Feedback Forum is a monthly feature designed to highlight key issues or potential policy changes and solicit immediate feedback from the membership.

The types of issues on which Feedback Forum will seek input are:

Proposed policy and procedural changes. Periodically, the national office staff is asked to change, revise or eliminate a policy or procedure that may affect member institutions, conferences or the general public. If the suggested changes are legislative in nature and contained in the Manual, it would be necessary for them to be considered in accordance with the policies established by each division. There are instances, however, in which the changes being suggested are not legislative; rather, they are procedural and are left to the discretion of the appropriate oversight committee and/or staff. In such cases, because the changes may affect member institutions, it would be advantageous for the staff to receive input from member schools as to how the oversight committee and/or national office should proceed.

Proposed rule-making changes. NCAA committees and cabinets routinely seek feedback on key issues they are addressing. This feedback is sought through a variety of means (for example, circulation of agendas and supplements before meetings, direct mailings soliciting feedback). Though the staff will continue to solicit membership feedback in those ways, Feedback Forum will highlight key issues being discussed before important meetings in order for the appropriate committees to receive membership input to help guide their decisions.

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The January 2004 Feedback Forum features proposed revisions to the policies and procedures for filing and processing Division I initial-eligibility waivers.

The membership services staff and the Division I Initial-Eligibility Waivers Committee have begun to examine the process, including requirements and procedures relative to filing, reviewing and processing initial-eligibility waivers. This review is being conducted to ensure that the initial-eligibility waiver process effectively meets the needs of the committee, student-athletes and member institutions. This review will focus, in part, on reducing administrative burden and increasing the efficiency of the initial-eligibility waiver process.

The review by the staff and committee will encompass all areas relative to initial-eligibility waivers, including required supporting documentation, minimum-threshold requirements and the initial-eligibility waiver application. Additionally, the committee will review the policies and procedures that govern how it operates and how the membership services staff handles and processes waivers.

Within the past year, the staff and the committee have made several changes to the waiver process in an ongoing attempt to reduce administrative burden for member institutions. Those changes include the availability of waiver precedent to the membership on LSDBi and, beginning in fall 2004, providing for student-athletes who received home schooling to register with and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. To continue this work, the staff and committee are seeking membership comments and feedback on the following:

Do you have any recommendations to improve the way initial-eligibility waivers are submitted? Consider the submission of supporting documentation and the information required on the application.

Do you have any recommendations to improve the way initial-eligibility waivers are processed by the staff and committee?

Do you have any recommendations to improve the communication between the staff and member institution? Consider areas such as the status of the waiver or the need for additional supporting documentation.

Do you have any other recommendations or suggestions to improve the initial-eligibility waivers process?

Provide responses and comments to Bill Regan, NCAA associate director of membership services, via facsimile at 317/917-6622 or e-mail at bregan@ncaa.org.