace one of its countable coaches in the sport of women's tennis.

(3) Granted a request from the U.S. Military Academy to temporarily replace one of its countable coaches in the sport of football.

(4) Granted waivers per Bylaw 14.7.6.1-(c) to permit student-athletes from various institutions to participate in competition involving national teams in the sports of baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, field hockey, rifle, soccer, swimming and diving, volleyball and water polo.

(5) Granted waivers per Bylaw 16.13.1 to permit institutions to provide incidental expenses in these situations:

(a) To student-athletes to return to their homes to be with family members where were terminally ill, seriously injured or hospitalized.

(b) To student-athletes to attend funerals of members of the student-athletes' families.

(c) To a student-athlete to join the team at an away-from-home competition after attending an interview for admission to graduate school.

(d) To provide a reception for members of a team and their parents following the final home contest where the student-athletes will be honored.

(e) To a student-athlete to replace items lost when the student-athlete's car was stolen.

(f) To student-athletes to attend the funeral of the team's head coach.

(g) To an institution for banquet expenses for student-athletes being honored.

(h) To student-athletes to attend banquets where the student-athletes will be honored.

(I) To a student-athlete to replace items that were stolen during an away-from-home competition.

(j) To provide flowers to families of those involved in funerals.

(k) To student-athletes to attend the Apple Conference.

(l) To student-athletes to attend a reception where their coach will be honored.

(m) To a student-athlete to return home for the birth of his baby.

(n) To student-athletes to replace items that were stolen from the student-athletes' car.

(o) To student-athletes to attend a tournament.

(p) To student-athletes to replace items that were stolen from the student-athletes' dormitory rooms.

(6) Granted waivers per Bylaw 14.7.6.1-(d) to permit student-athletes from various institutions to participate in competition as part of the following state games: Alabama Sports Festival, Greatland Games (Alaska), Grand Canyon State Games (Arizona), Arkansas State Games, California State Games, State Games of Colorado, Nutmeg State Games (Connecticut), Capital Games (District of Columbia), Sunshine State Games (Florida), Georgia Games, Aloha State Games (Hawaii), First Security Games of Idaho, Prairie State Games (Illinois), Hoosier State Games (Indiana), Iowa Games, Sunflower State Games (Kansas), Bluegrass State Games (Kentucky), Louisiana State Games, Maine Sports Festival, Maryland State Games, Bay State Games (Massachusetts), Great Lakes State Games (Michigan), Star of the North State Games (Minnesota), State Games of Mississippi, Show-Me State Games (Missouri), Big Sky State Games (Montana), Cornhusker State Games (Nebraska), Silver State Games (Nevada), Granite State Festival of Athletes (New Hampshire), Garden State Games (New Jersey), First Security Games of New Mexico, Empire State Games (New York), State Games of North Carolina, Prairie Rose State Games (North Dakota), Ohio Games, Sooner State Games (Oklahoma), State Games of Oregon, Keystone State Games (Pennsylvania), Rhode Island State Games and Sports Festival, Palmetto Sports Festival (South Carolina), Games of Texas, Utah Summer Games, Commonwealth Games of Virginia, Washington State Games, Badger State Games (Wisconsin), and Cowboy State Games (Wyoming).

(7) Granted an outside competition waiver per Bylaw 14.7.6.2-(b) to permit the National Congress of State Games to allow student-athletes from various NCAA institutions to participate in basketball competitions as part of the 1997 state games listed under 14.7.6.1-(d).

(8) Granted a waiver for championships eligibility to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, per Bylaw 31.2.1.3, and a complete restoration of institutional eligibility for 1996-97 championships after failing to meet the September 15 deadline for submitting accurately completed certification of compliance forms (96-2).

(9) Granted a waiver for championships eligibility to Milwaukee School of Engineering per Bylaw 31.2.1.3, and a complete restoration of institutional eligibility for 1996-97 championships in the sport of women's indoor/outdoor track and field. The institution failed to confirm annually its sponsorship of its varsity indoor/outdoor women's track and field team by so reporting on the NCAA official information form as required in 18.4.2.1-(e).

b. Acting for the Executive Committee:

(1) Approved a recommendation from the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Subcommittee that Virginia Tech host the 1997 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships East regional at The Homestead (Cascades Course), May 15-17, 1997.

(2) Approved a recommendation from the NCAA Division II Football Committee that the University of North Alabama receive a $1,000 honorarium for serving as host institution for the 1996 NCAA Division II Football Championship.