NCAA DIVISION III PRESIDENTS COUNCIL/MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
During their January 2002 NCAA Convention meetings, the NCAA Division III Presidents and Management Councils discussed several critical issues that over the past few years have divided the Division III membership as they were debated and voted on at the Convention. Many of these issues strike at the very heart of the Division III philosophy; others pose choices that will impact the status and direction of our organization. Aware that we were at a particularly critical juncture in our history, the Councils agreed to establish a joint subcommittee to further explore these topics with the Division III philosophy as its framework.
The joint subcommittee and its five subgroups are in the early stages of this effort to assess the role of athletics in Division III and determine whether our actions are consistent with the Division III philosophy. Without exaggeration, these issues and discussions will shape the future of Division III and its structure.
The following joint subcommittee information is enclosed for your review:
ü Charge. Deliberations will focus on the Division III philosophy to examine and articulate the educational values of the academic and athletics experiences and their current application within Division III and explore options related to legislative and organizational changes. The highest priority should be placed on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of academic programs as well as seeking an environment in which a student-athlete's activities are conducted as an integral part of the educational experience. The subcommittee should also create mechanisms for input from the governance structure and general membership including member conferences and independent institutions.
ü Composition and Role. Twenty-one Presidents and Management Council members serve on the joint subcommittee, led by the chair and vice-chair of the Presidents Council – Bette Landman, president, Arcadia University, and John McCardell, president, Middlebury College. An oversight group composed of eight members (the five members of the NCAA Division III Administrative Committee and three additional at-large members of the Management Council) will oversee and coordinate the work of five subgroups, address all budget issues and make final recommendations to the Presidents and Management Councils. The five subgroups, each composed of Presidents and Management Council members and including at least one member of the oversight group, will focus on the Division III philosophy to create philosophical directions and principles and identify key issues that the existing Division III committee structure should address in greater detail.
ü Areas of Focus. There are five main areas of focus: championships; playing and practice seasons; eligibility and recruiting; membership; and financial aid.
ü Timeline. The goal is to provide ample opportunity for dialogue, discussion and feedback from the membership throughout 2002 and 2003. This will include periodic updates to the Management and Presidents Councils, discussions at various Association meetings, Management Council member visits to conference and independent institution meetings throughout fall 2002, a membership forum at the 2003 NCAA Convention (Sunday afternoon, January 12) and a legislative vote at the 2004 NCAA Convention with a possible effective date of August 2006.
Consistent with its charge, the joint subcommittee has focused on the Division III philosophy, the role of athletics in Division III, and the educational values of the academic and athletics experiences. Each subgroup met twice via conference call. The oversight group also met twice via conference call to review the progress of each subgroup. Oversight group recommendations were submitted to the Councils for input and are forwarded to the membership for review and feedback.
The joint subcommittee continues to explore options related to possible legislative and organizational changes. Knowledge and appreciation of the diversity of the Division III membership (size, type, constituent group) has been a priority in the discussions and the identification of initial options for consideration.
The following status report provides an update to the general membership on the work of the five subgroups of the joint subcommittee and a framework to stimulate discussions. We encourage you to use this information as a valuable resource in campus and conference conversations and to formulate questions and ideas that may be shared with your colleagues that serve on the joint subcommittee and ultimately in preparation for the important 2003 Convention forum and 2004 Convention vote.
Please
forward your thoughts or issues to any joint subcommittee member or to NCAA
staff liaisons Dan Dutcher (ddutcher@ncaa.org)
or Bridget Belgiovine (bbelgiovine@ncaa.org). All comments will be forwarded to the
oversight group, and regular updates will be presented to the Management and
Presidents Councils and the full membership.
SUBGROUP STATUS REPORTS
Championships.
1. Championships Structures – Options to Consider
§ Model 1 – one division/one national championship.
§ Model 2 – two subdivisions and two national championships.
§ Model 3 – two subdivisions in the preliminary rounds, playing to one national champion.
§ Model 4 (regional championships) – one division playing to four regional champions in each sport.
2. Issues Related to Championships Structure
§ Cost to include staffing. Specific cost to be determined. Model 1 – costs remain status quo. Model 2 – likely most expensive with addition of game/staff expense and committee structure for additional national championship. Model 3 – additional expenses likely for one additional game and staff. Model 4 – possibly least expensive due to decrease in games, staff and travel.
§ Length of postseason play. Model 4 may be the shortest with elimination of national championship, followed by Models 3, 2 and 1.
§ Impact on conferences, including conference championships and postseason opportunities. Models 1 and 4 may have no impact. Models 2 and 3 have potential impact.
§ Access
–– Overall ratios between sports and subdivisions (including conferences and independents). Access ratios would remain consistent with current access ratios for all four models.
–– Provide student-athletes with a competitive, quality NCAA championship experience (equipment, facilities, atmosphere).
3. Institutional self-selection – all sports within the institutional athletics program would be in the same subdivision.
4. Governance Structure – Championships and Sport committees – the composition, role and responsibilities related to championships structure must be addressed.
Eligibility and Recruiting.
1. Academic Eligibility – Options to Consider
§ Redefine eligibility to include practice or competition. A student-athlete would be limited to four seasons of eligibility. Practice or competition during a season would count as one of four available seasons.
§ Initial and continuing eligibility – Continue to minimize infringements on institutional autonomy.
2. Athletics Eligibility
Seasons of Competition – Options to Consider
§ 10-Semester/15-Quarter rule – retain current 10-semester/15-quarter eligibility clock but focus on the undergraduate experience.
§ Eight-semester/12-quarter clock - participation based on seasons of participation (practice or competition). Foster academic success and completion of degree in a reasonable time.
§ Four-year running clock – continuous clock based on initial enrollment. Consider issues related to changed majors and study abroad.
§ Final semester of eligibility—Consider steps to prevent enrollment in less than a full-time program of studies merely to extend eligibility. Athletics should not inhibit degree completion. Consider removal of issue if eligibility limits to “participation” are redefined to include practice and competition. Also, consider establishing a maximum number of courses or credit hours beyond which a student would use a semester or quarter of eligibility (e.g., one course).
§ Graduate Student/Postbaccalaureate Participation – Consider permitting students in graduate or postbaccalaureate programs the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate athletics regardless of the institution attended as an undergraduate.
3.
Recruiting – Options to Consider
§ Off-campus recruitment – Establish a principle that athletics recruitment should comply with established policies and procedures applicable to the admissions process. Retain current legislation to prohibit in-person, off-campus recruitment and contacts with student-athletes until completion of junior year in high school.
§ Transfer contact rule – Consider steps to strengthen rule to preclude unsolicited contact and subsequent transfer and enrollment. Address through enforcement and eligibility-restoration process.
§ Special admissions for student-athletes - Consider impact of such policies.
Financial Aid.
1.
Financial Aid – Options to Consider
§ Model 1 – Status quo. No consideration of athletics in award packaging, buttressed by proposed audit. Primary focus.
§ Model 2 – Permit consideration of athletics in granting of aid up to need ("preferential packaging"). Limited focus.
2. Re-examine provisions of NCAA Bylaw 15.01.5 (athletics funds or endowments established prior to January 1, 1979).
Membership.
1. General Membership Requirements – Options to Consider
§ Sports sponsorship requirements. Retain current requirements of 5 and 5; increase the minimum based on division-wide average of almost 16 total or decrease based on institutional autonomy.
§ Multidivision classification. Discuss impact and the possible establishment of further limits to this opportunity.
§
Coaching limits.
Consider establishing limits on number of permissible coaches per sport,
based on reasonable full-time equivalent ratio of participants to coaches in
each sport. Progress cautiously on
development of criteria.
§ Travel and Squad sizes. Consider travel and varsity squad size limits, based in part on championships squad size limits and Division III participation statistics and data.
2. Membership Structure – Options to Consider
§ Retain one division – Status quo. Respond as necessary to proposals from all subgroups.
§ Subdivision. Respond as necessary to subdivision proposals from the other subgroups. Identify possible “division dominant” legislation that would remain applicable to the division as a whole (two-thirds majority to change) and other proposals that could apply only to the members of a subdivision.
3.
Acknowledge that any subdivision discussions must address
issues related to institutional self-selection and conference
affiliation.
Playing and Practice
Seasons.
1. Length
of Playing Season – Options to Consider
§ Modify and make more consistent length of playing seasons based on a student’s overall percentage of time engaged in athletics.
§ Establish specific start and end dates, which may be all-inclusive (i.e., preseason conditioning through end of championship).
§ Establish reasonable contest limits – minimize impact on missed class time.
2. Nontraditional
segment – Options to Consider
§ Retain current regulations, consider further limitation (e.g., fewer contests or practice only) or eliminate nontraditional segment.
§ Establish all-inclusive start and end dates, with elimination of nontraditional segment.
3. Athletically Related Activity – Time Limitations – Consider a limit on student-athlete participation in countable athletically related activities during the traditional and nontraditional segments of 20 hours per week with the addition of five hours a week to discuss or review game film.