NCAA DIVISION III
INTERPRETATIONS AND LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
1. ACTION ITEMS.
a. Interpretation ? NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1 ? Printed Recruiting Materials.
(1) Recommendation. Approve the following interpretation related to ticket brochures and flyers for NCAA championships:
Ticket Brochure/Flyer Promoting NCAA Championships (III). A member institution that is hosting any portion of an NCAA championship may send a ticket application to a high-school coach/administrator, but not to specific prospects provided: the application includes only information relevant to the championships; the application is available to the general public, including all high schools in the local area; and the application contains no information related to the institution's athletics program. The subcommittee noted that under such circumstances, such an item would not be considered a recruiting item. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 13.4.1 (recruiting materials)]
(2) Rationale. The committee reviewed similar interpretations in Divisions I and II and did not see any reason why ticket brochures and fliers should not be distributed in this manner by Division III institutions.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
b. Interpretation ? Bylaws 17.02.1.1 and 17.11.6 ? Football Conditioning Activities in the Nontraditional Segment.
(1) Recommendation. Approve the following interpretation related to football conditioning activities in the nontraditional segment.
Football --
Strength and Conditioning Activities During the Nontraditional Segment (III). During the five consecutive weeks of the
nontraditional playing season in which strength and conditioning activities
may be conducted in football, it is permissible for student-athletes to
engage in position-specific agility drills, provided the simulation of
offensive and defensive alignments does not occur. Further, student-athletes may not be positioned in a manner that
simulates football-related competition or practice activities. [References: Bylaws 17.02.1.1 (athletically related activities), 17.11.6
(out-of-season athletically related activities), and 4/22/02 official
interpretation, Item No. 4-(a)].
(2) Rationale. The committee issued this interpretation to specify the activities permitted during the nontraditional playing season in football.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
c. Noncontroversial Legislation ? 2003 NCAA Convention Proposal No. 54 (Effective Date for Rugby as an Emerging Sport).
(1) Recommendation. Sponsor noncontroversial legislation to amend 2003 NCAA Convention Proposal No. 54 to change the effective date of the proposal from "immediately" to "August 1, 2003."
(2) Rationale. Changing this date will ensure that year one for rugby will begin with a traditional academic year.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
d. Editorial Revisions ? Bylaws 13.12.2.5.2 (After Signing or Acceptance for Enrollment) and 13.16.1.1 (Extent of Prohibition).
(1) Recommendation. Editorially revise Bylaws 13.12.2.5.2 and 13.16.1.1 to delete references to the National Letter of Intent.
(2) Rationale. Division III does not use the National Letter of Intent, thus Bylaw 13.12.2.5.2 should be revised to remove the reference to National Letter of Intent and Bylaw 13.16.1.1 should be deleted entirely.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
e. Editorial Revisions ? References to "Districts."
(1) Recommendation. Editorially revised NCAA Constitution 3.01.4 and Bylaws 21.2.1.2, 21.2.3, 21.2.4, 21.2.5, 21.3.1.2, 21.3.6, 21.3.7, 21.3.8, 21.3.10, 21.8.7.12, 21.8.7.20 and 21.8.7.24 to remove the reference to "district."
(2) Rationale. Geographical districts are no longer used in determining NCAA committee composition. Thus, to avoid confusion, the term "district" should be removed from the NCAA Division III Manual.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
f. Editorial Revision ? Bylaw 16.8.1.3 (Other Competition).
(1) Recommendation. Editorially revise Bylaw 16.8.1.3 to remove the reference to Olympic Festivals.
(2) Rationale. The United States Olympic Committee no longer conducts Olympic Festivals and does not plan to reinstate the event in the future. Thus, the reference to Olympic Festivals should be removed from the Manual.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
g. Editorial Revision ? Bylaw 14.2.4.4.1 (Organized Competition).
(1) Recommendation. Editorially revise Bylaw 14.2.4.4.1 by removing the bylaw from Article 14 and placing the definition of organized competition in the glossary of terms.
(2) Rationale. The committee noted that Bylaw 14.2.4.4.1 was never approved by the Division III membership. Rather, it is an NCAA Division I bylaw that appeared in the Division III Manual in error for a number of years. The committee determined that it is important to define organized competition in general, and thus the term should be incorporated into the glossary of terms.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
a. Proposed Changes to the NCAA Convention Schedule. The committee recommends a change to the NCAA Convention schedule that would place conference meetings prior to the Business Session and after other discussion and informal sessions so that conferences can make informed decisions about how to vote on proposals.
b. Add
"Contact" to the Glossary of Terms.
In its annual review of the Division
III glossary, the committee agreed to add the term "contact" as
defined by 2003 NCAA Convention Proposal No. 45.
c.
Division III Bylaw 14.1.9 ? Change in Eligibility Status. In response
to an inquiry from the membership, the group reviewed Bylaw 14.1.9 (change in
eligibility status) and the issue regarding timing of institutional
certification of student-athletes. The
committee agreed that in the event a student-athlete drops below the standards
of participation as determined by the institution or conference at any time,
the student-athlete is not eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics
pursuant to Bylaw 14.01.2.
d. NCAA
Ad Hoc Review Report. The group was provided an update and a
December 4, 2002, memorandum from the NCAA Executive Committee regarding
the NCAA Ad Hoc Review Report. The
committee noted that it tabled its previous discussions regarding possible
changes to the Division III legislative cycle in light of the future of
Division III initiative and the advancements in the Legislative Services
Database for the Internet (LSDBi).
Staff liaisons: Bo Kerin and Leah Nilsson, Membership
Services