REPORT OF THE
NCAA DIVISION III
STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
1. SAAC
Project Teams.
The committee agreed to eliminate the amateurism project team after the 2002 Convention. In addition, the committee agreed to create a playing and practice seasons project team to review current legislation regarding playing and practice seasons.
2. Division
III Student-Athlete Issues. The committee discussed student-athlete
issues in Division III, including:
a. Championships opportunities for men’s
volleyball.
b. Trust gap.
c. Permissible practice start dates for
each sport.
d. Weekly time limitations for countable
athletics-related activities in the traditional and nontraditional seasons.
e. Postgraduate participation.
f. Scrimmage exemptions.
g. Participation with coaches on the same
team during the summer.
h. Missed class time by student-athletes.
i. Administration going overboard
on hazing and sportsmanship.
The committee was directed to obtain
feedback from student-athletes, coaches and administrators on these issues for
discussion at future committee meetings.
3. Association-Wide
Issues.
a. Health insurance program for
student-athletes. The
committee discussed the health insurance feasibility study for student-athletes. The committee also discussed the inclusion
of insurance for international student-athletes.
b. Trust gap. The committee discussed the trust gap
issue and its relevance to Division III.
Recognition was given to the 2001 convention forum topic, “Building
Communication Between Student-Athletes, Coaches and Administrators.” The committee agreed that the trust gap
is a definite Association-wide issue.
The committee recommended adding the trust gap to the Division III
Regional Leadership Conference discussion topics.
c. Voluntary athletics activities. The committee discussed the impact of
voluntary athletics activities for student-athletes. The committee agreed to create a playing and practice
seasons project team to review current legislation.
4. Attendance
Policy.
The committee reviewed its current committee meeting attendance policy. The committee agreed to change the meeting attendance policy as follows:
Committee members are required to reply
to the staff liaisons of their meeting attendance no less than 30 days prior to
the meeting start date. For
special
circumstances, the committee member must contact the staff liaisons for approval. The penalty for failure to comply with
the 30-day policy will result in the committee member not being permitted to attend
the meeting.
5. SAAC 2002-04
Strategic Plan. The committee reviewed and updated its
strategic plan. (See Attachment A.)
6. SAAC/Conference
Partnership Program. The committee reviewed and updated its conference partner program,
which includes the identification of SAAC members to communicate with Division
III independents. (See Attachment B.)