MINUTES OF THE
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
DIVISION III PRESIDENTS COUNCIL
Participants:
David L. Beckley,
Richard Flynn,
John Fry,
Pamela Gann,
Marcia Keizs,
James Moseley,
John Nazarian,
Ivory Nelson,
Miriam R. Pride,
Richard Torgenson,
Paul Trible,
Richard Wells,
Frank Arredondo, NCAA
Matt Banker, NCAA
Jack Copeland, NCAA
Gayle Davis, NCAA
Daniel T. Dutcher, NCAA
Jay Jones, NCAA
Jennifer Kearns, NCAA
Debbie Kresge, NCAA, recording secretary
Shana Levine, NCAA
Leah Nilsson, NCAA
Michael Miranda, Division III Management Council chair; and Val
Cushman, Division III Management Council vice-chair, also were in
attendance. Myles Brand, NCAA
president; Elsa Cole, NCAA general counsel; Joni Comstock, NCAA; and Bernard
Franklin, senior vice president for governance and membership, attended
portions of the meeting. Deborah
Stanley, president of State University of New York at
[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 Council'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.]
The meeting was called to order at 10:31 a.m. by the chair, President Nelson. All members were present as noted above.
1. Announcements. Nelson welcomed the Council members and staff.
2. Review Roster, Future Meeting Schedule, and the Division III Newsletter. The Council reviewed the documents, noting no action.
3. Previous Minutes. The Council reviewed the minutes of the October 26 Presidents Council meeting; the October 26 Executive Committee meeting; and the November 6, November 10, December 4 and December 5, 2006, Administrative Committee actions.
It was VOTED
“That the minutes of the October 26 Presidents
Council meeting and the November 6, November 10, December 4 and December 5,
Administrative Committee actions, be approved as distributed.”
4. October 26 NCAA Executive Committee Meeting. The Council reviewed the minutes of the October 26 Executive Committee meeting.
5. Report of the January 5 Division III Management Council Meeting.
a. Division III Committees. The Council
(1) Budget Committee.
(a) 2005-06 Budget-to-actual. Accepted the information that the fourth quarter results for 2005-06 include $16,600,000 in revenue and $16,319,212 in expenses. Expenses increased approximately $2.7 million or 20 percent over the prior year. This is a result of
the team automatic qualification enhancements and the additional $5 per diem increase that were in effect for this fiscal year. The Student-Athlete Leadership Conference was over budget by approximately $113,000 due to increased attendance and programming from prior years. Because this budget has not been adjusted since the inception of the program in 2001, the Division III Budget committee has discussed an increase to this budget for 2007-08 in the amount of $180,000. The 2005-06 fiscal year was officially closed in October and resulted in a surplus for the year of approximately $1.5 million for championships and $280,000 for nonchampionships programs, which have been added back into the Division III reserve balance. The reserve balance has been increased to $11.3 million.
(b) 2006-07 Budget-to-actual. Accepted the information that the first quarter results of 2006-07 include $17,093,400 in revenue and $3,155,067 in expenses. Many of the grant payments went out the beginning of the fiscal year; however, championship expenses have just begun. There is an additional increase to per diem this year of $5. This is also the first year for the new reserve policy, maintaining 10 percent of the Division III revenue allocation as a mandated reserve level. The anticipated reserve balance at the end of this fiscal year is approximately $9.25 million.
(c) Six-year Projections. Accepted the information that the schedule includes the actual results and budget projections from 2004 through 2010. Fiscal years 2004-05 and 2005-06 contain actual expenses. With the inclusion of approved budget initiatives for 2006-07 and 2007-08, the projected reserve balance in 2010 is $4.38 million. In 2008-2010, there are no new initiatives included in the budget figures, so any approved future initiatives will further reduce the reserve balance. The projections reflect the new reserve policy starting in 2006-07 which mandates a minimum reserve balance of 10 percent of the Division III revenue allocation.
(2) Financial Aid Committee.
(a) Financial Aid Reporting Process – Level I Review. Accepted the information that the committee reviewed 91 institutional financial aid reports based on the four percent variance threshold and three new filters. NCAA staff originally identified 118 institutions for
Level I reviews but 27 Level I review cases that were solely triggered by the new sport-group filter were removed from Level I based on a recommendation from an NCAA research consultant and NCAA research staff to further refine this filter before implementing it in future reporting years.
(b) 2006-07 Division III Financial Aid Reporting Process. Accepted the information that the committee reviewed the reporting process timeline and noted educational outreach sessions, including the Faculty Athletics Representatives Fall Forum in November 2006, the NCAA Regional Rules Seminars in May and June 2007, the National Association of collegiate Director of Athletics Convention in June 2007, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators Convention in July 2007 and the National Association of college Admissions counselors convention in September 2007. the committee identified future points of emphasis for educating the Division III membership on financial aid including further explanation of the four-percent variance threshold and the new Level I review filters, the impact and role of NCAA enforcement services in the reporting process and the legislative prohibition against the consideration of athletics ability, participation or performance in leadership or extracurricular activities when determining financial aid packages.
(c) Update on 2005-06 Case Reviews and Role of Enforcement. Accepted the information that the committee determined that seven of the 25 institutions originally forwarded to enforcement were found to be in compliance with Division III financial aid legislation on receipt of additional clarifying institutional-packaging policy information. The committee requested that any institution required by NCAA enforcement services to revise its institutional financial aid packaging policy provide a copy of the revised policy to NCAA enforcement services and for the Financial Aid Committee’s review, on request. The committee also recommended that NCAA enforcement services establish a deadline prior to the start of the subsequent reporting-process cycle for institutions to satisfy all enforcement penalties and corrective actions for financial aid violations originating from the previous reporting-process cycle.
(d) Guidance to Institutions Submitting Level II Written Justifications. Accepted the information that the committee discussed how to better articulate expectations for Level II review responses. The committee noted that a Level II review template is being provided to all institutions under a Level II review. The template outlines several standard questions for institutions to answer as it produces its Level II review written justification for final aid variance. In addition to the questions in the template, the NCAA staff will also forward specific questions identified by the committee for institutional response. Finally, the committee recommended that the NCAA staff continue to consult institutional staff members working on its institution’s Level II written justification by providing, as necessary, sample written justifications that clearly and thoroughly articulate answers to committee questions from the 2005-06 Level II review as an additional reference for institutions producing their Level II written justification for the 2006-07 Level II review.
(e) Committee Communication to Division III Membership. Accepted the information that the committee reviewed a draft memorandum outlining the confidentiality policies in place for the reporting process and the implications for institutions of sharing their financial aid variance and final detailed report with other institutions. The committee recommended that communication be made in spring 2007. The committee also recommended that a communication be made before January 2007 to Division III admissions directors and financial aid directors to ensure institutional representatives overseeing admission and financial aid packaging decisions are reminded that athletics ability, participation or performance may be considered in admission decisions but may not be considered for financial aid packaging decisions.
(3) The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
· Division III Working Group on Membership Issues. Accepted the recommendation by SAAC to include a SAAC member on the Division III Working Group on Membership Issues. Kayla Hinkley was appointed to serve in this capacity.
6. 2007 NCAA Convention. The Council:
a. Proposal No. 6-1 – Amendment-to-Amendment. Approved the recommendation to oppose 2007 Convention Proposal No. 6-1, noting the loss of opportunity for female student-athletes when male practice players are used with any frequency at required athletically related activities.
b. Parliamentary Issues. Approved the draft memo regarding mootnicity and related parliamentary issues. The Council also noted that if Proposal No. 6-1 is adopted, it will move to refer Proposal No. 6 back to the Council.
c. Speaker Assignment and Position Papers. Reviewed and approved speaker assignments and position papers, requesting updates on papers for Proposal Nos. 2, 4 and 8.
7. General Issues. The Council:
a. 2007 Management Council and Presidents Council Committee/Subcommittee Assignments. Approved the 2007 Association-wide and Division III Committee assignments.
b. Executive Committee Working Groups – International Membership and Membership Issues. Received updates on the two Executive Committee Working Groups discussing the following membership issues.
(1) International Membership. The Executive Committee Working Group will forward to the Executive Committee a recommendation to establish a pilot program to permit membership access for a limited number of Canadian institutions. It also will recommend a 10-year period for the provisional pilot process. The pilot will include the submission of annual reports and oversight by the Membership Committee in each respective division. Each division must adopt enabling legislation to permit the pilot program in that division.
(2) Membership Issues. An Executive Committee Working Group on Membership Issues is being developed to review Association-wide and Division III membership growth issues, and the possibility of a subdivision of Division III or the creation of a new NCAA division. The group will include broad representation from each division. The time frame for this committee is two years; with formal models to be presented at the 2008 Convention and legislation voted on at the 2009 Convention.
Specific logistics for this committee have not been determined.
The Council endorsed the recommendation of the Administrative Committee to establish a Division III Working Group on Membership Issues, to address the Division III components of the Association-wide membership study to be established by the Executive Committee.
8. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 1:53 p.m.
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