REPORT OF THE

NCAA Division I MEN'S AND WOMEN’s TENNIS Committee

1. ACTION ITEMS.

a. Waiver of Six-Team Automatic Qualification Requirement.

(1) Recommendation. That the Big West Conference be granted a waiver to the six-team automatic qualification requirement for the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships.

(2) Rationale. NCAA Bylaw 31.3.4.5-c provides for the sport committee of certain individual sports – cross country, fencing, golf, gymnastics, rifle, skiing, tennis and wrestling – to grant an exception to the six-team automatic qualification requirement subject to approval of the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. Per a request from the Big West Conference, the committee believes a waiver is appropriate because:

a. Two-Year Grace Period. The Big West Conference has exhausted its “two-year” grace period for falling below the six-team requirement after the completion of the 2007 championships.

b. Six Core Members. Beginning in 2008, the Big West Conference will have six institutions sponsoring men’s tennis. The University of California, Davis, will be a new conference member in 2007-08, having completed its reclassification from Division II to Division I. However, automatic qualification requirements dictate that each of a conference’s six sponsoring institutions, must be a Division I member for eight years in order to be considered a “core” member of the conference. Therefore, the Big West will have only five “core” members sponsoring men’s tennis in 2008, despite having six members competing for the conference championship (and nine total members overall).

c. Precedent. The cabinet has approved a similar waiver for the Big 12 Conference for wrestling for the last 11 years.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. None.

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. None.

b. Automatic Qualification.

(1) Recommendation. That the following 31 conferences sponsoring men’s and women’s tennis be awarded automatic qualification into the 2008 championships:

Men’s Conferences: America East Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big East Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy Group, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, Patriot League, Southeastern Conference, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Summit League, Sun Belt Conference, West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference.

Women’s Conferences: America East Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Atlantic Sun Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Big East Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy Group, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, Patriot League, Southeastern Conference, Southern Conference, Southland Conference, Southwestern Athletic Conference, Summit League, Sun Belt Conference, West Coast Conference and Western Athletic Conference.

(2) Rationale. All eligible conferences are being recommended.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. None.

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. None.

c. Stipend Increase for First- and Second-Round Hosts.

(1) Recommendation. That the stipends for first- and second-round hosts be increased by $3,000 to the following levels, effective with the 2009 championships:

(a) Single gender sites – from $4,500 to $7,500.

(b) Dual gender sites – from $8,000 to $11,000.

(2) Rationale. The costs of conducting the first- and second-rounds of competition have increased significantly as institutions seek to enhance the overall experience for the student-athletes. In addition to paying the required officials, hosts are asked to provide hospitality, etc. for the coaches and student-athletes. A larger stipend would help off-set the financial impact to the host institutions.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. Maximum of $96,000. If all 32 first- and second-round sites are single gender venues (16 men’s sites and 16 women’s sites), the maximum budget impact would be $96,000 ($3,000 x 32 sites). Historically, approximately 50 percent of the first- and second-round sites have been dual gender sites. If that percentage remains constant, then the most likely budget impact would be $72,000 (eight dual sites, eight men’s sites and eight women’s sites x $3,000).

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. The committee believes an increase in the stipend will enhance the experience of the student-athletes at the first- and second-round sites.

d. Presentation of Participant Awards at First- and Second-Round Sites.

(1) Recommendation. That each of the 128 institutions selected for the team championships (64 men’s teams and 64 women’s teams) receives its eight participant awards at the first- and second-round sites.

(2) Rationale. Currently, participant awards are not ordered until the completion of the championships. The medallions do not arrive on campus until after the end of the academic year which makes it difficult to distribute them to those student-athletes who have graduated or have departed campus for the summer. The committee strongly believes that the student-athlete experience will be greatly enhanced if student-athletes are able to receive their participant award at the first- and second-round sites.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. $640. Currently, 480 participant awards per gender are distributed to the participating institutions after the team championship (60 teams x 8 awards). The remaining four teams earn team awards, and therefore do not receive participant awards. The committee is recommending that all 64 teams receive participant awards at first- and second-round sites, thereby increasing the total awards for the team championships to 512 per gender. The additional 32 awards per gender would cost $640 (32 awards x $10 x two genders = $640). The committee would also like to point out the potential savings that may be incurred by shipping the awards to approximately 24 first- and second-round sites, instead of shipping awards to approximately 80 to 100 campuses. These savings could significantly reduce the budget impact of supplying the awards to all participating teams.

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. The committee believes that the overall experience for the student-athletes will be improved if the participant awards are distributed at the time of competition rather than a couple of months following the championships.

e. Increase in Fees for the Championships Referees and Deputy Referees.

(1) Recommendation. That the flat fee for the two referees and two deputy referees at the championships finals increase by $500 each, effective with the 2009 championships. The referees’ fees would increase from $2,000 to $2,500 and the deputy referees’ fees would increase from $1,000 to $1,500.

(2) Rationale. While the referees and deputy referees fees increased during the most recent budget cycle, the need to compensate these four officials is important as they work for the entire 12 days run of the championships. The deputy referee’s increase is particularly important because they earn a flat fee when compared to the umpires, who work in the chair at each court, who earn a per match fee. Umpires working most days of the championship will actually earn more in fees than the deputy referee who make the flat fee. The four referees and deputy referees officiate each day of the event and will be on the court for every match. The umpires will not work every match and may actually get a day off in the schedule.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. $2,000.

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. None.

f. Provide Production Costs for Championships Preview Video.

(1) Recommendation. That the championships budget be increased by $3,000 to cover the costs of producing an annual championships preview video for distribution to the first- and second-round host sites.

(2) Rationale. The committee believes that producing this video and displaying it at the first- and second-round sites is a championship enhancement for the student-athletes. The committee is committed to continued enhancement of the first- and second-round sites and acknowledges that for 75 percent of the teams in the bracket, their entire championship experience is based on the ability of the hosts to produce a quality experience a the first- and second-round site. This enhancement is another attempt to assist the hosts in creating an outstanding experience for the student-athletes. The committee will work with the host institution and its campus video production staff to produce, duplicate and distribute the video.

(3) Estimated Budget Impact. $3,000.

(4) Student-Athlete Impact. None.

2. INFORMATIONAL ITEM.

List of Financial Priorities. The committee established the following financial priorities for the cabinet’s consideration:

a. Increase first- and second-round hosts stipends by $3,000 per site (Additional costs: Maximum $96,000)

b. Present team participant awards at first- and second-round sites (Additional costs: $340 per gender, total of $640)

c. Increase referees and deputy referees fees. (Additional costs: $2,000)

d. Fund video production costs for championships preview video for distribution to first- and second-round hosts. (Additional costs: $3,000)

Committee Chair: Matt Brachowski, University of Georgia

Staff Liaison: Mark Bockelman, Championships

The National Collegiate Athletic Association

August 10, 2007 MB:ks