MINUTES OF THE

 

NCAA DIVISION III ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE CONFERENCE NO. 6

 

 

Those participating were Valerie Cushman, Management Council vice-chair; John Fry, Presidents Council vice-chair; Michael Miranda, Management Council chair; Ivory Nelson, Presidents Council chair; Matt Banker, NCAA; Dan Dutcher, NCAA; Debbie Kresge; and Leah Nilsson, NCAA.

 

Absent from the conference call was Jennifer Braaten from the Management Council.

 

[NOTE:  These minutes contain only actions taken (formal votes or stated “sense of the meeting”) in accordance with NCAA policy regarding minutes of all Association entities.  While certain items on the committee’s agenda were acted on at various times throughout the meeting, all final actions within a given topic are combined in these minutes for convenience of reference.]

 

The teleconference occurred August 22, 2006, and was called to order at 4:06 p.m.

 

Acting for the Division III Management Council and Presidents Council, the Administrative Committee:

 

1.         Reviewed and approved proposed 2007 NCAA Convention legislation sponsored by the NCAA Division III Presidents Council and not yet reviewed in legislative form, consistent with the September 1 deadline. 

 

a.                   Playing and Practice Seasons – Preseason Practice – Medical Examinations.  To require prospective student-athletes and student athletes to undergo a medical examination administered or supervised by a physician prior to initial participation in any required conditioning or practice activities; further, to require an updated medical history each subsequent year.

 

b.                  Personnel – Conduct of Athletics Personnel – Sports Safety Training.  To specify that at least one individual certified in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automatic external defibrillator (AED) use and familiar with emergency plan activation policies shall be present at each practice, competition and strength and conditioning session involving student-athletes.

 

c.                   Ethical Conduct – Gambling Activities – Sanctions – Timing of Reinstatement Request.  To eliminate the requirement that a request for reinstatement of a
student-athlete’s eligibility may be submitted only on fulfillment of the minimum one-year period of ineligibility for instances in which a student-athlete solicits or accepts a bet or participates in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics or professional athletics, through a bookmaker, a parlay card or any other method employed by organized gambling.


d.                  Playing and Practice Seasons – Nontraditional Segment – Limitations on Athletically Related Activity and Competition Activity on the One Date of Competition.  To specify a limit of eight hours of athletically related activity on the one date of competition in the nontraditional segment and to limit competition activity on the one date of competition in the non-traditional segment, as specified.

 

e.                   Recruiting – Tryouts – Prohibited Activities – Tryout Camps.  To prohibit an
institution from hosting or sponsoring a tryout camp, clinic, group workout or combine event at any location.

 

f.                    Ethical Conduct – Sports Wagering Activities.  To specify and clarify prohibited sports wagering activities and the individuals to whom the prohibitions apply.

 

The committee recommended several changes to this proposal, noting that it is a common provision and the changes must be approved by each division to become effective.  The recommendations included:

 

(1)        Reformat Bylaw 10.3 to more clearly show a complete substitution of topic; and

(2)        Require that the permissible exchange of items between
chancellor/presidents should be of nominal value and representative of the institution.

 

g.                   Eligibility – General Eligibility Requirements – Male Practice Player Eligibility – Requirements.  To establish requirements for the use of male practice players as follows:  male practice players shall only be permitted to practice in the traditional segment; use is limited to one practice per week, and the number of male practice players for each team sport shall not exceed half of the number of student-athletes required to field a starting unit in that sport.

 

The committee recommended that a reference be added in the rationale statement regarding the related noncontroversial proposal that requires complete eligibility certification for male practice players.  Further clarifications will be addressed in the Convention Proposal Q & A document.


h.                   Membership – Provisional and Reclassifying Membership – Application Standards and Compliance with Division Regulations.  To amend the provisional and reclassifying member process to establish a maximum entering class size of four, increase the educational fee to $20,000, establish specified application approval criteria, establish specified priorities for the placement of an institution in a class and require full compliance with all Division III regulations during each year of provisional or reclassifying membership except for financial aid limitations, which apply to new students in year one and to all students beginning in year two.

 

The committee recommended the following changes to this proposal:

 

(1)               Show all parallels between the Provisional and Reclassifying
programs.

(2)               Eliminate the reference to “educational” in the provisional and reclassifying fee.

(3)               Clearly specify all components of sports sponsorship that the provisional or reclassifying applicant must satisfy.

(4)               Remove the reference to “priority order” from the language describing class size and assignment.

(5)               Correct the error in Bylaw 20.3.4.1 to properly title that section
“Athletically Related Financial Aid Exception”.

(6)               Reword the rationale statement to focus on membership growth and not championships.

 

i.                     Membership – Conditions and Obligations of Membership – Educational Initiatives.  To amend active membership requirements to require attendance at the NCAA Convention and NCAA Regional Rules Seminar, to require administration of the Division III rules test to all head coaches and individuals with compliance oversight and to provide compliance tools to institutions placed on probation or in restricted status; further, to specify that the Membership Committee shall audit the results and action plans of completed Institutional Self-Study Guides and audit institutionally submitted sports-sponsorship information.

 

The committee recommended that the rationale statement identify prior history as a criterion that may cause the committee to audit an institution’s sports sponsorship and related requirements.


j.                    Legislative Process – Amendment Process – Sponsorship Requirements.  To increase the sponsorship requirements for membership-sponsored proposals and resolutions to 20 active member institutions or at least two voting conferences.

 

The committee recommended that rationale statement should be reordered to
reflect an emphasis on improving quality of legislative dialogue prior to the
Convention.

 

 

2.                  The conference call adjourned at 4:50 p.m.