To better support student-athletes, compliance professionals across the country are working with the NCAA national office to empower campuses and conferences when deciding how Division I rules are applied.
The NCAA Academic and Membership Affairs and Enforcement staffs, the Collegiate Commissioners Association Compliance Administrators (CCACA) and the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) worked collaboratively to develop the new philosophy.
“It is impossible to foresee every possible situation during the membership-led rules-making process,” said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president of academic and membership affairs. “We recognize that some situations are simply outside the intended scope of the rules, and campus administrators are closer to the situation and should have the discretion to determine whether the spirit of the rules applies.”
With a goal of developing a sense of shared responsibility for interpreting the rules, the approach is a direct result of membership feedback during ongoing conversations about improving the Association.
“NCAA member schools and the national office have a common goal of doing what is right for student-athletes,” said Josh White, University of Nebraska Omaha senior associate athletics director and NAAC president. “The new philosophy demonstrates that we can work together to benefit student-athletes by identifying situations that are outside of what the rules are intended for, while remaining true to our core values as an Association in identifying areas where further action is appropriate.”
The new philosophy also is intended to minimize inappropriate outcomes that result from a rule applied more broadly or narrowly than was intended. All involved agreed that while the approach aims to allow schools to make more local decisions, the intention is not to draw overly broad conclusions from these situations.
“If questions arise, the national office is available to the membership to talk through specific fact scenarios and how they might apply to the rules, if at all,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.
The approach aims to allow schools to make more decisions for themselves especially in cases of student-athlete well-being, medical expenses, support services and circumstances involving nominal benefits.
“When situations arise involving the health and safety of a student-athlete or their family, it is always appropriate for campuses to provide necessary assistance,” Lennon said. “We stand ready to help whenever needed.”
