2016 NCAA Convention legislation: Division III

Members to vote on raising membership dues and deregulating electronic contact between coaches and recruits

January 11, 2016 10:00amBrian Burnsed

Division III members will vote on 10 proposals at the 2016 NCAA Convention in San Antonio. Most notably, members will weigh in on raising membership dues, deregulating electronic transmissions between coaches and recruits, and permitting full pads and contact during football’s spring segment. The Division III business session will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday.

This year’s Division IIII Issues Forum, to be held at 8 a.m. Friday, will be highlighted by discussions that will help determine what steps, if any, should be taken to reform rules pertaining to playing and practice seasons. Members will also be updated on the progress of the Division III Sportsmanship and Game Environment Working Group as well as the Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

Beyond those discussions, members will have access to several educational sessions, including a forum on student-athlete well-being, sexual misconduct prevention and strengthening the role of faculty athletics representatives on campus. Click here for more info on Division III activities at this year’s Convention.

A rundown of this year’s Division III Convention legislation:

Proposal	Sponsor	Division III committee positions (Please refer to the 2016 NCAA Convention Division III Official Notice for official position statements.)	What would it change?
2016-1: Annual membership dues increase	Presidents Council (Management Council; Strategic Planning and Finance Committee)	Student-Athlete Advisory Committee: Support	Raise membership dues from $900 to $2,000 for institutions. Raise membership dues from $450 to $1,000 for conferences. Dues increases will restore funds from previous cuts to championships per diem and enhance access to the women’s swimming and diving championships.
2016-2: Deregulation of electronic transmissions (including social media)	Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; North Coast Athletic Conference	Presidents Council: Oppose Management Council: Oppose SAAC: Oppose Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Oppose	Permit any form of electronic correspondence with recruits. Permit public and private communication through social media. Deregulate publicity restrictions regarding recruits.
2016-3: Contact during football nontraditional segment	20-plus Division III institutions	Presidents Council: Oppose Management Council: Oppose SAAC: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Oppose Football Committee: Support Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports: Oppose	Permit seven days of full equipment and three days of live tackling during a 14-day spring nontraditional season.
2016-4: Off-ice training before first ice hockey practice date	20-plus Division III institutions	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Support Men’s Ice Hockey Committee: Oppose Women’s Ice Hockey Committee: Support	Permit off-ice training before the first permissible practice date. Maintain the 19-week ice hockey season.
2016-5: Reservation of athletics facility by strength and conditioning coach	State University of New York Athletic Conference; New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference; University Athletic Association	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Support Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Support	Permit student-athletes to access an athlete-only weight room outside of their playing and practice season. Permit certified strength and conditioning coaches to reserve athletics facilities during the academic year to conduct voluntary strength and conditioning workouts.
2016-6: Participate in institutional fundraisers involving athletic ability	Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; University Athletic Association	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Oppose SAAC: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Oppose Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Oppose	Allow student-athletes to participate in out-of-season institutional fundraising activities using their athletic ability. Participation must be voluntary and activity must be open to any entrants.
2016-7: Exemption for on-campus contact with recruits on day of competition	Upper Midwest Athletic Conference; North Coast Athletic Conference; Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; North Atlantic Conference	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Support	Allow coaches to contact a recruit before a competition, provided that contact occurs on campus and the campus is not the competition site.
2016-8: Eliminate requirement that Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement restore eligibility	Management Council (Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement)	Presidents Council: No action SAAC: Support	Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement would no longer have to restore eligibility after a student-athlete has fulfilled a drug-testing penalty and has tested negative.
2016-9: Automatic qualification requirements for provisional and reclassifying schools	Management Council (Championships Committee)	Presidents Council: No action SAAC: Support	Permit conferences to count institutions that are in years three and four of the provisional and reclassifying membership process toward its requisite number of members in order to begin the two-year waiting period before that conference is eligible for automatic qualification to NCAA championships.
2016-10: Reduce participant requirements to sponsor golf	Centennial Conference; Landmark Conference; Middle Atlantic Conference; Presidents’ Athletic Conference	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Membership Committee: Support Championships Committee: Support Men’s Golf Committee: Oppose Women’s Golf Committee: Support	Reduce the minimum number of participants needed to sponsor golf from five to four.

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