NCAA Division III
MONTHLY UPDATE // ISSUE NO. 129 // JUNE 2016

This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership, with distribution to athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, presidents, national SAAC, conference commissioners and the NADIIIAA list serve.  We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members.  Please contact Louise McCleary at lmccleary@ncaa.org to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance homepage for the latest news and information.


HOT TOPICS

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The Department of Labor released revisions to the FLSA minimum wage and overtime standards. Updates focus primarily on the salary and compensation levels for executive, administrative, and professional exemptions to overtime pay. A few highlights: 1.) The new salary level increases from $23,660 annually ($455/week) to $47,476 annually ($913/week); 2.) The new salary levels will be effective on December 1, 2016; and 3.) The salary level will be increased automatically every three years, starting in 2020.

Click here to find a document that was released by the Department of Labor, which focuses on the new rule and the higher education community. The document provides a brief discussion on coaches and the teacher exemption. The NCAA has also worked closely with CUPA-HR and other higher education organizations to share information on the potential impact to athletics departments and to provide membership with periodic updates. Click here for a white paper that analyzes the teacher exemption for coaches and athletic trainers and discusses a variety of compliance matters. We encourage you to review the memo and share it with your human resources staff and institution legal counsel.

HIGHLIGHTS

Hot Topics

CoSIDA Updates

ADR Updates

SSI Updates

Diversity Spotlight

Special Olympics

AMA Updates

Educational Information

Championships Update

PROP Updates

Key Dates

Athletics Recruiting and Communication Quick Reference Guide

The Academic and Membership Affairs staff has created a recruiting resource for athletics staff. The resource provides a quick reference for Division III recruiting legislation and contains information on contacts and evaluations, campus visits, social media and more. As a reminder, the resource is meant to be helpful but should not be used as a substitute for the legislation in the Division III Manual. View the reference guide here.

Diversity and Inclusion Web Page

Division III has recently launched a Diversity and Inclusion webpage.  The page has diversity and inclusion resources, professional development and best practices.  It features also the Division III Diversity and Inclusion Working Group roster, executive summary, teleconference and meeting agendas and reports.  Browsers will also find the current and past recipients of the Division III Diversity Spotlight. 

Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form

The Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form is available for completion.  Completing the form by August 1 is a membership requirement.  Access to the site is through the NCAA single source sign-on; the instructions and frequently asked questions documents found within the site guide the user through each area of the form.  If you have additional questions, please contact Maria DeJulio

360 Proof Appointments at Dallas Regional Rules Seminar

The 360 Proof team invites you to book a one-on-one appointment with a nationally renowned high-risk alcohol use prevention expert at the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in Dallas, TX, on June 15. Dr. Jason Kilmer is accepting 30 and 60 minute appointments to provide your institution with the opportunity to discuss 360 Proof implementation or other high-risk alcohol use prevention questions.   These appointments are provided as a component of the 360 Proof program; there are no fees to participate.

Please contact ExpertHelp@360Proof.org if you would like to book an appointment or have questions about this opportunity.  Requests should include:

1. Your name and institution
2. Your phone number
3. The topic(s) you would like to discuss

Institute for Administrative Advancement

During the recent Regional Rules Seminar held in Orlando, Division III, in coordination with the Office of Inclusion and the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), successfully held the fourth annual Institute for Administrative Advancement.  The Institute provided a day and half of professional development programming for 23 Division III mid-level administrators of color.  The participants heard from current athletics directors on topics such as leadership, mentoring, work-life integration, and preparing for the next career move.  Next year's Institute will be held in conjunction with the 2017 Indianapolis Regional Rules Seminar, May 15-17.

Purchasing Website

Three months remain to access the 2015-16 $500 credit provided to current active and provisional member schools and conferences for use on the Division III Identity Initiative Purchasing Website. The site offers materials like co-branded banners, backdrops, unique signage, T-shirts and other products to promote your affiliation with Division III, as well as items to help activate our partnership with Special Olympics.  Schools and conferences can use the credit by August 31 to buy anything on the purchasing website. The link is ncaadiii.sourceoneordering.com (no "www" or "http" needed).  Access the site by entering the email address of your institution's director of athletics (or for conferences, the commissioner's email address) as the username, and then enter the password you created the first time you logged into the site (those logging in for the first time can create any password).  While approximately two-thirds of Division III schools have not yet used this year's credit, the summer months are a great time to place orders. Assistance with logging in to the site, updating records to reflect a new director of athletics' email address, delegating log-in access to another staff member, resetting passwords and placing orders is available from Nicole Eisenlohr at Source One Digital. 

CoSIDA UPDATES

Division III and D3SIDA Recognition Award 

Congratulations Tim Volkmann of SUNY Geneseo, the recipient of the 2016 Spring Division III and D3SIDA Recognition Award.  Division III and D3SIDA selected the video, Geneseo We R Team, that pays tribute to women's basketball student-athlete, Kelsey Annese.  The video was exceptionally well done and chosen by a selection committee of D3SIDA members as the best work this quarter.   
 
The NCAA Division III and D3SIDA recognition award is a partnership between the Division III governance staff and the Division III College Sports Information Directors of America (D3SIDA) to recognize the best work by athletics communication directors portraying the Division III identity and student-athlete experience.  The recognition program is part of the Division III Identity Initiative.  It seeks to honor the best work - including news releases, feature articles, videos, blogs and other materials - produced by Division III campus and conference athletics communication offices.  The next submission period opens in August 15 and closes October 15.  Award winners receive a $1,500 credit to attend Division III Day held in conjunction with the annual CoSIDA convention. The credit will cover the CoSIDA convention registration fee, two nights in the convention hotel, travel accommodations, and two days of meal per diem ($75/day).  

ATHLETICS DIRECT REPORTS (ADR) UPDATES

ADR Institute Nominations Now Open

The second annual Athletics Direct Report (ADR) Institute will take place January 18-19, 2017 at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, TN.  The purpose of the program is to engage Division III ADRs in best practices to oversee and manage athletics departments and to improve the relationships between ADRs and their presidents, athletics directors and conference commissioners.   The two-day program includes both networking opportunities and interactive discussions with ADR peers and other expert presenters.  Event objectives are available here. Each ADR participant will receive a registration fee waiver to the NCAA Convention to continue their professional development. The Institute also provides travel, meals and lodging for all participants. Nominations are accepted via Program Hub from conference commissioners, institutional presidents or chancellors, athletics directors, and athletics direct reports.

SPORT SCIENCE INSTITUTE (SSI) UPDATES

Step UP! Bystander Training 

Representatives from more than eighteen Division III schools attended the third biennial NCAA sponsored Step UP! Facilitator Training was held May 16-17 on the University of California, Irvine campus. At the training, 150 participants received instruction on the theory and research behind Step UP!, observed a live training demonstration, and practiced skills to teach peer intervention to students and student-athletes. The participants can apply these newly learned skills to any number of behavioral issues that lend themselves to safe, early and effective peer intervention: alcohol abuse/alcohol poisoning, sexual assault, discriminatory language, eating disorders, etc.  A revised and fully scripted facilitator guide, a collection of training scenarios and a wealth of additional training support are available for free at www.stepupprogram.org.

Cardiac Care Checklist

On May 26, the SSI provided a one-page, downloadable Cardiac Care Checklist via electronic memo to member schools to use as a part of their summer health and safety planning process. The checklist is based on the "Interassociation Consensus Statement on Cardiovascular Care of College Student-Athletes " which was developed and endorsed by leading national cardiac and sports medicine organizations earlier this year. Recipients of the memo (including athletics trainers, team physicians, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, conference commissioners, and faculty athletics representatives) were encouraged to consider how the implementation of these recommendations could be best incorporated into their current programs and practices. 

CHOICES Grant Winners
Four Division III schools were selected as winners of the NCAA CHOICES grant program for alcohol education. Colby College, Ramapo College, St. Norbert College, and The College of St. Scholastica will receive funding to develop effective alcohol education projects in partnership with campus wide efforts to reduce alcohol abuse. Click here to see the abstracts of all the NCAA CHOICES winners.
 
Concussion Guidelines 
Revised guidelines will be issued this summer as a result of the second Safety in College Football Summit. The changes will be endorsed by prominent medical and coaching associations and will serve as an update to guidelines developed at the first Safety in College Football Summit in 2014, based on new data related to concussion, exposure to repetitive head impact during football practices and games, independent medical care, and catastrophic injuries.

NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Study
Nine schools, including Division III Wilmington College and the University of Chicago, will join three Division II schools and four Division I schools in the largest-ever study of concussion in sport. The NCAA-Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education (CARE) Consortium study enters its third year this summer and now includes 30 institutions across the country. The nine new schools will begin baseline screening for all their student-athletes this summer.


DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE

The Centennial Conference is the recipient of the May Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative.  Bryn Mawr College, a conference member, recently hosted the 2016 Snell-Shillingford Symposium.  The weekend allowed 20 female student-athlete representatives and coaches to participate in sessions designed to empower women in the coaching profession and to encourage them to take up the legacy of those who have gone before them.  Participants in the symposium learned about mentoring, team culture and motivation, decision making, and interviewing.   Click here to read the full story.
 

The Diversity Spotlight Initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity related projects, programming and initiatives that are occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices.  Each month, the program recognizes an institution or conference in regard to a diversity related event, program or initiative.   All recipients receive $500 towards their next diversity initiative.  To submit an initiative for consideration for June, please email Louise McCleary  with a brief statement (no more than 500 words) as to why your institution or conference office deserves to be the spotlight recipient. Attach a photo if applicable. The nomination deadline is June 21.  

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Spotlight Poll

The NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Poll is a story-telling initiative located on ncaa.org/D3SpecialOlympics .  It features new stories each month that highlight a Division III and Special Olympics joint activity or event.  The story with the highest number of votes on the 25th day of each month is the winner. That institution or conference receives $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event. Both written and digital submissions are accepted.  Featured stories are selected based on inclusion of the student-athlete perspective and Division III messaging. To submit a story for consideration, please email d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.

May Winner

After 600 total votes, Wisconsin Lacrosse participates in polar plunge won the May Special Olympics Spotlight poll with 62 percent (371) of the votes! The University of Wisconsin Lacrosse will receive $500 to use for their next Special Olympics event!

June Nominees

Anna Maria volleyball hosts Special Olympics skills clinic

Earlham SAAC hosts Unified track meet

Kalamazoo organizes Special Olympics track meet

 

Click here to vote starting Wednesday, June 1. The winner will be selected June 25, 2016.

ACADEMIC AND MEMBERSHIP AFFAIRS (AMA) UPDATES

Rule of the Month
Transfer Student Certification

Per NCAA Bylaw 14.5.1, a student-athlete who transfers to a Division III institution from any collegiate institution is required to complete an academic year in residence at the certifying institution before being eligible to compete.  However, there are several exceptions that may allow a transfer student-athlete to play immediately at your institution.  Those exceptions can be found in Bylaw 14.5.  

To determine if the transfer student may meet an exception, it is important to understand the student's full and accurate educational history.  To do so, we suggest creating a timeline starting with the student's high school graduation date and continuing through the student's enrollment date at your institution.  Make sure to determine:

  1. Each institution where the SA was enrolled full-time;
  2. Any gaps (i.e., academic terms when the student appears to not have been enrolled in college) in the timeline; and  
  3. SA's athletics participation history at each institution (Did the student practice? Compete?).

Use all of your resources to ensure the timeline is accurate, including:  transfer tracers from previous institutions, your registrar's office, official transcripts and even internet searches.  Once you have a full history, you can accurately identify the type of transfer (i.e., 4-4, 2-4 or 4-2-4) and apply the correct NCAA legislation.

Regional Rules Seminars
Registration for the 2016 NCAA Regional Rules Seminars is now open.  Seminars will be conducted June 13-15 in Dallas.  Go to the Regional Rules Seminar web page to find the registration link, daily schedule, grid and session descriptions.  Division III specific sessions will be held Tuesday afternoon and all day on Wednesday.

NCAA Constitution 3.2.4.15 (Convention and Regional Rules Seminar attendance) requires all Division III institutions to attend a Regional Rules Seminar at least once in every three years. Under this requirement, the three-year window for attendance included the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Regional Rules Seminars.  Any institution that did not send a representative in 2014 or 2015 should plan to be in attendance at one of the 2016 seminars.  Click here to see which institutions are required to attend in 2016. These institutions will also be sent a specific notification via e-mail.  Please note: Any institutions that have already registered for June or have already attended the May seminars need not take any action. The full list of required attendees is provided here as a reminder. 

Questions about the Regional Rules Seminars should be directed to the academic and membership affairs staff at regionalrules@ncaa.org.


2017 Convention Amendment Procedures
Information related to submitting new legislative amendments for the 2017 NCAA Convention is now available on the NCAA website. All materials can be accessed by clicking on the following link. You must be logged in to the membership side of www.ncaa.org in order to access the page.

LSDBi Updates

On August 1, an old friend will get a new lease on life when Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) releases the new and improved LSDBi.  Based on the membership's feedback, AMA has enhanced the legislative database to combine the research power you know with upgrades you will love.  The first thing you will notice is a new look. The new LSDBi has a clean, easy-to-read interface that captures the style of NCAA.org for a seamless user experience. But it's more than a pretty face-in addition to its streamlined design, the updated database will energize your research. Here are just a few improvements users can look forward to:

  • Predictive search. Find what you are looking for even faster with a little help. As you begin to type, keyword suggestions are automatically displayed for the type of information you want. Looking for an interpretation? Type the first few words and watch it pop up as you go. 
  • Multi-division search. Toggle each division on or off to search each division individually, or get the big picture from two or three divisions all at once. 
  • Multi-source search. Say goodbye to running duplicate searches to look through each source. Craft one search to pull the information you want from every corner-legislation, interpretations, proposals, education columns and major infractions-and then view only the results you choose.
  • Custom manuals. Sometimes you only need information from one or two specific places in the manual. With the custom manual function, LSDBi lets you go "DIY" with the rules. Enjoy the freedom to create a resource with only the legislation you want. Make your own recruiting manual or put together a booklet on camps and clinics, and save it as a favorite for quick access.
  • Painless proposals. Sponsoring legislation has never been better with a stress-free intuitive process that points the way from A to Z. Review and collaborate on proposals with ease.

For those who want additional information, AMA will be providing sneak peek demonstrations during the Regional Rules Seminars and will be conducting how-to webinars in July.  Get ready to refresh your research with the new LSDBi.

Student-Athlete Reinstatement Update
The Division III Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement met in Indianapolis May 17-18, 2016. To reflect the evolving landscape of academic enrollment and curriculum patterns, the committee modified the student-athlete reinstatement guideline regarding violations of Bylaw 14.1.8.1 involving competition while a student-athlete is enrolled less than full time. The Division III student-athlete reinstatement guidelines are available online at NCAA.org.

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION

Top 10 Awards

Nominations for the Today's Top 10 Award will be accepted from late May to early August for student-athletes who ended their athletics eligibility during the 2015-16 academic year.  Tip: To be eligible for the Silver Anniversary Award, the nominee must have completed his or her athletics eligibility in the 1991-92 academic year. (For example, if your nominee competed in his final season of football in fall 1991, he would be eligible for the award.)  For questions about the Honors awards, contact Sharon Tufano, NCAA committee coordinator.  Click here to learn about the honorees from the 2016 NCAA Honors Celebration.

Woman of the Year Award

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Student-athletes are nominated only once in their career by their school.

Member schools are urged to submit two nominations if at least one of the nominees is a woman of color or international student-athlete. The nomination form is completed by the member school and student-athlete, and submitted by the member school via the NCAA Program Hub . School nominations are due at 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday, June 13.  All nominations from core member schools (in electronic pdf form) will be sent to their respective conference offices by Friday, June 17. All independent school nominees will be sent directly to the subsequent conference nomination round.

Upon receiving nominations from its core conference member schools, each conference will be responsible for assessing each nominee's eligibility and will select up to two conference nominees based on their respective achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership. Conferences may recognize two nominees if at least one of the nominees is a woman of color or international student-athlete. Each conference office must submit its nominee(s) to the national office by 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 15, by emailing Richard Zhu or Jessica Duff. Click here for more information on the NCAA Woman of the Year process.

NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Recap

Nearly 300 NCAA student-athletes attended the annual NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum April 7-10 in Phoenix. Athletics administrators at schools and conference offices nominated the young leaders, with representation from all three NCAA divisions and various sports and majors. More than 150 participants representing Division III, Region 4, were in attendance, including student-athletes, coaches, administrators and faculty. The participants heard from keynote speakers LaChina Robinson, TV analyst for women's basketball and former women's basketball player at Wake Forest University, and Justin Patton, a certified body language and communications skills coach. During the forum, the student-athletes learned about the NCAA governance structure, including how committees work and make membership decisions. 

CHAMPIONSHIPS UPDATE

Championships Bid Process

The NCAA championships staff recently announced the commencement of the next Championship Site Selection campaign. The NCAA is looking for hosts and sites for 83 of the 90 championships each year over four academic years, spanning 2018-19 through 2021-22.

The timeline of the bid process is as follows:

Feb. 1 Bid specifications published (NCAA.org/bids).
June 6 Bid portal opens.
June 27 Bid intentions due.
Aug. 12 Bid responses due.
Sept./Oct. Committee deliberations.
Nov. Committee recommendations.
Dec. Hosts/sites announced.

NCAA championships staff will be supplying updated communications throughout the process.  If you have questions, please contact Liz Suscha.

PROP UPDATES

Future Playing Rules Changes - Financial Implications

To  view a list of playing rules with a financial implication that have been approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for implementation starting with the 2015-16 academic year, please click here.  Please note that this document will be updated at the end the summer after the various playing rules committees conduct their summer meetings.  Do not hesitate to contact Dan Calandro if you have any questions.  

Playing Rules Committees Survey Results
As part of the process of adding, altering and/or deleting playing rules, the NCAA playing rules committees conduct surveys with the membership to determine the interest in/opposition to existing rules and potential new rules.  The survey results recently conducted in the sports of men's basketball and women's basketball are available on NCAA.org. 

KEY DATES FOR JUNE THROUGH AUGUST


2016
Dates Meeting/Championships Location 
June 1-2Championships Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 6-7Men's Basketball Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
June 6-8Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 8-10 Men's Volleyball Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 13-14Women's Lacrosse Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 13Division III Day at CoSIDA ConventionDallas, Texas
June 13-15Regional Rules SeminarDallas, Texas
June 15-17Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 15-17Competitive Safeguards & Medical Aspects of Sports Committee Meeting Dallas, Texas
June 16NADIIIAA Summer ForumDallas, Texas
June 22-23Softball Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
June 23-24Membership Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 27-29 Men's Golf Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
June 28-30Women's Golf Committee MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
July 12-14Men's and Women's Tennis MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
July 16-17Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
July 18-19Management Council MeetingIndianapolis, Indiana
August 3  Presidents Advisory Group Indianapolis, Indiana
August 4 Presidents Council Indianapolis, Indiana 


ld-bot
National Collegiate Athletic Association 700 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46204 US


Update your preferences | View in browser | View privacy policy