A G E N D A

MINUTES OF THE

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

DIVISION III MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort January 26-27, 2006

Phoenix, Arizona

Participants:

Christyn Chambers, Swarthmore College

Page Cotton, DePauw University

Kristen Hall, Bard College

Susan Hoffman, State University College at Brockport

Mark Majeski, Willamette University

William Mandel, Western New England College, chair

Chris Martin, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin

Christopher Ragsdale, University of La Verne

Ellen Ferris, NCAA

Leah Nilsson, NCAA, recording secretary

Susan Peal, NCAA

Caitlin Collier, Menlo College, was unable to attend. Bridget Belgiovine, NCAA, attended portions of the meeting in-person; and Dan Dutcher, NCAA, attended portions of the meeting via teleconference.

[Note: These minutes contain only actions taken (formal votes or stated “sense of the meeting”) in accordance with NCAA policy regarding minutes of all Association entities. While certain items on the committee’s agenda were acted on at various times throughout the meeting, all final actions within a given topic are combined in these minutes for convenience of reference.]

Thursday, January 26

The NCAA Division III Membership Committee meeting was called to order at 8:15 a.m. by the chair, Mr. Mandel. All members were present as noted above.

1. Welcome and Announcements. Mr. Mandel welcomed the committee to the meeting and all members introduced themselves.

2. Membership Committee Roster. The committee reviewed the roster and updated contact information as needed.

3. Review November 17, 2005, Teleconference Minutes. The committee reviewed the minutes from the November 17 teleconference.

It was VOTED

“That the minutes of the November 17 teleconference be approved as distributed.”

4. Committee Policies and Procedures. Mr. Mandel presented the new committee policies and procedures guide to the committee and solicited feedback for any revisions or suggestions to the document. Committee discussion included updating the review standards for annual reports to specifically mention satisfaction of minimum and maximum contest requirements for the past year, satisfaction of sports sponsorship and meeting attendance requirements. The committee also recommended the addition of a section describing the mentoring program and one describing the number of meetings committee members should attend each year (e.g., exploratory session, provisional year one orientation, NCAA Convention education session). Ms. Peal discussed the committee orientation call that was conducted for new committee members prior to this meeting. The committee was given the orientation packet to provide feedback on the supplemental materials.

5. Review of 2006 Convention Adopted Proposals. Ms. Nilsson presented recently adopted proposals that impact the area of membership. In review of 2006 Convention Proposal No. 6, Ms. Hall raised the issue of many institutions not understanding that an institution does not have to meet contest minimums if that sport is not needed to meet the five-sport/three-season requirement. This issue should be explained in an educational column (to be included in the commissioners monthly update) and in the compliance corner of the NCAA Division III Newsletter, including the note that, based on the Division III philosophy statement, institutions are still encouraged to meet the contest requirements. In review of Proposal No. 19, it was suggested that additional notice or warning be given to institutions when the Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) deadline approaches to address concern that this report may be overlooked in the case of personnel turnover. Alerting the conference commissioner may be an additional way to highlight ISSG deadlines.

a. Conference Self-Study Guide (CSSG). Ms. Peal presented a draft version of the CSSG and suggested the establishment of a working group to further refine the

language, content, format and signature requirement of the document. Composition of the working group shall include Mr. Martin, Mr. Mandel and Mr. Ragsdale. The group discussed adding discussion points at the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Regional Leadership Conference, attendance at the NCAA Regional Seminars and professional development of conference personnel. To educate the Division III membership about the importance (and content) of the CSSG, the committee recommended publishing an article tying together the CSSG and the conference grant program in The NCAA News and Division III Newsletter.

b. NCAA Executive Committee Working Group – Study Membership Issues. Mr. Dutcher joined the meeting via teleconference and discussed the referral of 2006 Convention Proposal No. 12 to the NCAA Executive Committee. Mr. Dutcher noted the composition of the Executive Committee working group on membership issues has been established, including three presidents from Divisions II and III (including Dale Knoble of Dennison University, John Fry of Franklin and Marshall College and Rick Wells from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh) and one Division I president (Mike Adams from the University of Georgia). The Membership Committee will not have direct representation on this working group but is encouraged to forward membership growth recommendations to the working group. The working group’s final report is due at the 2007 Convention, noting a practical deadline of summer 2006 so the membership has a chance to submit related proposals in accordance with the July 15 legislative deadline.

The committee expressed nonsupport of Proposal No. 12 as written and forwarded the following options for the working group’s consideration:

(1) Consider further limitation on the provisional class size of six to better match the attrition rate of Division III (one or two institutions per year);

(2) Consider tightening the standards applied to exploratory and provisional members to further limit which institutions may begin the process. It was noted that historically, the provisional approach has been to forward all institutions that meet basic membership requirements. It was suggested that a more holistic review be given to entering institutions to assess readiness to comply with the philosophy statement and all requirements (over basic membership minimums) and to determine a rank order for institutions to enter the program. Additional ranking criteria could include sponsorship by active conferences or location in an area that needs or can support new members. Further, standards for provisional applicants could be strengthened to require compliance with the five-(six) sport/three-season requirement at the time of application, compliance with

minimum contest and participant minimums in the first year of provisional membership and/or a year-one submission of the financial aid annual electronic report;

(3) Review the long-term divisional structure in the NCAA, noting the 2004 Future of Division III survey results where the Division III membership opposed subdivision;

(4) Review resource issues in Division III to determine if there is an optimal size of the Division. This review should consider the division’s annual revenue guarantee of 3.18 percent of the NCAA budget, as well as national office programs and services. This review should consider the actual cost to the division of each member (and each additional member) and the most appropriate championships structure for the division based on its philosophy statement. The committee noted that this issue was probed in the 2004 membership survey where overwhelming support of the current championships structure was expressed;

(5) Consider the changing demographics in the United States and related trends in higher education (e.g., the increased number of four-year colleges, increased enrollment at existing colleges and single-gender institutions transitioning to coeducational);

(6) Consider more aggressive screening of active members for their commitment to the Division III philosophy statement and meeting all membership and legislative requirements. It should not be assumed that all active members should be allowed to stay in the division at the expense of potential new members who may be a better fit for Division III; and

(7) Consider raising membership dues as a way to address any constraint on Division III resources and services and as a way to pursue long-term options to address membership issues. [The committee noted the discrepancy between conference and NCAA dues.]

c. Conference Realignment. Ms. Nilsson noted to the group that with the adoption of 2006 Convention Proposal No. 15, the committee is likely to see an increased number of conference applications in the coming years.

6. Review Current Provisional/Reclassifying Member Program.

a. Review Current Roster of Provisional and Exploratory Members. The committee reviewed the list of provisional and exploratory members through the fall 2008 class. The roster will be updated to mark those institutions that have been required to repeat a year of provisional or reclassifying process.

b. Review Evaluations from Year-Two Visits. The committee reviewed evaluations from the 2005 provisional year-two visits and will continue to explore the appropriate length and format of the coach’s education session and length of time spent with the administrative staff. The committee should consider a format to provide more face time between the visiting team and key athletics personnel.

c. Review 2006 Convention Provisional/Reclassifying Member Education Session. Ms. Ferris reminded the committee of the format of the Convention education session by reviewing the agenda. It was noted that some provisional institutions expressed dissatisfaction with the format of the session. Suggestions for the session include changing it to a breakfast preceding the Sunday issues forum focusing on the Convention as opposed to provisional membership issues. The committee noted it would need to ask the NCAA Division III Management Council to consider moving back the issues forum by 30 minutes to accommodate this breakfast. An additional suggestion is to require that if the content is not new to all participants, there should be breakout sessions for each class.

It was VOTED

“That this issue be tabled until the February conference call. The committee shall gather feedback from provisional members regarding the value of having such a Convention session (consideration for both athletics administration and chancellors or presidents), the want for direct contact with the committee or staff, the recommended format and content for the session and the value of attending other Convention offerings.”

d. Four-Year Provisional/Reclassifying Waiver Process. Ms. Nilsson presented the revised waiver provision in NCAA Constitution 3.6.1.1.1.1 to show the updated language requiring submission of the preliminary program assessment with the waiver request. Further, the committee considered a letter from the University of Texas at Tyler informing them that the institution plans to submit a request to establish a waiver provision for year four of the program. After a discussion of the provisional membership process, the committee reaffirmed its original position about the value of two consecutive years of full compliance prior to the verification

year and that the only waiver provision will be for those institutions meeting waiver requirements at the end of year two.

e. Secondary Infractions Reporting Process. Ms. Ferris presented the updated secondary infractions reporting process for the committee’s information.

f. Mentoring Program. Committee members provided an update of their relationship with their mentees and generally provided positive feedback on the program. A suggestion was made to add a question on the annual report for the institution to describe their use of the mentor program. Ms. Peal solicited volunteers to fill vacant assignments, as follows:

(1) Northwestern College (Minnesota)- Mr. Majeski;

(2) Presentation College - Ms. Chambers;

(3) Crown College - Mr. Cotton;

(4) Mount Aloysius College - Mr. Mandel;

(5) Mount Mary College - Mr. Ragsdale;

(6) University of Texas at Tyler - Ms. Hall; and

(7) University of Minnesota, Morris - Ms. Hoffman.

7. Consider New Provisional/Reclassifying Member Requirements. The committee considered the following new practices:

a. Exploratory – Strategic Plan Requirement – Division I Example. The committee saw value in this requirement so the institution is more likely to meet membership requirements in year one as a result of the planning process. The committee would like to title this “membership viability statement” and include it with the application for provisional membership and in the curriculum for the exploratory meeting;

b. Sport Sponsorship Requirements – Prior to Year One. The committee discussed the impact the viability statement will have on improving sports sponsorship performance of provisional members. Further, the committee considered the value of elevating provisional membership standards (including sports sponsorship prior to the start of year one) and then shortening the four-year program. This item is

included in the committee’s recommendations to the Executive Committee Working Group on Membership Issues. Increased requirements should also include meeting contest and participant minimums earlier in the program. It may be helpful for the working group to understand average squad size for individual sports to assess trends across regions or sports. The committee noted that increased sports sponsorship at the time of application and earlier requirements for meeting contest and participant minimums should be included with the 2006 Convention Proposal No. 12 recommendations;

c. Financial Audit per Constitution 6.2.3. Ms. Peal asked the committee if the provisional and reclassifying annual report should include verification that the institution’s athletics department is included in the regular institutional financial audit, as it is required of active members. The committee agreed to add this item to the annual report; and

d. NCAA Regional Seminars. Ms. Peal presented Division II Regional Seminars practices for provisional members:

(1) Session Sign In. The committee did not see value in making provisional members sign into seminar sessions and did not adopt this policy; and

(2) Exploratory Attendance. The committee determined that exploratory members should be invited to attend the seminars but it should not be required. Further, future dates and sites should be distributed to exploratory members so they can make the most appropriate and affordable travel plans.

Friday, January 27

The meeting reconvened and was called to order at 8:30 a.m. All members were present as noted above.

8. Review Year Three Preliminary Program Assessments.

a. Mount Mary College. The committee reviewed Mount Mary’s program assessment and requested that Mount Mary address the following issues:

(1) Verify that the faculty athletics representative is not a coaching staff member;

(2) Governance and institutional control – describe the process used to complete the most recent ISSG;

(3) Governance and institutional control – further explain question A4: How is the chancellor or president kept informed of athletics matters and issues? Who performs this responsibility and how often;

(4) Governance and institutional control - submit policy or process for investigating and reporting NCAA violations;

(5) Governance and institutional control – describe the process for providing NCAA rules education to athletics and nonathletics institutional staff (e.g., registrar, admissions, financial aid);

(6) Recruiting – describe the process the institution uses to evaluate its recruiting policies; and

(7) Admissions and academic eligibility – describe how the institution educates student-athletes regarding outside competition regulations.

The committee recommended that Mount Mary consider the following: increasing its overall number of student-athletes, using compliance software (e.g., NCAA Compliance Assistant internet, Peoplesoft), adding visits or involving student-athletes in hosting prospects, including compliance responsibilities in the job descriptions and evaluations for nonathletics employees.

b. University of Texas at Tyler. The committee reviewed the University of Texas at Tyler’s program assessment and requested the University of Texas at Tyler address the following issues:

(1) Governance and institutional control - submit policy or process for investigating and reporting NCAA violations; and

(2) Financial aid - submit written procedures to ensure consistent financial aid packaging for students and student-athletes.

9. Revoking Multidivision Classification. The committee reviewed State University College at Oneonta’s application to revoke multidivisional status for its men’s soccer program, noting that the institution shall be considered for active Division III membership in the fall of 2008.

It was VOTED

“To accept Oneonta State’s application to revoke multidivisional status for its men’s soccer program.”

10. Membership Penalty Chart. Ms. Hall discussed the inconsistency in penalties for the submission of different required reports and the difficulty for members to track on the different penalties. Ms. Peal will update the penalty chart with the team sport score reporting process and use the document as an educational resource for provisional and active members.

It was VOTED

“That the penalty for late submission of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System Graduation-Rate Survey and Sports Sponsorship Institutional Demographic Report mirror that for late submission of the financial aid annual electronic report.[LMN1]

11. Division III Strategic Initiatives Grant Program. Ms. Peal provided the committee with information regarding distribution of Division III initiative grant funds through conferences offices.

12. Division III Strategic Plan. The committee reviewed its initiatives and implementation progress as noted in the Division III strategic plan. In its review, the committee discussed education of Division III coaches. The committee discussed the value of the coach’s test and that provisional members are required to take the test. It was also suggested that a coach-targeted chapter be added to the “Getting in the Game” CD Rom. This chapter would highlight key bylaws for coaches to understand. The memorandum accompanying the CD Rom will highlight the educational resources the NCAA produces for coaches (e.g., rules test, pocket recruiting guide, Division III Web site).

It was VOTED

“That the National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators (NADIIIAA), National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletics Administrators be solicited for feedback regarding mandating the coach’s test be completed annually by all Division III

coaches. These groups shall be asked about the value in this requirement as well as recommendations for administrative policies.

Further, the committee requested that the NCAA Division III Strategic Planning Subcommittee elaborate on its request to survey the membership on education and communication efforts in Sections 2.1 and 3.1 of the strategic plan.”

13. Division II Summit Recap. Ms. Peal provided the committee with an update on the Division II membership summit, noting that representatives from each division’s membership committee (or subcommittee) attended this summit and all gained a greater understanding of membership issues from an Association-wide perspective. The summit provided an opportunity for all divisional representatives to learn more about issues surrounding the potential Division III membership cap, as well as to discuss best practices and membership challenges for all divisions.

14. Review of Institutions Not Meeting Sports Sponsorship Requirements. The committee completed a mid-year review of institutions that have been granted waivers for not meeting sport sponsorship requirements as submitted for the 2005-06 academic year and of those institutions not meeting sports sponsorship requirements.

The committee considered a sports sponsorship waiver request from Wells College which is a single-gender institution transitioning to coeducational.

It was VOTED

“To grant a sports sponsorship waiver to Wells as they transition from a single-gender institution to coeducational. The waiver shall be applied until the fall of 2008.”

15. Membership Waiver Report. Ms. Nilsson presented a chart of membership waivers adopted since June 1998. The committee requested that an updated chart be presented at the January meeting each year.

16. Active Member Education.

a. Annual Review of Division III Membership Education and Communication Plan. Ms. Peal presented a document outlining the active member education and

communication plan. The plan was unveiled to the membership at the 2005 NCAA Convention. It was noted that the CSSG be added to the plan.

b. 2006 Regional Seminars. Ms. Peal presented the format for the Division III programming at the 2006 NCAA Regional Seminars, noting the following dates and sites for the 2006 seminars: May 14-19 in San Diego, California; and June 4-9 in Dallas, Texas. Division III sessions will encompass a half day Sunday and a full day Monday at each of the two locations and the Dallas site will include the summer forum of National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) as well as the Division III commissioners’ meeting.

(1) Division III Sessions. Ms. Peal presented the 2006 topics to include the following: introduction to playing and practice seasons, advanced playing and practice seasons, recruiting, camps and clinics, eligibility and transfers, financial aid, using LSDBi, newly adopted legislation and governance issues and an open question and answer session (to include a panel discussion on any rules or governance topics).

(2) NADIIIAA Convention. It was noted that Ms. Hoffman serves as the committee liaison to NADIIIAA for the educational session to be held in conjunction with regional seminars. The governance structure is waiting to receive a plan for this session from NADIIIAA. Session ideas discussed at the meeting included impact of membership growth issues, communication and education for coaches and compliance system best practices.

c. Best Practices. Ms. Peal discussed the content of the best practices CD Rom, noting that institutions should continue to submit best practices via the NCAA Web site.

d. Model Athletics Program - Division II Example. Ms. Peal presented the Division II model athletics department and conference documents for the committee to consider establishing in Division III. The committee indicated that any Division III document should include demographic information about Division III, including average budgets, enrollment, squad sizes, sports sponsored and number (and percent) of student-athletes in the student body. The committee saw value in the guiding principle portion of the program but determined the diversity of Division III may render other sections less useful. It was requested that the committee look at this document again in June when it reviews the 2006-07 academic year ISSG. It was noted that this document could help exploratory members better understand the Division III profile when deciding to pursue membership. At a minimum, the committee supports using Division III resources to regularly update the membership

report developed by Dick Rasmussen, commissioner of the University Athletic Association.

e. Division III Web site. Ms. Peal updated the group on the current status of the Division III Web site where all key divisional documents have been placed on one page, including several key educational resources. It was suggested that the Division III page could be used as a forum to solicit survey-like responses from active members.

17. New Meeting Policy. Ms. Nilsson presented the updated NCAA meeting policy, noting that it is now required that 66 percent of meetings be held in Indianapolis.

18. Future In-Person Meetings.

a. June 22-23, 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana; and

b. January 25-26; 2007. Requested locations include San Jose, Portland, San Antonio and Albuquerque.

19. Set Future Teleconference Schedule.

a. 1:30 p.m. Eastern time February 9;

b. 1:30 p.m. Eastern time March 9;

c. 1: 30 p.m. Eastern time April 13; and

d. 1:30 p.m. Eastern time May 11.

20. Other Business.

a. Mr. Mandel was assigned to be the new membership committee representative to the Management Council Convention Planning Subcommittee.

b. Ms. Peal announced that the NCAA Division III Championships Committee will now consider reclassifying institutions as Division III opponents during reclassifying years three and four.

c. Ms. Peal announced the status of Finlandia University’s provisional timeline waiver, noting that the institution is still waiting for the final results of its financial aid electronic report, thus its waiver is still pending.

21. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 1:35 p.m.

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