REPORT OF THE
NCAA DIVISION III
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
1. ACTION ITEMS.
a. Provisional
Member Annual Reports – Active Membership.
(1) Recommendation. That the following institutions be
granted active membership status:
(a) Baptist Bible College (Pennsylvania).
(b) Becker College.
(c) D’Youville College.
(d) La Grange College.
(e) Louisiana College.
(f) New York City Technical College.
(g) Newbury College.
(h) Northland College.
(i) Piedmont College.
(j) Thomas College; and
(k) Ursinus College (field hockey).
(2) Rationale. On its review of the aforementioned
institutions’ annual reports, the NCAA Division III Membership Committee agreed
that each institution had conducted its athletics program in full compliance
with NCAA regulations and should be granted active membership.
b. Huntingdon College.
(1) Recommendation. That Huntingdon College repeat year
four of the provisional membership process. In addition, the committee recommends that the institution receive
a waiver of NCAA Bylaw 3.6.1.2.1, which requires the third and fourth years of
provisional membership be completed consecutively. The waiver would allow the institution to repeat only year
four of the provisional membership process.
(2) Rationale. Huntingdon College was not in
compliance with all Division III legislation during the 2002-03 academic
year. Full compliance is required
by the provisional membership process, inasmuch as the institution is in its
fourth year of provisional membership.
Based on information provided by the institution in its annual report,
the institution did not meet the minimum sports sponsorship of five men’s
sports. The committee noted that
while the annual report declared men’s tennis as a sponsored sport, the
institution did not compete in any matches during the academic year; thus, the
institution did not meet the minimum required contests with the minimum number
of participants in the required five men’s sports. In addition, the institution exceeded the permissible number
of contests in the sports of men’s basketball and women’s volleyball. Finally, the institution did not
respond to all the questions listed on the annual report confirmation sheet, as
the institution did not confirm that the sports sponsorship summary was
completed accurately and completely.
c. Provisional
Member Annual Reports – Final Year of Provisional Membership.
(1) Recommendation. That the following institutions be
moved forward into their final year of provisional membership:
(a) Alverno College; and
(b) Transylvania University.
(2) Rationale. On its review of the aforementioned
institutions’ annual reports, the committee agreed that each institution should
be moved forward into its final year of provisional membership.
d. Provisional
Member Annual Reports – Second Year of Provisional Membership.
(1) Recommendation. That the following institution be moved
into its second year of provisional membership:
● Spelman College.
(2) Rationale. Based on its review of the
aforementioned institution’s annual report, the committee agreed that the
institution should be moved forward into its second year of provisional
membership.
e. Provisional
Member Annual Reports – First Year of Provisional Membership.
(1) Recommendation. That the following institutions be
moved into their first year of provisional membership:
(a) Palm Beach Atlantic University.
(b) University of Texas at Tyler.
(c) Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College.
(d) University of Maine at Presque Isle.
(e) Finlandia University; and
(f) Mount Mary College.
(2) Rationale. Based on the results of the lottery
selection, the committee agreed that each institution should be moved into its
first year of provisional membership.
f. Reclassification
Request – First Year of Reclassification.
(1) Recommendation. That the following institutions be
moved into their first year of reclassification:
(a) Dallas Baptist University; and
(b) University of Minnesota, Morris.
(2) Rationale. On its review of the aforementioned
institutions’ application, the committee agreed that each institution should be
moved into its first year of reclassification.
g. Review Emmanuel
College (Massachusetts) Sports Sponsorship Waiver Application.
(1) Recommendation. That Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)
be granted a sports sponsorship waiver per NCAA Constitution 3.2.4.10.5 for
men’s sports for the 2002-03 year.
(2) Rationale. Emmanuel (Massachusetts) submitted a
waiver requesting relief from Constitution 3.2.4.10.5. The institution is in its second year
as a co-educational school and, although the institution has added men’s
soccer, men’s volleyball and men’s outdoor track for a total of six men’s
varsity sports, the institution has a limited pool of males (200) from which to
select for participation in athletics.
The committee reviewed the sports sponsorship waiver application
submitted by Emmanuel (Massachusetts) and supported the institution being
granted the waiver. The 2002-03
year is the last year that Emmanuel (Massachusetts) is eligible for a waiver of
sports sponsorship per Constitution 3.2.4.10.6.
h. Offers of
Financial Aid for Multidivisional Institutions.
(1) Recommendation. The committee recommends that the
Management Council not approve Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ request for a
waiver of Bylaw 20.7.1.2.1.
(2) Rationale. Hobart and William Smith Colleges
elevated the sport of men’s lacrosse to Division I in 1995, with full knowledge
of the restriction on offering athletics aid. The committee believed that there were no extenuating circumstances
to warrant relief from the bylaw.
The committee also noted that the institution could submit proposed
legislation to allow a Division III institution conducting a sport at the Division
I level to offer athletics aid to student-athletes competing in the Division I
sport.
i. Definition
of a Conference for Contest Exemptions.
(1) Recommendation. That the Management Council issue an
interpretation that, for purposes of Bylaw 17 contest exemptions, it is not
necessary for the conference to be an NCAA conference to use the conference
championship exemption to the maximum contest limitations.
(2) Rationale. The committee reviewed Constitution 3.3
and the maximum contest exemptions for each sport in Bylaw 17. The committee believed that, consistent
with prior advice and that because the phrase “member conference” was not used,
Division II institutions should be able to take advantage of the conference
championship exemption to the maximum contest limitation in Bylaw 17, even if
the conference championship is not that of an NCAA member conference.
2. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
a. Provisional
Membership Lottery.
The committee conducted a lottery to slot exploratory institutions into
the provisional process. The
institutions were slotted to begin the provisional process in the following
years.
(1) 2004-05:
(a) Mount Aloysius
College.
(b) Crown College.
(c) Keystone College.
(d) Tri-State
University.
(e) Presentation
College; and
(f) Mitchell College.
(2) 2005-06:
(a) LaSierra University.
(b) Northwestern College.
(c) Salem College.
(d) Bethany Lutheran College.
(e) North Central University; and
(f) Purchase College.
(3) 2006-07:
● Johnson & Wales University Denver.
b. Update
on the Future of Division III. The committee received an update on the discussions
regarding the future of Division III and discussed the legislative concepts
under active consideration. In its
discussions, the committee noted its concern about increasing the minimum
sports sponsorship requirements when so many institutions are facing difficult
economic conditions. In addition,
the committee stated its concern that multidivision membership was contrary to the
Division III philosophy. Finally,
the committee believed that limiting the numbers of permissible coaches would
not be beneficial, and the number of coaches hired should be left to the
discretion of each institution.
c. Operations
Plan.
The committee updated its operations plan for the coming year.
d. NCAA
Division III Membership Education. The committee recommended altering the
current schedule of Division III regional compliance seminars. During the 2003-04 academic year, a
Division III mini-rules seminar will be presented at the conclusion of the 2004
NCAA Convention, and there will not be any Division III sessions offered at the
May 2004 regional compliance seminar in Anaheim, California. The Division III regional compliance
seminars will continue to be offered at the May and June 2004 sites in Indianapolis,
Indiana, and New York City, New York, respectively.