REPORT OF THE

DIVISION III MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

 

 

1.   ACTION ITEMS.

 

a.      Ursinus College Revoking Multidivision Classification.

 

Recommendation. That Ursinus College repeat year one of the two-year reclassification process for women’s field hockey.  [See Supplement No. 17.]

 

b.       Waivers of the 2003 NCAA Convention Attendance Requirement for NCAA Division III Provisional-Member Chief Executive Officers (CEOs).

 

(1)   (1)   Recommendation.  Approve waiver of the 2003 Convention attendance requirement for the CEO from New York City College of Technology.

 

(2)   (2)   Rationale.  The institution appointed a senior-level institutional administrator to attend the Convention in the CEO's absence.

 

c.      Single-Gender Institution Transitioning to Coeducational Institution.

 

(1)   (1)   Recommendation. Per Bylaw 3.2.4.10.6, grant Chestnut Hill College a waiver of the sports-sponsorship requirements for a three-year period.

 

(2)   (2)   Rationale. The committee was confident that plans presented by Chestnut Hill College will ensure the institution’s compliance with sport-sponsorship requirements at the end of the three-year waiver period.

 

2.            INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.

 

a.     Review of Exploratory Membership Requirements.

The committee reviewed NCAA Bylaw 3.6.1.5 and reaffirmed that an exploratory institution must meet the following requirements at the time of application for provisional membership:

 

·        ·        Intend to sponsor not less than five sports for each gender during the first year of the provisional process;

·        ·        Intend to sponsor not less than one sport per gender per season during the first year of the provisional process;

·        ·        Intend to sponsor not less than three team sports per gender during the first year of the provisional process.

 


Thus, to be eligible to apply for provisional membership for the 2003-04 academic year, an institution must demonstrate an intent to sponsor 10 sports, including at least one sport per season per gender and at least three team sports per gender.  The exploratory institution does not have to sponsor 10 sports during the exploratory year.  In addition, the exploratory institution does not have to meet the minimum contest, minimum participant or scheduling requirements in order to count the sport as one of the 10 until the completion of year one of the provisional process (i.e., beginning with year two).

 

Effective with the first year of the provisional process, the institution may not award new athletically related financial aid to incoming students (freshmen and transfer student-athletes).  Following the completion of year two of the provisional process, a provisional institution may not award any athletically related financial aid.  For example, if an institution begins its first year of provisional membership in Fall 2003, no incoming freshmen or transfer student-athletes matriculating for the first time in 2003-04 may receive athletically related financial aid for the 2003-04 academic year.  No students at all may receive athletically related financial aid in 2004-05 and beyond.

 

An exploratory institution has the opportunity to defer its start date of the provisional process.  An exploratory institution that desires to defer its start date must notify the membership committee of its desire to defer on its provisional application.  Specifically, an exploratory institution that notifies the membership committee of its intent to defer the start of the provisional process until a specific academic year will be placed in the selection pool starting with that desired academic year.  The membership committee cannot guarantee that the exploratory institution will be selected to begin the provisional process during that desired academic year, rather the exploratory institution will not be placed into the selection pool until that desired academic year.  An exploratory institution that defers its provisional start date after the application deadline will be placed in the first available slot after all other exploratory institutions have been slotted.

 

 

 

Committee Chair:  Donna M. Ledwin, Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference

Staff Liaisons:  Mweni Ekpo, Rich McGlynn, Leah Nilsson