Take a trip down Memory Lane. Only the last 100 archived entries are shown below, but you can use the monthly archive links or the search box to dive deeper.
Archives
Catching a break
The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver of NCAA Bylaw 20.8.1 for the 2009-10 academic year to permit institutions eligible for national collegiate championships in sports that have two-thirds of the membership in one division to follow NCAA rules of the institution's division. Currently, all sports that have the national collegiate championships as the postseason opportunity include two-thirds Division I members. It has come to the attention of the NCAA staff that Divisions II and III members have not been complying with the requirement in Bylaw 20.8.1 for several years. Thus, the blanket waiver only impacts Divisions II and III institutions; however, since this is a common legislative provision that applies to all three divisions, a blanket waiver in each division is necessary. The subcommittee noted the blanket waiver is appropriate to provide some flexibility for the 2009-10 academic year while the membership discusses solutions for this issue (e.g., legislative proposal to amend the rule, communicate compliance is required). To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 12273 on LSDBi.
About that waiver for the junior national team
Remember those five-year clock waivers that could be granted under NCAA 14.2.1.4 for junior-level participation?
"The NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff and committee will no longer be granting athletics activities waivers for junior-level participation....[A]lthough institutions may have been granted athletics activities waivers for student-athletes based on junior-level participation in previous years, future waivers submitted for consideration involving participation that occurs beginning in the 2009-10 academic year will be denied inasmuch as they do not meet the legislated participation requirements."
LSDBi has the details.
A couple of eligibility interps
Fourth Season of Eligibility for Nonqualifier in a Five-Year Program (I)
Date Published: September 17, 2009
Type: Staff Interpretation
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that a fourth season of intercollegiate competition may be granted to a student-athlete who is a nonqualifier and whose designated degree program is identified in the institution's official catalog as a five-year program or otherwise requires the completion of a minimum of 150-semester or 225-quarter hours, provided that at the beginning of the fifth academic year following the student-athlete's initial, full-time collegiate enrollment, the student-athlete has successfully completed at least 67 percent of his or her designated degree program. [References: NCAA Bylaws 14.3.3.1 (fourth season of competition -- not a qualifier) and 14.4.3.2.1 (five-year degree program)]
Administration of Hardship Waiver for Transfer Student-Athletes (I)
Date Published: September 17, 2009
Type: Official Interpretation
The committee determined that in applying the hardship waiver legislation to a student-athlete who suffers an injury or illness while attending an NCAA Division II or Division III institution and later transfers to a Division I institution, the legislation of the division in which the injury or illness occurred or the Division I legislation may be used. The application of a particular division's legislation must include all the applicable elements of that division's legislation, as opposed to selected elements of the legislation of each division. [References: NCAA Bylaws 14.2.4 (hardship waiver) and 14.2.4.3.6.3 (transfer student-athletes); and staff interpretation (9/17/09, item b), which has been archived]
Equestrians and amateurism
We don't have the sport in the Pac-10, but for the sake of completeness, there's a new EdCol about equestrian and amateurism.
Flash News
Planning on sending your media guide to prospects on a CD or flash drive? Better read this.
(Note: As long as the hamburger at left isn't edible, this drive is probably okay.)
Friday interps
One official, two from the staff:
Contract or Commitment to Participate on a Team and Perform other Duties (I)
Date Published: September 4, 2009
Type: Official Interpretation
The committee confirmed that if an individual signs a contract or commitment with an athletics organization (e.g., club) in which the individual agrees to participate on a team and perform other duties (e.g., coaching the same or another team in the club system) and the contract or commitment does not specify the amount of compensation to be received for each activity, all compensation provided as part of the contract or commitment must be included when determining whether the team on which the individual participated provided any of its players more than actual and necessary expenses. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 12.02.4 (professional athletics team) and 12.2.5 (contracts and compensation)]
Criteria for a Repeated Course to be Acceptable for Initial-Eligibility Certification (I)
Date Published: September 4, 2009
Type: Staff Interpretation
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that to be acceptable for initial-eligibility certification, a repeated course (including credit recovery) must be substantially comparable, qualitatively and quantitatively (e.g., content, textbook, assessments, duration), to the previously attempted course. [Reference: NCAA Division I Bylaw 14.3.1.2.8 (repeat courses)]
Criteria for Determining Seasons of Competition for Prospective Student-Athletes Presenting Secondary School Credentials from Countries with Multiple Tiers of Secondary School Education (I)
Date Published: September 4, 2009
Type: Staff Interpretation
The academic and membership affairs staff determined the following parameters apply for purposes of identifying the expected date of high school graduation pursuant to the seasons-of-competition legislation for prospective student-athletes from countries with multiple tiers of secondary school education, where successful completion of each of those tiers may equate to high school graduation.
(1) Prospective Student-Athlete Completes Secondary School in the Timeframe Prescribed by the Country's Ministry of Education.
A prospective student-athlete's expected date of graduation will advance to the date at which the prospective student-athlete's class completes each tier of the country's secondary school system, provided the prospective student-athlete completes the tier within the timeframe prescribed by the country's ministry of education.
(2) Prospective Student-Athlete Delays Completion of Secondary School Tier.
A prospective student-athlete's expected date of graduation will advance to the date at which the prospective student-athlete's class completes a tier of the country's secondary school system, even if the prospective student-athlete delays his or her completion of the tier.
(3) Prospective Student-Athlete Attempts but Does Not Successfully Complete Secondary School Tier.
If a prospective student-athlete begins a tier of the country's secondary school system, but never successfully completes the tier, the prospective student-athlete's expected date of graduation will remain the date on which the prospective student-athlete's class completed the previous tier.
The countries for which this policy applies are all multitiered leaving exam countries. This includes, but is not limited to, the United Kingdom; the University of Cambridge international exam program; New Zealand; Quebec, Canada; Scotland; the Caribbean exam countries and British patterned Africa.
[References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 14.2.3 (criteria for determining season of competition), 14.2.3.2 (tennis and swimming and diving), 14.2.3.2 (delayed enrollment -- tennis, swimming and diving, and women's volleyball), 14.3.1.2.1 (core-curriculum time limitation) and 14.3.5.5 (international academic standards)]
Discounts for PSAs at camps and clinics
Today, from LRIC:
Discounts for Camps or Clinics (I)
The committee determined that an institution may offer discounted admissions to its camps and clinics based on objective criteria unrelated to athletics abilities (e.g., registration prior to a specific date, online registration, attendance at multiple sessions), provided such discounts are published and available on an equal basis to all who qualify. [References: NCAA Bylaws 13.12.1.5 (employment of prospective student-athletes/no free or reduced admission privileges) and 13.12.1.5.1 (general rule); staff interpretation (10/29/03, Item Ref: 3); staff interpretation (6/2/89, Item Ref: h); and staff interpretation (8/26/09, Item Ref: 1), which has been archived]
EdCol--Competition in conjunction with prospects
LSDBi has an EdCol today about the rules pertaining to competition by prospects that is conducted on a college campus, and sweeps up a couple of recent interps about publicizing the event both before and after it occurs.
Easing the backup
SLR has provided some relief for prospects whose eligibility certification is stalled due to the current backlog with amateurism certification:
NCAA Division I Bylaws 12.1.1.1.3.1 (temporary certification—recruited student-athlete) and 12.1.1.1.3.2 (temporary certification—nonrecruited student-athlete). August 25, 2009. The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver to permit, for the 2009-10 academic year, recruited and nonrecruited student-athletes to engage in countable athletically related activities, except for competition, beyond the 14 day and 45 day limits noted in NCAA Bylaws 12.1.1.1.3.1 and 12.1.1.1.3.2. Student-athletes who have requested final amateur certification and who are on the institution's Institutional Request List (IRL) may engage in countable athletically related activities, except for competition, until a final amateurism certification is completed, provided the student-athlete is otherwise eligible to practice (e.g., meets initial-eligibility requirements). The subcommittee noted the blanket waiver is appropriate to provide some flexibility for the NCAA amateurism certification staff due to the high volume of urgent amateur cases (especially during the months of August and September) as a result of late registrants, delayed responses for additional information and the time required to complete amateurism certifications with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Further, the subcommittee noted that student-athletes may not compete until a final certification is complete and those student-athletes who receive a final certification that prohibits them from practicing may not use this blanket waiver. This blanket waiver only applies to amateurism certifications and does not apply to the temporary certification legislation for academic certifications in Bylaws 14.3.5.1.1 and 14.3.5.1.2. Finally, the subcommittee noted the NCAA Division I Amateurism Cabinet will review the temporary certification legislation to determine if changes to the current 14- and 45-day periods are appropriate. To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 12200 on LSDBi.
Here come the cabinet meetings
Normally we wouldn't call out the availability of a cabinet's meeting materials. But the first set of them (for the Awards, Benefits, Expenses, and Financial Aid Cabinet) is available for the September round of meetings.
If you clicked on the above link, you might have noticed that for the first time (certainly in recent memory, and maybe ever) for a Division I governance meeting the entire set of meeting materials is available in one easy-to-view-or-download PDF file.
I don't know who is responsible for this, but take a bow. And take the rest of the day off.
Book 'em, Danno
If you were looking for updates to the Division I Secondary Violations List (both Level I and Level II with prescribed penalties), this is your lucky day.
Calculating equivalencies
Calculation of Equivalencies for Lump Sum Financial Aid Awards (I)
Date Published: August 20, 2009
Type: Staff Interpretation
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that an institution that awards financial aid in terms of dollars that is not assigned to any element (i.e., lump sum amount), rather than units of aid or a fraction that represents an element of a full grant, may use the amount received by the student-athlete (numerator) and either the actual or the average cost of a student-athlete's full grant-in-aid (denominator) in calculating that student-athlete's equivalency. However, the staff determined that an institution whose policies require payment in a specific order (e.g., hierarchy of elements) for dollar awards is considered to be awarding aid assigned to an element(s) and, therefore, must use the same cost (i.e., actual or average) in both the numerator and denominator. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaw 15.5.3.2 (equivalency computations) and an official interpretation (4/23/08, Item No. 4)]
I wonder how prevalent this is.
It is upon us
The 2009-10 POPL was published today. It's produced directly from LSDBi each time it is downloaded. Therefore, the content of the publication may change each time it is accessed from the NCAA web page. As modifications or corrections are made to proposals during the sponsor modification/alternative proposal period, updates will be made to LSDBi and those changes will be reflected in the POPL.
Two high-tech interps
One from the staff, one official, both binding:
Provision of Electronic Media Guides to Prospective Student-Athletes (I)
The academic and membership affairs staff determined it is permissible for an institution to provide prospective student-athletes with a media guide on a digital media storage device (e.g., compact disc, flash drive, memory disk), provided the storage device does not include any content other than an exact reproduction of the media guide. Further, any packaging (e.g., label, insert) is limited to a reproduction of the image(s) contained on the cover of the media guide or other identification of the institution (e.g., name, logo) and the media guide (e.g., sport). Finally, storage devices used for this purpose must not exceed the minimum standard capacity necessary to store the media guide (e.g., a media guide of 103 megabytes should be stored on a standard 128 megabyte flash drive). [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.2.1 (general regulations) and 13.4.1.1 (printed recruiting materials)]
Video Materials Shown to a Prospective Student-Athlete (I)
The committee determined that an institution is not permitted to show or display a videogame (e.g., simulation of institutional contest) for a prospective student-athlete in any location (e.g., on its scoreboard), at any time (e.g., during a visit to campus). [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.4.2 (video/audio materials), 13.4.2.1 (highlight film/videotape/audio tape), 13.4.2.2 [videotapes/audio tapes/electronically produced information (nonathletics) available to all students] and 13.4.2.4 (computer recruiting presentations); and a staff interpretation (04/02/03, Item No. 1-a)]
EdCol: Football evaluations
Okay, so what about football evaluations at events organized and conducted by scholastic athletics governing bodies? A new EdCol has answers to at least some of the questions.
Keep an eye on this
From the report of last week's Board of Directors meeting:
News regarding a men’s basketball enforcement initiative.
a. Learned from the NCAA Vice President of Enforcement and a member of his staff, that given the complexity of concerns surrounding men’s basketball recruiting practices, they have taken a multi-faceted approach to seek to improve the overall environment surrounding the game.
b. Heard that the staff has spent a great deal of time reviewing recruiting practices in men’s basketball and that by talking with coaches there appears to be a common perception that current bylaws cannot be enforced regarding hiring practices and remuneration schemes designed to limit access to recruits.
c. Were informed that the enforcement and AMA staffs are working together to review interpretations of the current legislation and identify boundaries, with the ultimate goal of establishing a clear and unambiguous line regarding violations, thereby putting the membership on notice of a new direction by the enforcement staff.
[Note: The Board of Directors will receive a final series of recommendations from the enforcement staff during at its October 29, 2009, meeting, which may include both interpretative and suggested bylaw changes. The Board will be asked to support an initiative to directly address abuses and the NABC Board and CCA members will be asked to provide support as well.]
And they're off
The ink is barely dry on our spanking new NCAA Manual, and already our Manual Updates page needs, well, an update.
At its meeting last week (the report is now available), the Board of Directors adopted two pieces of legislation that are both obscure and effective immediately:
• 2009-007: Revises the definition of the NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) cohort. [Not a real big change and it doesn't change the current definition of the cohort. But it does give the Committee of Academic Performance (CAP) to change the definition without a legislative amendment.]
• 2009-008: Revises the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program (APP) penalty structure. [This proposal doesn't change the current penalty structure, but it does give the CAP the flexibility to make changes without a legislative amendment.]
Coaches' APR teleconference
The NCAA staff will host a teleconference from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, September 8 to introduce and answer questions regarding data input for the head coaches' section of the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program portal. After a short introduction to the process, staff will be available for questions. If you want to take part RSVP ksullivan@ncaa.org by Tuesday, September 1.
SCCE conference
Did you know of the existence of the Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics? Did you know it has an annual conference? Did you know it has opened up the application process for speakers at the conference?
One of the conference sessions is titled "How Did We Get into this Mess? A Micro View of Effort Reporting and Other Research Compliance Problems."
Take heart; we are not alone.
There are some interesting topics on the agenda that probably translate directly to our world and I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't something we could learn at a non-athletics-focused event.
The Board has met
The report isn't available yet, but the NCAA web site has a story. Among the highlights of yesterday's Board meeting:
• The Board took no action on Proposal 2008-046 (which adds a 14th week to the beginning of the baseball season) and Proposal 2008-059 (which adds sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women). Last month, the Legislative Council sustained its action approving both measures. Both proposals will now go to a vote of the Division I membership at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta. To overturn the measures, a five-eighths majority of those present and voting must vote to override the action of the Legislative Council.
• The Board reviewed a series of recommendations from the Basketball Academic Enhancement Group, accepted the group’s final report (there's also a summary), and is expected to sponsor specific legislative proposals related to the recommendations for consideration in the 2009-10 legislative cycle. The specific proposals will be developed in the next few months and introduced by the Board in October.
• Continuing the efforts to improve dialog between men's basketball coaches and campus officials, the Board decided to ask the NABC executive director to report twice a year to the Board on the progress of the sport and any new issues and challenges faced by the coaches.
No override love
The Division I Legislative Council sustained its approval of proposals adding sand volleyball to the emerging sports list and adding a week to the beginning of the baseball season. Unless the Board of Directors takes different action at its August 6 meeting, the Division I membership will vote on the proposals at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta.
Details are on the NCAA website.
A bit better
It's the end of July, so that means it's time for a new edition of the Pac-10 Handbook.
The big change this year is that we've switched completely from atoms to bits: we're distributing the Handbook electronically only. So visit our Pac-10 Handbook page, download your copy, and print it out (if need be).
The Handbook is a PDF file, and that makes it easy to distribute, search through, copy from, and browse (thanks to the built-in bookmarks). You can put a copy on your laptop and haul it around without the extra weight. And it also fits nicely on pocket devices such as an iPhone using software like Air Sharing, among others.
But there is one more thing....
Every year, athletics personnel up and down the west coast (who knows, maybe even nationally) wait with breathless anticipation to see what color the Handbook cover would be.
"Will it (finally) be in our school's color this year? I hope it's not in neon again."
But if there is no more hard-copy version of the Handbook, what does that mean for the cover color choice?
If, like us, you plan to print out the Handbook and stick it in a binder with a clear pocket over the front cover, then you can download the standard cover or the alternate cover from the Handbook page.
A bit of a left turn
Four items of interest from the NCAA staff, the last one being the most interesting of the bunch:
• Four-Year College Basketball Prospective Student-Athlete Participating in Voluntary Summer Workouts Conducted by Strength and Conditioning Coach (I)
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that, in basketball, it is permissible for a four-year college transfer prospective student-athlete to participate in voluntary summer workouts conducted by an institution's strength and conditioning coach, provided the prospective student-athlete has signed the institution's written offer of admission and/or financial aid. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 13.11.3.9 (voluntary summer conditioning-basketball)] [Published 7/13/2009]
• Early Qualifier Added to Squad List after Deadline for Submission of Final Transcript (I)
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that if a student-athlete who is certified as a qualifier pursuant to the early academic certification exception is added to an institution's squad list for the first time after the deadline for submission of his or her final transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center (i.e., February 1 of the same academic year if enrollment occurs in the first term or February 1 of the following academic year if enrollment occurs after the first term), the institution shall ensure submission of his or her final high school transcript (official or unofficial) to the Eligibility Center by February 1 of the next academic year. [Reference: NCAA Bylaw 14.3.1.1.1.1 (submission of final transcript)] [Published 7/13/2009]
• Publishing Results of a High School Athletics Event Held on Institution's Campus (I)
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that it is permissible for a member institution to post the results of a high school athletics event held on a member institution's campus on its institutional Web site or use other media outlets normally used by the institution to publish such results. The staff noted an institution must post complete event results and may not highlight the results of, or provide any commentary on the performance of specific participants and/or teams. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.10.5 (prospective student-athlete's visit), 13.11.1.4 (competition in conjunction with a high school, preparatory school or two-year college), 13.11.3.4 (high school, preparatory school and two-year college contests) and 13.15.1.5 (high school contest in conjunction with college competition); and staff interpretations (5/28/09, Item Nos. a and b)] [Published 7/17/2009]
• Member Institution Arranging for Media Interviews With Prospective Student-Athletes Participating in Voluntary Summer Workouts Conducted by Strength and Conditioning Coach (I)
The academic and membership affairs staff determined it is permissible for a member institution to arrange for media outlets to conduct interviews with a prospective student-athlete during the summer prior to initial full-time enrollment, provided the prospective student-athlete is on campus and permitted to participate in voluntary summer workouts conducted by an institution's strength and conditioning coach. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.10.5 (prospective student-athlete's visit), 13.11.3.8 (voluntary summer conditioning -- football), 13.11.3.9 (voluntary summer conditioning -- basketball), 15.2.8.1.4 (prior to initial, full-time enrollment at the certifying institution -- athletics aid)] [Published July 17. 2009]
Coaches APR goes live next week
The new system for tracking the APR of head coaches in selected sports goes live next week. The NCAA has posted a FAQ and instructions.
Legislative Council conference call set
The Legislative Council will hold a conference call on July 30, primarily to review its positions on Proposal 2008-046 (pertaining to the start of the traditional baseball playing season segment), and Proposal 2008-059 (which would establish sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women). The membership submitted enough override requests to trigger the review. You can pick up a copy of the meeting agenda.
Kicked back to LegCo
The override period has closed and just two proposals garnered more than 30 override requests--56 for Proposal 2008-046 (pertaining to the start of the traditional baseball playing season segment), and 63 for Proposal 2008-059 (which would establish sand volleyball as an emerging sport for women).
So a review of those two by the Legislative Council has been triggered, and we've already run through those details.
The outcome of the remainder of the proposals stands. Here's the scorecard:
Adopted Proposals 2008-012*, 2008-013-B*, 2008-015-B*, 2008-020-A, 2008-025-D, 2008-029*, 2008-034, 2008-043, 2008-052*, 2008-054, 2008-055-A, 2008-057*, 2008-062, 2008-067*, 2008-068-B, 2008-075 + 2008-075-1, 2008-077 + 2008-077-1, 2008-079 + 2008-079-1, 2009-001*, 2009-002*, 2009-003*, 2009-004*, 2009-005*, and 2009-006*.
Defeated Proposals 2008-019, 2008-020-B (moot), 2008-032-B, 2008-045, 2008-048, and 2008-051.
Asterisked proposals are effective immediately.
Basketball dead periods
July basketball recruiting has begun and that means there are dead periods on the horizon. We have reminders for both men's basketball and women's basketball.
Holiday interps
Just in time for the holiday weekend, the staff has checked in with these:
Eligibility for Institutional Athletically Related Financial Aid -- Student-Athlete Returns to Original Institution (I)
Date Published: July 1, 2009
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that a transfer student from a four-year institution who is returning to his or her original institution must have been eligible to compete in the next regular academic term had the student remained at the previous institution in order to receive athletically related financial aid during the first academic year of his or her return to the original institution. [References: Bylaws 14.5.5.4 (eligibility for institutional athletically related financial aid) and 15.01.5 (eligibility of student-athletes for institutional financial aid)]
Basketball Off-Campus Recruiting -- July Evaluation Periods (I)
Date Published: July 1, 2009
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that, in basketball, during the July evaluation periods, an institution may use either the general rule regarding the limit on the number of coaches who may recruit off campus at any one time (i.e., a replaced coach may not engage in additional recruiting activities until after he or she has returned to the institution's campus) or the exception to the general rule (i.e., a replaced coach is not required to return to the institution's campus before engaging in additional recruiting activities, provided no more than three coaches engage in off-campus recruiting activities each day). [References: NCAA Bylaws 11.7.4.3 (off-campus recruiting -- at any one time) and 11.7.4.3.1 (exception -- basketball -- July evaluation periods)]
NCAA Manual editorial revisions
LSBDi's announcements page now lists editorial revisions to the Manual due to the work of a diligent NCAA staff member or two (and you know who you are and thank you very much for that). Our Manual Updates page is now fully up to date.
Sequel
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Better than Caddyshack II, in all likelihood.
Summer interps
LRIC has given us two interps today to ponder for the summer:
Baseball Midyear Transfer Returning to Original Institution (I)
The committee determined that, in baseball, a midyear 4-4 or 4-2-4 transfer student who qualifies for the return to original institution exception to the transfer residence requirement is not eligible for competition until the ensuing academic year. [References: NCAA Bylaws 14.5.5.2 (exceptions for transfers from four-year colleges), 14.5.5.2.8 (return to original institution without participation or with minimal participation exception), 14.5.6.1 (exceptions) and 14.5.6.2 (baseball and basketball -- midyear enrollee) and staff interpretation (6/19/09, item 1), which has been archived]
Media Presence at Institutional Camps or Clinics (I)
The committee confirmed that institutions may not arrange for the media, including recruiting or scouting services, to be present at an institutional camp or clinic by inviting members of the media to attend or providing special access (e.g., access to areas not open to the general public) for the media to observe, meet or otherwise interact with prospective student-athletes. Further, the committee determined that members of the media who are present at an institutional camp or clinic may be positioned only in areas open to the general public. [References: NCAA Bylaw 13.10.5 (prospective student-athlete's visit) and staff interpretation (6/19/09, item 1), which has been archived.]
Nearly ready for launch
The NCAA Eligibility Center is launching a new portal for prospects who plan to enroll in fall 2010 and beyond. New URL: www.eligibilitycenter.org.
Access to the existing Web site will continue to be available for prospects enrolling prior to fall 2010. It will also continue to provide member institutions academic and amateurism information for fall 2009 and winter/spring 2010 enrollees.
A new portal is also coming soon for institutions; details are available via each institution’s Eligibility Center account.
The Eligibility Center will host question and answer sessions about all this via teleconference on June 25 and June 29:
New Membership Portal Q&A
4 to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Thursday, June 25
Dial-in Number: 877/874-1568; Passcode: 2486026
4 to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, June 29
Dial-in Number: 877/795-3635; Passcode: 7088645
Override fever
A story on the NCAA website notes enough override votes have been received to have the Legislative Council take another look at Proposals 2008-046 (earlier start to the baseball season) and 2008-059 (sand volleyball).
The Legislative Council will reconsider both pieces of legislation during a conference call next month. If the Council reverses its positions, the proposals will be defeated and will not be sent out for further membership comment. If the Council maintains its positions, the Division I Board of Directors will have the opportunity to review the measures at its August 6 meeting. If the Board maintains the legislation as adopted, the membership will vote on the proposals at the 2010 NCAA Convention in Atlanta.
One-time relief for noninstitutional camp employment
SLR has spoken:
NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.12.2.3.3 (other noninstitutional privately owned camps/clinics -- sports other than basketball.). June 15, 2009. The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved with conditions, a blanket waiver to permit NCAA Division I institutional athletics department personnel to serve in any capacity (e.g., counselor, guest lecturer, consultant) in a noninstitutional, privately owned camp or clinic that is not operated on the institution’s campus, within the state in which the institution is located or within a 50-mile radius of the institution’s campus. The subcommittee granted the blanket waiver request with the following conditions: (1) This is a one-time waiver request for the 2009 summer and future requests will be denied; (2) The waiver is for institutional athletics department personnel who committed (e.g., verbal agreement, written contract, etc.) prior to May 28, 2009, to serve in any capacity (e.g., counselor, guest lecturer, consultant) in a noninstitutional, privately owned camp or clinic that is not operated on the institution’s campus, within the state in which the institution is located or, if outside the state, within a 50-mile radius of campus; (3) The camps have advertised the coach’s or institutional athletics department personnel’s participation (e.g., coach’s name or name of coach’s institution is referenced in camp brochures or on camp’s online Web site, etc.); and (4) The camps must occur during one of the institution’s designated two 15-day periods for participating in camps and clinics. The subcommittee granted the request based on totality of the circumstances and coach well-being. Specifically, the subcommittee noted: (1) The demonstrated widespread misapplication of the legislation. Specifically, several Division I institutions have misapplied the football camp location restrictions as applicable only to their own institutional camps or clinics and have not extended application of this restriction to the employment of institutional athletics department personnel at noninstitutional, privately owned camps or clinics. Institutions have permitted coaches and athletics department personnel to commit to participate in noninstitutional, privately owned camps occurring outside the state of the institution and beyond a 50-miles radius of the institution’s campus; (2) The waiver only applies to those coaches or institutional athletics department personnel who committed (e.g., verbal agreement, written contract, etc.) to participate prior to the May 28, 2009, interpretation provided by NCAA staff to member conferences; (3) The institutional athletics department personnel or the camp will incur expenses related to previously booked travel and lodging if the waiver was denied; (4) The waiver only applies to those camps that have advertised the coach’s or institutional athletics department personnel’s participation; and (5) The camps are being conducted in accordance with all other restrictions applicable to institutional camps or clinics. To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 11937 on LSDBi.
What we're sponsoring
The Pac-10 Summer Meetings are over and the Council voted to sponsor six pieces of NCAA legislation. Here are the intent statements, with the caveat that a couple of these may need some massaging:
• Lodging for home contests
Eliminates the ability for institutions to provide housing at an on- or off-campus location (e.g., hotel, motel, resort) the night before a home regular season contest in all sports unless the competition site is more than 25 miles from its campus.
• Printed media guides
Eliminates publication of printed media guides, recruiting brochures, or any sport-specific publication.
• Foreign tours
Eliminates institutional and conference foreign tours in all sports.
• Non-championship segment competition
In cross-country, field hockey, women's lacrosse, soccer, softball, and volleyball, any intercollegiate competition during the non-championship segment shall count against the maximum contest/dates of competition for the championship segment.
• Contact after financial deposit
Amends NCAA 13.4.1.2.2 to change "room or tuition" deposit to a "financial" deposit.
• Dead period exception
Enables a prospect who has signed a National Letter of Intent with the institution to make an unofficial visit to that institution during a dead period. If the prospect is ineligible to sign a National Letter or Intent, such an unofficial visit may occur if the prospect signed a financial aid agreement with the institution, signed a written offer of admission with the institution, or provided a financial deposit to the institution in response to the institution’s offer of admission.
Lots of new ERs
Nine new Editorial Revisions (ER-2009-20 through ER-2009-26, ER 2009-28, E-2009-29) were approved in late May. Our Manual Updates page has the rationale for each of them.
Cross country and track and field dead period
You can pick up a reminder of the track and field and cross country dead period that occurs during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
All a-Twitter
We hear the compliance world is chirping about Twitter. (Speaking of which, follow us).
We've touched on this issue before, and our views have evolved a bit since then. We understand that an EdCol is forthcoming from the NCAA Real Soon Now, but here's what it's probably going to look like, at least when it comes to Twitter's three main functions, coaches, and prospects:
• Tweets. Run-of-the-mill tweets that a coach sends out are usually going to be okay. They can't contain things that NCAA rules would preclude, such as announcing a verbal signing, or talking about a particular prospect. If coaches stay away from obviously recruiting-specific issues, they'll probably be in a safety zone. Remember, Twitter is most easily thought of as a micro-blogging tool (up to 140 characters per tweet). Since it's already okay for coaches to have their own website (which could include a blog), garden-variety tweets that could appear on a blog are generally going to be okay. I wish we could be more specific than this guideline, but it's pretty difficult to create a hard and fast rule for tweets, given all the variables.
• Direct messages. The NCAA equates these to email messages since they are private between the Twitter sender and the recipient/follower. Keep in mind that it would not be permissible for a coach to send a direct message to a high school freshman since the starting point for email to prospects is at least a year later.
• @Replies. Even though these messages begin with another Twitter user's account name, these are public messages that any Twitter user can read. So if a coach were to post an @Reply to a prospect, that's going to run afoul of the ban on electronically transmitted correspondence (in other words, it's not a fax or email) and be an issue with the recruiting publicity rules, too.
EdCol on tryouts and outside teams
There's a new EdCol today about coaching staff members and outside teams that include prospects. There are some subtleties at work when it comes to the rules pertaining to tryouts and local sports clubs.
Softball dead period reminder
We've got a reminder about the upcoming softball dead period that surrounds the Division I championship.
Men's basketball dead period reminder
We're nearing a dead period in men's basketball. We have a reminder you can distribute to your coaching staff.
Women's lacrosse dead period reminder
The NCAA Championship is approaching and so is a dead period. We've got a reminder.
Editorial revisions a-plenty
The NCAA has published several editorial revisions (ER-2009-9 through ER 2009-19) to the NCAA Manual. We can't link to them directly, but we've summarized them on our NCAA Manual Updates page.
Good EdCol on phone calls concerning camp logistics
On the heels of yesterday's EdCol about meals and lodging in transit, comes today's offering, providing more depth to the recent official interp concerning telephone calls to prospects concerning camp logistics.
Send up a larger room
A new EdCol that appeared today helps clarify a recent official interp (particularly the part about lodging for parents while in transit), but it does add another type of meal (room service) to the menu.
I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry just thinking about all this.
2009-10 Coaches Recruiting Certification Exam
The new recruiting certification test is up and running. Details are on the NCAA website.
NLI dates for 2009-10--Updated
The gremlins were at work earlier today and the correct list of dates appears below. You can get these at the NLI website (be sure to click the link for future signing dates), but we'll save you the trip.
|
For Prospects Enrolling in the 2010-11 Academic Year
|
||
|
Sport |
Initial Signing Date |
Final Signing Date |
|
Basketball and All Other Sports Not Listed (Early Period) |
November 11, 2009 |
November 18, 2009 |
|
Football (Midyear JC Transfer) |
December 16, 2009 |
January 15, 2010 |
|
Football (Regular Period) |
February 3, 2010 |
April 1, 2010 |
|
Field Hockey, Soccer, Track and Field, Cross Country, Men's Water Polo |
February 3, 2010 |
August 1, 2010 |
|
Basketball (Regular Period) |
April 14, 2010 |
May 19, 2010 |
|
All Other Sports Not Listed (Regular Period) |
April 14, 2010 |
August 1, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
Once more unto the breach
If you're itching, dear friends, to get some legislation adopted that will make all of our lives better and easier, by all means visit this page.
No surprises at the Board meeting
The actions of the Legislative Council apparently survived unscathed, and the Board adopted Proposal 2008-062, a previously tabled issue. The NCAA website has a few details.
Updated Quizzes
With the adoption of a slew of legislative proposals earlier this week by the Legislative Council, we've updated two of our quizzes: New for 2009 and New for 2010.
For the record, we don't try to cover every piece of legislation that has been adopted or defeated, since our target audience is coaches and we tend to focus on sports for which the Pac-10 sponsors championships.
Tweet your score, if you're brave enough.
April Legislative Council report
The meeting report is out. What you really want is the listing of the legislative outcomes, available as Attachment A.
Keeping in mind that the Board of Directors at its April 30 meeting could ratify, amend, or defeat legislation adopted by the Legislative Council, here are the outcomes:
• What's in: 2008-012*, 2008-013-B*, 2008-015-B*, 2008-020-A, 2008-025-D, 2008-029*, 2008-034, 2008-043, 2008-046*, 2008-052* (FCS), 2008-054, 2008-055-A, 2008-057*, 2008-059, 2008-067*, 2008-068-B, 2008-075 + 2008-075-1, 2008-077 + 2008-077-1, 2008-079 + 2008-079-1, 2009-001*, 2009-002*, 2009-003*, 2009-004*, 2009-005*, 2009-006*, M-2009-001*, M-2009-002*, and M-2009-003*. Asterisked items are effective immediately.
• What's out: 2008-019 (not moved), 2008-020-B (moot), 2008-032-B, 2008-045, 2008-048, and 2008-051.
We've updated our Manual Updates page.
Take two and call me in the morning
The Legislative Council meeting was devoted largely to (surprise) legislation, but one other notable item occurred. We now have a process to deal with previously approved ARS/SLR waivers, similar to what's in place for incidental-expense waivers. An institution that finds precedent for particular ARS/SLR waivers can self-apply the relief and report it to its conference office quarterly.
Details are in Supplement 12 of the Legislative Council meeting materials. The current list is short, but will assuredly grow.
Legislative Council meeting summary
The full report of this week's Legislative Council meeting isn't out yet, but an NCAA News article touches on a few of the highlights.
Softball SLR waiver follow-up
You probably recall the SLR softball waiver issued on April 6. It allows quarter institutions to begin softball practice and competition during the 45-day nonchampionship segment as early as September 15, 2009, even if classes have not started for the 2009 fall term.
The NCAA has confirmed for us that NCAA 17.21.1.2-(c) still applies:
(c) During any week in which practice or competition occurs, a student-athlete's involvement in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day and 20 hours per week and all countable athletically related activities are prohibited during one calendar day per week;
So even though classes will not have not started yet in this scenario, there are limits on the amount of countable hours that can occur, despite what NCAA 17.1.6.3.5 says.
Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!
A new official interp goes into succulent, mouth-watering detail about meals and lodging that may be provided to prospects and their parents/guardians/spouse/kids when making an official visit.
I guess this is what they mean by a "drive-in" meal. Or maybe this. And here's a friendly place to stop.
Let's go camping
Very thorough EdCol today on camps and clinics, with quite a bit of detail about implementing a recent Legislative Council interp about how such camps and clinics must be advertised.
SLR blankets the softball field
A new SLR blanket waiver for softball was announced today:
The NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver to permit softball programs at Division I quarter institutions to begin practice and competition during the 45 day nonchampionship segment as early as September 15, 2009, even if classes have not started for the 2009 fall term. The subcommittee granted the request based on the totality of circumstances. The subcommittee noted: (1) Adjusting the start date for the nonchampionship segment helps address competitive equity concerns related to the varying academic calendars (i.e., quarter versus semester institutions) and climates of Division I institutions; (2) The change of the start date does not provide a competitive advantage for these quarter institutions impacted by the blanket waiver because the waiver is not extending the length of the 132 day playing season in the sport of softball; (3) Applicant conference will sponsor legislation for the 2009-10 legislative cycle to address this issue in the future; and (4) The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and the NCAA Division I Women's Softball Committee supported the blanket waiver request. To view this blanket waiver in its entirety, please access SLR Case No. 11653 on LSDBi.
Gymnastics dead period
The NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship is coming up, and so is the dead period that surrounds it. You can pick up a reminder.
A slight loosening
This arrived on LSDBi the other day:
Calls Regarding Institutional Camp and Clinic Logistical Issues (I)
Date Published: April 2, 2009
Type: Official Interpretation
The committee determined that a telephone call to an individual (or his or her parents, guardians, relatives or coach) that relates solely to institutional camp and clinic logistical issues (e.g., missing registration information) is not subject to the restrictions on telephone calls, provided no recruiting conversation or solicitation of particular individuals to attend a camp or clinic occurs. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 11.7.1.2 (recruiting coordination functions), 11.7.4 (limitations on number of coaches and off-campus recruiters), 13.1.3 (telephone calls), 13.1.3.1 (time period for telephone calls -- general rule), 13.1.3.4 (permissible callers), 13.1.3.4.1 (institutional coaching staff members -- general rule) and 13.12.1.3 (recruiting calendar exceptions)]
Play this one as it lays.
It means a DOBO could call a high school freshman about camp logistics, even though a call for recruiting purposes couldn't be made until years later and almost never by a DOBO. In other words, all restrictions about phone calls go away as long as the parameters of the interp are met.
This interp has a narrow scope, and as someone smarter than me has said, it's "not a license to get creative in the recruiting process". Instead, think of it as an attempt to apply some common sense to address some of the logistical issues that arise related to camps.
Basketball NLI dead period coming
The spring NLI-signing period for basketball is coming up. You can pick up a reminder of the dead period that accompanies it.
Coaches recruiting certification practice test is out
The Division I version of the NCAA Coaches Recruiting Certification Practice Test is online.
NAAC webinar on APP
NAAC's got a webinar coming up about best practices for the NCAA's Academic Performance Program.
The results are in
If you recall, about two weeks ago, we posted a TwitterPoll about the current men's basketball recruiting rules. And the results are in.
First a couple of comments:
1. This poll is just about as unscientific as you can get.
2. We put the poll out there and announced it here and via our Twitter account. Anyone could vote (and all 48 voters were anonymous), including those who were notified of it or anyone who stumbled over the site. So our guess is that people who aren't even associated with compliance may have pulled the lever, so to speak to some unknown degree.
And now, without further ado, the results.
So what can we conclude from this? Probably not much, given the small and unidentifiable sample size.
But consider these two points:
1. If the sample was largely made up of compliance professionals, the results were heavily skewed toward the dissatisfied end of the spectrum. Half think we need to start over. And only one voter thought things were just fine.
2. If the sample was largely made up largely of people-off-the-street, even they think something is wrong. And if it's obvious to them....
So where do we go from here? Hmmm.....
NLI dead period reminder
You can pick up a reminder about the upcoming dead period for all sports except football, basketball, soccer, men’s water polo, cross country, track & field, and field hockey that surrounds the initial signing date (April 8) for the National Letter of Intent late signing period.
Final Four™ dead period reminders
The Final Fours™ approach. So do dead periods. We have reminders for both men's basketball and women's basketball.
2008-09 Pac-10 Handbook Update 1
We've updated the Pac-10 Handbook to include all actions taken by the CEO Group and Council through March 20, 2009. The details are on our Pac-10 Handbook page.
Override period closes
Could be just our faulty searching skills on the new LSDBi, but we failed to turn up even one instance of an override request for legislation adopted or defeated at the January Legislative Council meeting. And if we're wrong about that, we're very sure no proposal hit the minimum threshold of 30 override votes to trigger further action.
So consider January's actions a fait accompli.
Still time to vote
We've set up a TwitterPoll to answer the question: What do you think about the current NCAA Division I basketball recruiting rules?
Go here to vote. Anyone can vote; you don't need a TwitterPoll account.
A snapshot of the current (very unscientific) results:
The polls are open
We've set up a TwitterPoll to answer the question: What do you think about the current NCAA Division I basketball recruiting rules?
Go here to vote. Anyone can vote; you don't need a TwitterPoll account. Pass the word, but not to anyone in Chicago.
The poll will be open for two weeks.
Twisted into knots...again
This EdCol shows how the current rules and interps about scouting video of prospects continue to tie us in ever-more complicated knots. The rules need an update to make the interps go away and make all of our lives simpler.
Cross country & track and field dead period reminder
You can pick up a reminder for this weekend's cross country and track and field dead period.
A timely reminder
As we draw closer to the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships, this might be a good time to refresh everyone on NCAA 10.02 and 10.3 which, among other things, precludes sports wagering in pools or betting with bookmakers.
Applying Proposal 2008-076
Pretty good Q&A on LSDBi today about applying 2008-076, which-- for the purposes of the tryouts and camps and clinics legislation--defines a prospective men's basketball student-athlete as an individual who has started classes for the seventh grade. This definition is not applicable to other recruiting bylaws (e.g., telephone calls, official visits, and contact restrictions) relating to men's basketball.
Not in person, not virtually, either
A new staff interp, binding on everyone:
Video of Nonscholastic Activities through a Subscription to a Recruiting or Scouting Service (I)
Date Published: February 25, 2009
Type: Staff Interpretation
The academic and membership affairs staff determined that it is not permissible for an institution to obtain video (e.g., live streaming video, recorded video) of any nonscholastic activities, including regular game and all-star competition, or any summer camp or clinic competition, through a subscription to a recruiting or scouting service.
[References: NCAA Bylaws 12.3.3 (athletics scholarship agent) and 13.14.3.2 (video services), official interpretation (4/2/87, Item No. 6) and staff interpretation (4/25/88, item d), which has been archived.]
Coaches certification practice test availability
The NCAA sent word today that the 2009-10 Coaches Certification Practice Test will be available beginning on March 27 (not February 27, as previously erroneously stated). The Coaches Certification Test will be available beginning May 4.
Art imitates life
If you were channel surfing Sunday night you might have stumbled across Cold Case. Last night's episode ("Glory Days": Lilly and the team re-open the 1973 case of a murdered football player) involved steroids and (spoiler-warning) an out-of-control booster.
So how many NCAA violations did you spot?
If your answer is zero, admit it: You were watching the post-Oscars parties instead, weren't you?
Tweet
From experience, we know that the worlds of compliance and high-tech usually collide at the corner of I-Don't-Get-How-This-Works Avenue and How-The-Hell-Am-I-Going-To-Monitor-This Boulevard.
So we decided to see what all the fuss was about and get a Twitter account for the Pac-10 Compliance Corner.
Though Twitter can be a lot of things to a lot of people, in brief, Twitter is a way to answer the question: "What Are You Doing?". You post a message (called a tweet) and people who have chosen to follow you see it. In that regard, it's no different than posting something on a website or updating your status on your Facebook wall.
Twitter has some instant-messaging like features (which give compliance folks heartburn), but we're not going to get into those at the moment. We'll have more to say on all this soon.
For now, you can join in the fun by:
(1) Signing up and
(2) Following us. We're known as Pac10Compliance. Just click the Follow button on the page that appears once you've signed up.
The easiest way to keep track of All Things Twitter is with a dedicated application on your computer. That way, you're not running back to your Twitter home page to check for updates, an enormous time suck.
You can Google for various applications that do this. On the Mac, we use Twitteriffic from IconFactory, which, not so coincidentally, has an iPhone version as well. Both are free (with ads) and you can pay for an ad-free version.
Editorial revisions a-plenty
We've added nine editorial revisions (ER 2008-24 through -27 and ER-2009-1 through -5) to the 2008-09 NCAA Manual to our Manual Updates page. We still can't link to the actual language on LSDBi, regrettably.
The hits just keep on coming
More requests for noncontroversial/emergency legislation:
• Permit compensation of participants in institution-based student-athlete only research studies under certain conditions. (From the Administration Cabinet)
• Provide an exception to the dead period surrounding the fall initial NLI signing date when the dead period occurs during the North American Cup Fencing Championship. (From the Recruiting Cabinet)
• In women's ice hockey, (1) prohibit telephone calls and contacts until July 7 after a prospect's junior year of high school and (2) prohibit the one permissible telephone call to a prospect who is a resident of a foreign country until July 7 after a prospect's junior year of high school. (From the Recruiting Cabinet)
LSDBi keeps improving
New on the menu: A multi-search feature and the ability for institutions to view previously submitted waivers and student-athlete reinstatement requests.
YAP
The Academic Cabinet has added Proposal 2008-77-1 to the mix. All it does is provide a waiver opportunity when academic information about the initial-eligibility status of JC transfers is not available. The Cabinet would have the authority to authorize waivers of the submission requirement, would establish the process for granting such waivers, and would monitor the waivers requested and granted.
AMA has more to do
In the NCAA LSDBi feed, but worth reiterating:
Effective April 1, 2009, Academic and Membership Affairs (formerly Membership Services) will assume responsibility over all initial-eligibility academic review cases. This includes initial-eligibility waivers and prospective student-athlete review cases. The Eligibility Center will continue to process requests made on behalf of prospective student-athletes for Educational Impacting Disability status, as well as the subsequent application of accommodations for such individuals during the academic certification process.
This organizational change is being implemented in an effort to reduce redundancies and increase efficiency in order to better meet the evolving needs of our membership, prospective student-athletes and the secondary school community. Additionally, this change allows the NCAA to maintain its current high level of service to the membership while not increasing the number of full-time employees during a time when our membership is experiencing vast hiring and salary freezes.
The AMA staff will ensure that this transition is completed in as seamless a manner as possible. To that end, the initial-eligibility waiver application process will remain in substantially the same form. Further updates will be provided in the near future regarding the date on which initial-eligibility waiver applications will begin to be received by the AMA staff. In the interim, all waiver applications should continue to be submitted to the Eligibility Center.
Here comes the dead period
The NLI signing period is approaching and with it the attendant dead period. We have reminders for football and for soccer, men's water polo, cross country, track & field, and field hockey.
New year, new quizzes
We've posted two new quizzes: New for 2009 and New for 2010. The two quizzes can help get you up to speed with new NCAA rules adopted in January. We've also updated our NLI quiz with a few new questions.
Board meeting notes
There's an entry on the NCAA website about Saturday's Board of Directors meeting. In brief:
• The Board wants to move forward with a "Coach's APR" which could be used as a tool by institutions when hiring coaches.
• The report from the Task Force on Commercial Activities was sent to the Leadership Council which will now focus on implementation details, with the Amateurism Cabinet likely to play a leading role.
• Proposal 2008-062, which was approved by the Legislative Cabinet and would give the Presidential Advisory Group Football Championship Subdivision members the authority to act on behalf of the FCS members of the Board of Directors in football matters, was tabled until April to allow the Board to discuss the issue with Presidential Advisory Group.
• The rest of the actions taken by the Legislative Cabinet were unaltered by the Board.
One meeting remains
The Board of directors is scheduled to meet tomorrow to review the Legislative Council actions and receive various reports. Rumor has it the Board may be asked to resurrect Proposal 2008-035-B (which the Legislative Council defeated) and send it out for comment. We'll know soon enough.
Nothing to see here, move along
After a few anxious moments at today's Division I Business Session as the assembled masses waited for someone--anyone--to move the override, someone finally did and the attempt fell well short of the 62.5% required. The final vote was 118-144-2 (45.04% to 54.96%), so Proposal 2007-030 remains on the books; no alteration of your NCAA Manual is required.
Early football NLI signing period
The CCA voted on January 14 not to implement an early NLI signing period in football (for three days starting on the third Wednesday in December). And the vote wasn't particularly close.
January Legislative Council actions
The report of the Legislative Council meeting which ended today is out. (Kudos to the NCAA staff for the quick turnaround.) You may also need the two attachments from the Legislative Council page. Highlights:
• Two interps were issued/amended:
Advertising an Institutional Camp or Clinic. (I) The Legislative Council determined that an institution may advertise or promote an institutional camp or clinic in any way, provided any camp or clinic advertisement or promotion (e.g., camp brochure, Web site, newspaper or magazine advertisement) stipulates that the camp or clinic is open to any and all entrants (limited only by number, age, grade level and/or gender). [References: Bylaws 13.4.1.1-(c) (summer-camp advertisements), 13.12.1.2 (attendance restriction) and an official interpretation (10/29/08, Item No. 1), which has been archived)]
National Team Tryouts and Exception to Outside Competition Regulations. (I) The Legislative Council determined that in order for a student-athlete to use the U.S. national team exception to the outside competition regulations to participate as a member of an outside team in an official national team or junior national team tryout, the official tryout must be one in which all student-athletes (as opposed to all athletes) are directly selected to a national team or are required to participate in order to qualify for a subsequent event from which participants will be named to a national team or junior national team that will represent their nation in international competition. The exception is applicable to an official tryout that is structured as a series of events in which student-athletes must participate in each event (or at least one event in each level) of the series in order to be selected to the national team. The exception does not apply to events in which student-athletes are only identified for further evaluation at unrelated events for a future national team, such as league competition or events in which no elimination of potential national team participants occurs. For example, the exception applies to an official tryout in which student-athletes must participate in Event A in order to participate in Event B (or in one of several events at the Event A level in order to participate at the Event B level), and participants in Event B are selected to the national team that will participate in international competition; however, the exception does not apply to participation in Event A if student-athletes are not selected to the national team or if participation in Event A (or other events on the same level) is not required for participation in Event B. An event still may qualify as an official tryout if the appropriate national governing body has established exemptions based on objective standards (e.g., former Olympic medalists, current World Champion) by which a student-athlete who qualifies for such an exemption is not required to participate in that particular event (or level of events). [References: Bylaws 14.7.3.1-(d) (U.S. national team) and 30.8.1 (national-team criteria) and official interpretations (10/18/06, Item No. 1 and 10/15/08, Item No. 1), which have been archived]
• As for legislation, 29 proposals were adopted in whole or in part (12 of them effective immediately), 24 were defeated, 24 more are out for comment before second consideration in April and 2 went to moot-land. The Board could step in and take an action on any of the adopted and defeated proposals at its meeting Saturday, but that's probably unlikely. Full details are in Attachment A of the report, available at the Legislative Council page.
And we've updated our Manual Updates page to include the 12 proposals that are effective immediately: 2008-014, 2008-017, 2008-023, 2008-024, 2008-030-B, 2008-039, 2008-044, 2008-052 (FBS only), 2008-058, 2008-062, 2008-074, and 2008-076.
In other news, we've heard the Leadership Council upheld the April 2003 action of the old Management Council and verified that the Student-Athlete Opportunity Fund may not be used to upgrade team travel. Here's hoping that NCAA 16.11.1.13 finally gets amended to include this action so we avoid this dance again in six years.
Override period ends with whimper
The override period for the following two proposals ended yesterday with just a few requests, so action by the Board on them is now final:
Adopted: 2008-078--In sports other than football, specifies that skill-related instruction shall not be publicized and shall not be conducted in view of a general public audience.
Defeated: 2007-109--Permits an institution to designate two videographers and one photographer to be present at NCAA championship events involving the institution's teams; further specifies that one videographer shall be permitted access to the area designated for media photographers and shall be limited to capturing video images for nonscouting purposes and specifies that one videographer and the photographer shall have access to the institution's team locker room prior to, during and after the contest, subject to institutional discretion.
An EdCol for camps
Still fuming over the staff/official interp about no-star camps? There's an EdCol that tries to explain the nuances.
I still stick by what I said earlier.
Financial aid and mid-year enrollment
A new NCAA video available for online viewing explains the current rules regarding financial aid for Division I student-athletes who enroll midyear.
Wheels up
We may not always point out the appearance of new NCAA interps and EdCols in this space because the LSDBi Announcements feed at left should automatically handle the heavy lifting. But we'll point you to the new EdCol about NCAA 16.8.1.5, simply because the rule is so confusing and this is the most detailed explanation we've seen to date.
Monkeys and fire hoses
You can stop reading after the first six paragraphs. But it sure sounds to me like the author used to work in compliance in a former life.