SUPPLEMENT NO. 9

DIII Presidents Council 4/02

DIVISION III AMATEURISM TASK FORCE

Summary of Recommendations

PRESIDENTS COUNCIL ACTION ITEM

1.	ISSUE:	Definition of a Professional Team.
Task Force Recommendation:
	Sponsor legislation to amend the definition of a professional team to indicate that a professional team is any organized team that: (a) Provides any of its players with more than actual and necessary expenses for participation on the team, except as otherwise permitted by NCAA legislation. Actual and necessary expenses should be limited to the following, provided the value of these items is commensurate with the fair-market value in the locality of the player and is not excessive in nature: (i) Meals directly tied to competition; (ii) Lodging directly tied to competition; (iii) Apparel, equipment and/or supplies; (iv) Coaching and/or instruction; (v) Health/Medical insurance; (vi) Transportation (i.e., expenses to and from practice and competition, cost of transportation from home to training/practice site to home at the end of season); (vii) Medical treatment and/or physical therapy; (viii) Facility usage; and (ix) Entry fees. (b) Declares itself to be professional.
Management Council Recommendation:
	Sponsor legislation to amend the definition of a professional team.

ACTION ITEM – MANAGEMENT COUNCIL ONLY

1.	ISSUE:	Expenses from a Professional Team (NCAA Bylaw 12.1.1 – Amateur Status).
Task Force Recommendation:
	Approve an intent-based modification to amend Bylaw 12.1.1 to allow prospective student-athletes to accept actual and necessary expenses tied directly to competition associated with their competition on a professional team.
Management Council Action:
	Approved the intent-based modification to amend Bylaw 12.1.1.
2.	ISSUE:	Ice Hockey (Bylaw 12.2.3.2.4 – Competition with Professionals – Major Junior A Ice Hockey).
Task Force Recommendation:
	Approve an intent-based modification to amend Bylaw 12.2.3.2.4, to reflect that participation on a major junior A ice hockey team, regardless if the competition occurs while the prospect is still in high school, will result in triggering the newly adopted seasons-of-competition rule.
Management Council Action:
	Approved the intent-based modification to amend Bylaw 12.2.3.2.4 and related communication with the ice hockey committee.
3.	ISSUE:	Official Interpretations.
Task Force Recommendation:
	Forward the following recommended interpretations to the Interpretations and Legislation Committee to issue official interpretations, based on the intent of the newly adopted amateurism legislative changes: a. Fulfillment of an Academic Year in Residence. To fulfill an academic year in residence, in accordance with the seasons-of-competition rule, Bylaw 14.5.1.2 (Determination of Year in Residence) must be met, and the student-athlete must not engage in intercollegiate competition. The year in residence may be fulfilled at any collegiate institution. b. Repeat Year in High School. If a student- athlete legitimately has to repeat a year in high school, the expected date of high-school graduation will be extended. The intent is that a student-athlete who is repeating a year in high school will not trigger the rule while still enrolled full-time in high school. c. Definition of Actual and Necessary Expenses. For purposes of the seasons-of-competition rule, actual and necessary expenses be defined as the following (please note that this definition will parallel the recommended changes to the definition of a professional team): (1) Meals directly tied to competition; (2) Lodging directly tied to competition; (3) Apparel, equipment and/or supplies; (4) Coaching and/or instruction; (5) Health/Medical insurance; (6) Transportation (i.e., expenses to and from practice and competition, cost of transportation from home to training/practice site to home at the end of season); (7) Medical treatment and/or physical therapy; (8) Facility usage; and (9) Entry fees. d. Termination of Contract. If a student-athlete signs a contract prior to enrollment, all relationships with the professional team and all terms of the contract must be severed prior to initial full-time enrollment. The intent is to clarify that a student-athlete cannot remain under contract with a professional team while enrolled at a Division III institution and be eligible in that sport. e. Year in Residence Sport Specific. The academic year in residence related to the organized-competition rule be sport specific. Therefore, if a student-athlete triggers the rule in soccer, he or she is only required to fulfill the academic year to achieve eligibility in the sport of soccer.
Management Council Action:
	Forward the recommended interpretations to the Interpretations and Legislation Committee.
4.	ISSUE:	Penalties.
Task Force Recommendation:
	Forward to the Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee the recommendation that the committee continue to impose the same penalties for student-athletes who are not able to take advantage of the newly adopted legislation based on the effective date.
Management Council Action:
	Approved the recommendation, noting that the legislation is effective August 1, 2002, and not retroactive.

ITEM OF INFORMATION

1.	ISSUE:	Educational Efforts.
Task Force Action:
	The staff will present a session at each regional seminar this spring, specific to the newly adopted legislative changes. Further, the staff is in the process of producing a guide for coaches to serve as a quick reference on how to apply the legislation during the recruiting process.
Management Council Action:
	Accepted the information.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association

April 15, 2002 DTD/BB:skt