Hot Topics | Compliance Corner

In with the new

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:21:02 -0700

NAAC has launched NAAC Connections, intended to be a "one-stop shop" for compliance administrators. The web site will host forums, provide educational materials, and be a place where questions regarding a situation can be asked of all members and will be updated on a regular basis. Consequently, the NAAC listserv will no longer be available.

Basketball dead period reminders

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:59:59 -0700

We've got reminders about the dead periods in men's basketball and women's basketball that are coming up this month.

And you thought no one barnstormed anymore

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:00:53 -0700

If you thought basketball barnstorming was dead, then an EdCol on LSDBi might give you other ideas.

EdCol--Summer men's basketball evaluations

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:05:53 -0700

LSDBi has more on the types of events that men's basketball coaches may evaluate during the July evaluation period. It clarifies whether or not college coaches may evaluate classes during which organized team practice occurs.

EdCol--International academic standards

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:06:25 -0700

LSDBi has the details about certifying eligibility of prospects who do all or some of their secondary education internationally.

Headed to the US Olympic Swimming Trials?

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:56:58 -0700

There's a lengthy EdCol that serves as a reminder about contact with prospects at the US Olympic Trials for swimming which starts next week.

Electronic messaging under the blanket

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:49:59 -0700

ARS (or is it SLR?) has issued a new blanket waiver concerning electronic communications with football and basketball prospects who are enrolled in summer school but who did not sign a National Letter of Intent or offer of admission or aid:

NCAA Division I Bylaw 13.4.1.2.1 (Exception -- Electronic Transmissions after National Letter of Intent Signing or Other Written Commitment). July 1, 2008. The NCAA Division I Management Council Administrative Review Subcommittee granted a blanket waiver for the 2008 summer to permit basketball and football coaches to send electronically transmitted correspondence to students who are enrolled in the institution’s summer term prior to the student’s initial full-time enrollment at the certifying institution but who have not signed a National Letter of Intent or written offer of admission and/or financial aid. In granting the blanket waiver, the Administrative Review Subcommittee noted the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet Subcommittee on Recruiting supported the blanket waiver request. In addition, the Academics/Eligibility/Compliance cabinet has agreed to sponsor legislation for the 2008-09 legislative cycle. The Administrative Review Subcommittee notes the blanket waiver is appropriate until legislation can be adopted to resolve the issue in the future.

This is ARS Case 10836 on LSDBi, which we'd love to link to...but the case hasn't made its way there just yet.

Just one override

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:53:35 -0700

The 60-day override period for proposals adopted or defeated in April ended yesterday, and only Proposal 2007-030-C gathered enough override requests (62, according to LSDBi) to trigger a Board review in August.

So, the following adopted proposals have finished the process:

Proposals 2007-016-B, 2007-030-C, 2007-035*, 2007-040 (FCS), 2007-050-B, 2007-052 (FBS)*, 2007-061 + 2007-061-1*, 2007-066 + 2007-066-1, 2007-073 + 2007-073-1, 2007-078, 2007-079, 2007-081, 2007-083, 2008-004*, 2008-006*.

(Asterisked proposals are effective immediately.)

As have the following two items, which were defeated:

Proposals 2007-058, 2007-068.

Override process for 2007-030-C

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:51:20 -0700

The NCAA announced it has received enough override requests (31 as of this morning) for Proposal 2007-030-C to call for the Division I Board of Directors to reconsider legislation eliminating the opportunity for men’s basketball coaches to evaluate at nonscholastic events in April. The override request deadline is June 23.

The Mercedes Benz brochure

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:22:17 -0700

Nice work. If you don't have a copy, get one.

Lick your wounds

Fri, 30 May 2008 14:33:40 -0700

Want to get up to speed with the new hardship waiver rules for individual sports contained in Proposal 2007-061-1? Our Movies area has a streaming movie as well as versions you can download for your computer...or your iPhone.

Track and field, cross country dead period

Fri, 30 May 2008 11:47:01 -0700

Pick up a reminder about the upcoming dead period in cross country and track and field that occurs on the days of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Softball dead period approaches

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:56:27 -0700

You can pick up a reminder for the dead period that surrounds the upcoming NCAA Division I Softball championship.

Correction to dead period reminder

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:04:30 -0700

We corrected an error pertaining to telephone calls during the late May men's basketball dead period that appeared on the reminder we posted yesterday. Make sure you have the corrected reminder; look for the "Corrected 5-13-08" tag at the bottom.

Two dead period reminders

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:35:37 -0700

Two dead period reminders today:

• Men's basketball. This is a new dead period that was created as the result of the adoption of Proposal 2007-053-B. The dead period runs from the day after the conclusion of the spring National Letter of Intent signing period to the day before the first permissible day to conduct institutional basketball camps. [This sheet was updated on May 13; look for the "Corrected 5-13-08" tag at the bottom.]

• Women's lacrosse. This dead period surrounds the NCAA Division I Championship.

Certifying mid-year transfers

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:21:10 -0700

A new interp from LRIC, dated April 30, 2008:

Application of 18/27 Credit-Hour Requirement to a Midyear Enrollee or Midyear Transfer Student-Athlete (I)

The committee determined that an institution is not required to certify the 18/27 credit-hour requirement for a midyear enrollee or transfer student-athlete until the completion of two regular, full-time semesters or three full-time quarters at the certifying institution. After the initial certification, the institution shall certify the 18/27 credit-hour requirement based on the student-athlete's record since the beginning of the previous fall term. For example, an institution would not certify the 18/27 hour requirement for a student-athlete who initially enrolls at the institution in the spring semester or winter quarter until the start of the following spring semester or winter quarter. Thereafter, the institution would certify the 18/27 hour requirement prior to the start of each fall term.

[References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 14.4.3.1 (credit-hour requirements); 14.4.3.1.4 (application of rule); staff interpretations (4/16/08, Item Nos. 2 and 3), which has been archived]

2008-09 NCAA Coaches Certification Exam is out

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:15:31 -0700

The 2008-09 NCAA Coaches Certification test and all supporting resources are available. If the link doesn't work (the NCAA website can be a bit flaky at times, at least for me), go to the NCAA home page and follow the path: Legislation and Governance/Rules Compliance/Certification-Self-Study & Training/Coaches Certification Test.

Four new interps

Mon, 05 May 2008 10:20:21 -0700

LRIC has been busy with these four interps, all from April 23, 2008:

• Contact with Prospective Student-Athletes at Home Contest at a Site Other than Regular Home Facility

• Employment at an Institutional Camp of an Individual who Evaluates Talent for a Professional Organization or Team

• Scouting of Opponents in Conjunction with Recruiting or Team Travel

• Calculation of Equivalencies

Two EdCols and a staff determination

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:03:12 -0700

LDSBI has three new postings this morning:

EdCol--Coaches' Involvement with Student-Athletes Preparing for Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games

EdCol--Informal Basketball Practice Scrimmages

Staff Determination--Financial Aid to Midyear Enrollee Who Has Been Awarded Athletically Related Financial Aid for Following Academic Year

The staff determination has to do with awarding aid to mid-year enrollees who have signed a NLI for the following academic year. Remember, with the adoption of Proposal 2008-004, this staff determination is binding on everyone.

EdCol--Team sports coaches evaluating individuals

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:13:26 -0700

Hand-in-hand with today's hot topic, we also have an EdCol about the proper way to count evaluations by team sports coaches when prospects are participating in individual sports events:

NCAA Educational Column -- Evaluations -- Coaches in Team Sports Observing Multiple Prospective Student-Athletes in an Individual Sport (I)

Date Issued: Apr 29, 2008

Type: Ed. Column

Item Ref: 1

NCAA Division I institutions should note that pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 13.1.8.13, an institution's coach who is attending a practice or event in which prospective student-athletes from multiple institutions participate in drills (e.g., combine) or competition in an individual sport on a specific day shall use an evaluation only for those participants the coach observes engaging in practice or competition. This legislation applies to coaches in both individual sports (e.g., track and field, swimming and diving) and team sports (e.g., football, soccer). Therefore, if a coach of a team sport evaluates a prospective student-athlete at an individual sport practice or competition, the coach is charged with an evaluation for each prospective student-athlete in the event (e.g., heat) that the coach observes.

Institutions should also note that, in football, in accordance with Bylaw 13.1.8.4, an institution's coach is limited to two evaluations during the spring evaluation period. Further, institutions are reminded that a visit to a prospective student-athlete's educational institution counts as an evaluation for all prospective student-athletes in that sport at that educational institution, pursuant to Bylaw 13.1.8.1.

For example, if a football coach observes a prospective student-athlete in an eight-person heat at a track and field meet, the football coach is charged with an evaluation for all eight prospective student-athletes participating in that heat, even if the football coach is recruiting only one of the participating prospective student-athletes. Therefore, if any of the other participants are football prospective student-athletes, the coach may not make two visits to those prospective student-athletes' high schools because the coach would have exceeded the permissible number of evaluations in the spring evaluation period.

[References: Bylaws 13.02.6 (evaluation), 13.1.8.1 (visit [without contact] to prospective student-athlete's educational institution), 13.1.8.4 (limitations on number of evaluations -- football), 13.1.8.10 (evaluations in team sports), 13.1.8.13 (evaluations in individual sports); and an official interpretation (5/8/95, Item No. 6)]

NCAA hot topic--football evaluations

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:05:01 -0700

There's been a bit of a buzz about the impact of the new football recruiting rules that have pushed all live athletics evaluations into the scholastic environment. Here's an NCAA Hot Topic that showed up on LSDBi today:

NCAA 2008 Hot Topic -- Football Evaluations and Recruiting Service Off-Campus Events (I)

Date Issued: Apr 29, 2008

Type: Ed. Column

Item Ref: 2

NCAA Division I institutions should note that, in football, pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 13.1.8.9.4, all live athletics evaluations are limited to regularly scheduled high school, preparatory school and two-year college contests and practices and regular scholastic activities involving prospective student-athletes enrolled at the institution at which the regular scholastic activities occur. Therefore, live evaluations may not occur at nonscholastic events, including, but not limited to, camps, combines and all-star games. In order for an institution to evaluate at a practice activity or competition, such activity or competition must be permissible pursuant to the regulations of the appropriate governing body. For example, if the applicable high school athletics association permits high school spring practices and/or the regular scheduling of high school (as opposed to nonscholastic) spring 7 versus 7 competitions pursuant to its regulations, then an institution may evaluate at such activities.

Bylaw 13.1.8.9.4 does not limit off-campus receipt and review of information from recruiting services permitted under Bylaws 13.14.3.1 and 13.14.3.2. Therefore, an institution's coach may attend an off-campus event that is sponsored by a recruiting service and dedicated to the review of video of regularly scheduled regular-season high school and two-year contests and the receipt and review of regularly published recruiting service information, which may include transcripts and printed results from nonscholastic events. The event must to be open to all member institutions at the same fee rate. Finally, the review of video at such an event would be considered an evaluation subject to applicable evaluation limits.

[References: Bylaws 13.1.8.9.4 (scholastic and nonscholastic activities), 13.14.3.1 (published recruiting services), 13.14.3.2 (video services); and an official interpretation (10/27/94, Item No. 4)]

Updated quiz--New for 2008

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:28:41 -0700

We've updated our New for 2008 quiz to include proposals adopted by the Board yesterday.

April 2008 legislative outcomes

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:44:35 -0700

The Board finished its work yesterday, and though the meeting report isn't ready yet, we can sift through LSDBi for legislative outcomes.

• The Board approved Proposals 2007-016-B, 2007-030-C, 2007-035*, 2007-040 (FCS), 2007-050-B, 2007-052 (FBS)*, 2007-061 + 2007-061-1*, 2007-066 + 2007-066-1, 2007-073 + 2007-073-1, 2007-078, 2007-079, 2007-081, 2007-083, 2008-004*, and 2008-006*.

Asterisked proposals are effective immediately. The most important among them are 2007-061 + 2007-061-1 (which changes the hardship waiver ground rules in individual sports and can be applied retroactively) and 2008-004 (which binds all institutions to staff determinations upon their publication).

• The Board defeated Proposals 2007-058 and 2007-068.

• One proposal was tabled: 2008-005.

You can download a copy of the adopted legislation or a table-based summary. And our NCAA Manual Updates page includes references to the legislation that is effective immediately.

Confirmations-o-plenty

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:46:35 -0700

Three new staff confirmations showed up on LSDBi today, all dated April 16, 2008:

Full-Time Enrollment -- Final Semester/Quarter for Postbaccalaureate Student-Athletes (I)

The membership services staff confirmed that a student-athlete who is enrolled and seeking a second baccalaureate (or equivalent) or graduate-level degree at the same institution previously attended as an undergraduate, or enrolled in a graduate or professional school of an institution other than the institution from which he or she previously received a baccalaureate degree, may compete while enrolled in less than a full-time program of studies, provided the student-athlete is enrolled in the final semester or quarter necessary to obtain his or her second baccalaureate (or equivalent) or graduate-level degree. The institution must certify that the student-athlete is carrying (for credit) the courses necessary to complete degree requirements. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 14.1.8.2.1.3 (full-time enrollment -- requirement for competition -- final semester/quarter), 14.1.9 (graduate student/postbaccalaureate participation); 14.1.9.1 (transfer exception) and a staff interpretation, 11/15/06, item (1a) which has been archived.]

Application of 18/27 Credit-Hour Requirement to a Midyear Enrollee (I)

The membership services staff confirmed that an institution is not required to certify the 18/27 credit-hour requirement for a student-athlete who initially enrolls after the first term of the academic year until the completion of two full-time semesters or three full-time quarters at the certifying institution. After the initial certification, the institution shall certify the 18/27 credit-hour requirement based on the student-athlete’s record since the beginning of the previous fall term. For example, an institution would not certify the 18/27 hour requirement for a student-athlete who initially enrolls at the institution in the spring semester or winter quarter until the start of the following spring semester or winter quarter. Thereafter, the institution would certify the 18/27 hour requirement prior to the start of each fall term. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws 14.4.3.1 (credit-hour requirements) and 14.4.3.1.4 (application of rule) and a staff interpretation (reference 8/15/2007, Item No. 2)]

Hearing Opportunity when Request for Use of One-Time Transfer Exception is Delayed (I/II)

The staff confirmed that if an institution delays a response to a student-athlete's request for use of the one-time transfer exception or indicates that the request will be granted at a later date (e.g., at the end of the term), the institution must inform the student-athlete in writing within a reasonable time period following the initial request that he or she, on request, will be provided a hearing. [References: Division I Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10 (one-time transfer exception); Division II Bylaw 14.5.5.3.10 (one-time transfer exception)]

2007-08 Pac-10 Handbook Update 3

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:10:42 -0700

The Council recently approved by mail ballot three amendments to the rowing regulations. The Pac-10 Handbook page has fresh pages ready for downloading.

Counting tennis dates of competition

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:04:22 -0700

A new interp from LRIC, dated March 26, 2008:

Minimum Participants in Multiple Singles or Doubles Tennis Tournaments on the Same Date (I)

The committee determined that, in tennis, if more than three student-athletes represent an institution in singles or doubles tournaments that do not include any team scoring or the recognition of a team champion at different sites on the same date, the institution must count an institutional date of competition for that date. For example, if two student-athletes participate in Singles Tournament A (no team scoring, no team champion) and two different student-athletes participate in Singles Tournament B (no team scoring, no team champion) on the same day, the institution must count an institutional date of competition for that day.

[References: NCAA Bylaws 17.02.6 (date of competition, countable, institutional), 17.02.6.1 (required minimum number of student-athletes) and 17.26.5.1.2 (individual singles or doubles tournament limitations -- institutional)]

The final ManCo meeting

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:40:51 -0700

The Management Council finished its final meeting on Monday. The report is out in record time, and here are the highlights:

• The following proposals were approved and sent on to the Board for its meeting next week: 2007-016-B, 2007-030-C, 2007-035, 2007-040 (FCS), 2007-050-B, 2007-052 (FBS), 2007-058, 2007-061 + 2007-061-1, 2007-066 + 2007-066-1, 2007-068, 2007-078, 2007-079, 2007-081, 2007-083, 2008-004, 2008-005, 2008-006. Proposal 2008-004 is of particular note to compliance folks because it specifies that a staff interpretation that has been reviewed and approved by the Legislative Review/Interpretations Committee shall be binding on all other institutions (other than the requesting institution) on publication to the membership.

• The Management Council defeated Proposals 2007-017, 2007-031-B, 2007-039 (FCS), 2007-067 + 2007-067-1, 2007-080, 2007-092 (FCS), 2007-103.

• Two proposals were referred: 2007-092 + 2007-092-1 (FBS) and 2007-100. Two proposals were moot: 2007-030-B and 2007-050-A.

• One modification of wording was adopted (M-2008-1) to clarify that in bowl subdivision football, the U.S. service academies shall be limited to 54 evaluation days during the fall evaluation period.

• A motion to change the effective date of Proposal 2007-040 from August 1, 2008, to immediate was defeated. So, contact with signed football prospects during the spring evaluation period cannot occur in Spring 2008.

• The Management Council did not adopt emergency legislation to preclude recruiting contact with swimming prospects and their parents at the venue of the upcoming US Olympic Trials. A majority of the Management Council members supported it, but it fell short of the 75% majority required to enact emergency legislation.

• We may have seen the last of the printed Official Notice. Look for an on-line version of the next edition by November 15, 2008.

• Get ready for a new TLA: ARS (once known as ARP) will become SLR (Division I Legislative Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief) when the governance transition is complete. The obvious parallel is that except in the rarest of cases, team uniforms change when a new coach is hired.

EdCol--International academic standards

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:28:16 -0700

LSDBi has the details about certifying international prospects. Good info.

April Board agenda is out

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:10:29 -0700

The agenda (and just the agenda; it's a PDF file with non-working links) for this month's Board of Directors meeting is out.

Women's gymnastics dead period

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:20:35 -0700

Pick up a reminder of the approaching women's gymnastics dead period.

[We've deleted for now our Dead Period Reminders page that was in the Tools area. We may resurrect it at some point, but for now, you can use the Hot Topics page and the search field to find past dead period reminders.]

Friday tidbits

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 08:48:10 -0700

LSDBi has the details on two issues, one of them about video content that we've been waiting for:

• Video content on coaches' and institutional websites (an EdCol)

• Special seating for ill family members of student-athletes (a staff confirmation).

Basketball dead period

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:15:03 -0700

Pick up a reminder about the upcoming dead period that surrounds the initial NLI signing date in basketball.

NCAA practice exam online

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:57:56 -0700

The practice test version of the NCAA Coaches Recruiting Certification exam is now online.