EdCol on baseball reform legislation
LSDBi has a new EdCol (in the form of a FAQ) on the year-old baseball reform legislation adopted in April 2007. Much of the legislation became effective on August 1, 2008.
Archives Archive September 2008
Hot Topic--Figuring out fall baseball and softball
LSDBi has a helpful Hot Topic about the application of NCAA rules to the non-traditional fall segment in softball and baseball.
About those NLI forms
Most (if not all) of the PDF forms posted in NLI website's document library will allow you to enter data into them, save them, and email them. The NLI folks say you can do with with Adobe Acrobat 9.
But if you have Mac OS X Leopard, you have an application called Preview that can handle this. (Preview, is the built-in Swiss-Army-knife application that ships with Leopard. Preview can do lots of things with PDF and other graphics files.)
Here's a little test I did.
I opened the Null and Void/Invalid NLI PDF file with Preview. I was able to type info into the form, but simply saving it (File > Save) saved the form, but not the data.
The workaround is this:
1. Enter the data in the PDF file.
2. Choose File > Print.
3. Click the PDF drop-down button and choose Save as PDF....
4. Save the file wherever you like. Re-open it and it should contain the data you entered.
Note that once you save the file in this manner, you can't edit the saved file further.
You might also want to make the original NLI PDF files into a stationery file so you don't accidentally overwrite them. (Opening a stationery file opens a copy of the file itself, leaving the original untouched.)
1. In the Finder, select the file.
2. Choose File > Get Info.
3. Check the box for Stationery Pad.
Also, while you can type into fields, it looks as though you can't paste a graphic into them (say, a signature into the signature field). Something for v2.0 for the forms perhaps....
So for Leopard users, Acrobat 9 doesn't appear to be needed. I didn't test under Windows or any other version of the Mac OS (e.g., v 10.4 Tiger), but the steps above might work in Tiger.
Compliance Corner...now with free computer tech support.
Units for optional minors
LRIC weighs in on units earned by student-athletes for optional minors-and optional appears to be the key word here:
Use of Credits Earned in a Minor to Satisfy Progress-Toward-Degree Requirements (I)
Date Issued: Sep 17, 2008
Type: Official
Item Ref: 1
The committee confirmed that a voluntary or optional minor is a minor that is not a required element of the original baccalaureate degree program for all students; therefore, credits earned toward a voluntary or optional minor may not be used to satisfy credit-hour requirements after the first two years of enrollment or percentage of degree requirements even if the student-athlete must complete the requirements for the voluntary or optional minor in order to graduate. A student-athlete may use credits earned in a minor only if the minor is a required element for all students to obtain the original baccalaureate degree. [References: NCAA Bylaws 14.4.3.1.6.1 (documentation of degree program designation), 14.4.3.1.7 (hours earned or accepted for degree credit) and an 8/14/85 official interpretation (8/14/85, Item No. 6-e-(3)-(c)]
The No-Star Camp?
Here's a new staff determination, now binding on one and all:
Advertising an Institutional Camp or Clinic (I)
Date Issued: Sep 03, 2008
Type: Staff Interpretation
Item Ref: a
The membership services staff determined that it is not permissible for an institution to advertise or promote an institutional camp or clinic in any way that implies a participant should possess a certain level of experience, skill or ability to attend the camp or clinic (e.g., elite camp, all-star camp, varsity camp, five-star camp, blue-chip camp). [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.4.1.1-(c) (summer-camp advertisements) and 13.12.1.2 (attendance restriction)]
Legislation FAQ
The first iteration of the Division I Proposed Legislation FAQ is out. The NCAA plans to update this document as we progress through the legislative cycle.
EdCol--Computer recruiting presentations
LSDBi has a FAQ on the use of computer-based presentations in the recruiting process.
Can I call? Can I text?
If you were wondering how to apply various NCAA rules about phone calls and text messages to a situation involving a prospect who could have signed a NLI, but didn't, you now have your answer, courtesy of LSDBi today:
Prospective Student-Athlete Not Eligible to Sign a National Letter of Intent (I/II)
Date Issued: Jul 22, 2008
Type: Staff Interpretation
The membership services staff confirmed that legislation related to a prospective student-athlete who is not eligible to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) does not apply to a prospective student-athlete who was otherwise eligible to sign a NLI but did not sign a NLI by the end of the applicable NLI signing period.
[References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 13.1.3.3.3 (telephone calls after national letter of intent signing or other written commitment), 13.1.3.4.1.2 (exception -- noncoaching staff member -- after national letter of intent signing or other written commitment), 13.1.6.8.1 (contacts after national letter of intent signing of other commitment -- women's basketball), 13.1.7.2.2.2 (exception -- women's basketball -- communication after national letter of intent signing or other written commitment, and 13.4.1.2.1 (exception -- electronic transmissions after national letter of intent signing or other written commitment) and NCAA Division II Bylaws 13.1.3.3.3 (telephone calls subsequent to national letter of intent signing or other written commitment) and 13.4.5.1 (electronic transmissions following national letter of intent signing or other written commitment)]
Three new short interps
So, rather than link to them, we'll save you a trip to LSDBi:
Meals in Conjunction with Away from Home Competition (I)
Date Issued: Aug 27, 2008
Type: Official
The committee determined that if an institution chooses the discretionary meals option for meals in conjunction with away-from-home competition, the institution may provide a meal or cash, not to exceed $15 (but not both), to student-athletes at the time of their release from team-related activities by the appropriate institutional authority. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaw 16.5.2 (meals incidental to participation) and a staff interpretation (7/9/08, item b, which has been archived)]
Completion of One Additional Core Course After High School Graduation (I)
Date Issued: Aug 27, 2008
Type: Official
The committee determined that it is not permissible for a prospective student-athlete to use a core-course, including an online course, completed after high school graduation to satisfy initial-eligibility requirements if the prospective student-athlete is enrolled in the course while concurrently receiving athletically related financial aid to attend an institution's summer term. [References: Division I Bylaws 14.3.1.2.1 (core curriculum time limitation); 14.3.1.2.1.1 (exception -- one core course after high school graduation), 15.2.8.1.4 (prior to initial, full-time enrollment at the certifying institution -- athletics aid) and a staff interpretation (8/6/08, item a, which has been archived)]
Recreational Activities during an Official or Unofficial Visit (I)
Date Issued: Sep 04, 2008
Type: Staff Interpretation (approved by LRIC, 8/27/08)
The membership services staff determined that during an official or unofficial visit a prospective student-athlete may participate in recreational activities in a facility that is not open to the general public (e.g., facility reserved for student-athletes to participate in voluntary activities), provided such activities are not organized or observed by members of the athletics department coaching staff (including strength and conditioning coaches) and are not designed to test the athletics abilities of the prospective student-athlete. [Reference: NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.11.2.2 (recreational activities)]