NCAA Division III Webinar

Division III Academic and Membership Affairs (AMA) staff will offer one final webinar to assist Division III administrators who wish to learn more about how to use the free NCAA free online compliance forms and register prospective student-athletes with the NCAA Eligibility Center.  The webinar is slated for Wed., May 3 from 2 to 3 p.m. If your institution wants to participate in the webinar, please email Judy Delp not later than 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday, May 1. 

NEW!  Eligibility Center Registration and Online Compliance Forms Training Video

Click here to learn how to register with the Eligibility Center or use the Online Compliance Forms system. This step-by-step walkthrough video can also be located on the Division III Compliance web page in the resources area. 

Recipients Announced for Division III Diversity Grants

Twenty-seven schools and conference offices will receive diversity grants for the upcoming cycles of the Ethnic Minorities and Women's Internship Grant (20 recipients) and the Strategic Alliance Matching Grant (six recipients and one deferral). Committees consisting of membership representative select the grant recipients.  Successful grant applications encourage access, recruitment, selection and the long-term success of ethnic minorities and women in athletics administration and coaching. The full list of recipients can be found here.

Division III Week Recap

Seventy-three (73) percent of Division III member institutions and conferences (361 total) celebrated the sixth annual Division III Week, April 3-9.  Many of this year's activities featured the division's partnership with Special Olympics.  Division III raised $3,610 for Special Olympics North America by encouraging schools and conference offices to use the #d3week hashtag.  For the first time, the division hosted a DIII Week video contest.  After 24 submissions, State University of New York at Oneonta was selected the winner.  To view the video, click here. The State University of New York at Oneonta Red Dragons will be awarded $500. The seventh annual Division III Week will occur April 2-8, 2018. While planning for next year's event, remember to use resources and check for updates at the Division III Week website.

Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form

The Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form will open May 2 .  The completed form, which is a membership requirement, must be submitted no later than August 1.  Access to the site is through the NCAA single source sign-on.  The instructions and frequently asked questions documents found within the site will guide the user through each area of the form.  If you have additional questions please contact Maria DeJulio, 913-397-7668.

Woman of the Year

The 2017 Woman of the Year application is now open via the NCAA Program Hub. The school nominations close Monday, June 12, at 5 p.m. Eastern time.  Click here for the School  Nomination Tutorial, and here to learn more about the nomination and award process.  The NCAA Woman of the Year program honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female student-athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport, must have completed eligibility in her primary sport, and must have earned her undergraduate degree by summer 2017.  All 30 Woman of the Year honorees will be recognized, and the 2017 Woman of the Year announced, at an awards dinner at the Westin Indianapolis Sunday, October 22, 2017.  Questions about Woman of the Year? Contact Jess Duff, assistant coordinator for inclusion, at 317-917-6137.

Identity Initiative Purchasing Website

Have you used your $500 purchasing website credit? The Division III Identity Initiative purchasing website features co-branded giveaways, t-shirts, banners and posters.  A $500 credit is available for each institution and conference through August 2017 for purchases from the site.  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 the password you created. For assistance, please contact Amy Byrnes at Source One Digital. 

2017 CoSIDA Convention Registration

Have you registered for the 2017 CoSIDA Convention, taking place June 11-14 in Orlando?  The fourth annual Division III Day will occur Monday, June 12.  Grant dollars are available via the Division III Conference Grant Program specifically for campus sports information directors to receive professional development opportunities.  Ask your commissioner for details.  Click here for the 2017 CoSIDA Convention webpage.  For the Division III Day schedule, click here. 

NCAA Grant Fund

Developed by the NCAA Office of Inclusion, Leadership Development and Media Coordination and Statistics staff in partnership with CoSIDA, the NCAA Inclusion CoSIDA Convention Grant is an annual professional development opportunity geared toward countering the gap of inclusion, advancement and retention for women and ethnic minorities within the field of media relations/communications. This new grant will provide attendance at the CoSIDA Convention, mentorship and leadership opportunities during the academic year.  Two Division III recipients will be chosen.  Apply today.  NCAA Inclusion Grant winners will receive hotel and travel accommodations to the 2017 CoSIDA Convention in Orlando in addition to a complimentary CoSIDA convention registration, CoSIDA membership and CoSIDA mentor pairing for one year.

FARA Survey

The Faculty Athletics Representatives Association (FARA) will soon be distributing a major survey on the role and activities of FARs on their campuses and in their conferences. The survey will draw on earlier FAR survey efforts to allow for some review of how the position has changed over time. For Division III, the survey will also help to inform the DIII FAR Engagement Working Group, which is currently working to better understand engagement of FARs on the campus, in the conference and nationally.  Survey findings will be used by the Working Group as it identifies best practices and clearly articulates the value that FARs can bring to the academic and athletics enterprise. Look for the survey the first week of May. The FAR Engagement Working Group was established by the Division III Management Council and endorsed by the Division III President's Council during the fall of 2016.   For more information about its work contact Eric Hartung.

2017 FAR Fellows Institute

The 2017 Institute will take place October 13-15 at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis.  Nominations via Program Hub close May 31, with selections announced June 15.  Please nominate an FAR with at least two years experience who shows the potential to affect change within the institution and/or the conference. Please contact Leah Kareti with any questions.

360 Proof participants have the opportunity to consult with an implementation expert in a one-on-one format. The next round of appointments will occur May 15-17 at the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in Indianapolis. To schedule this consultation, send an email request to ExpertHelp@360proof.org and include:

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

2017 NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist Now Available

The updated NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist for 2017 is now available. Based on the Interassociation Consensus: Diagnosis and Management of Sport-Related Concussion Best Practices that were released in January 2017 by the Sport Science Institute and the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the updated checklist contains two new components found in the "Recognition and Diagnosis of Concussion" section on page four. To access the updated NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Checklist, click here.

Athletics Health Care Administrator

As a provision of NCAA Independent Medical Care, Division III schools are required to designate an athletics health care administrator (AHCA) by August 1. The AHCA will play an administrative role serving as the primary point of contact to assure schools have knowledge of and are compliant with NCAA health and safety legislation and interassociation recommendations. To designate an AHCA, schools may email Erin Irick  with the name and email address of their designee. To view an educational briefing document that contains information about the role of the athletics health care administrator and possible designees, click here. 

Lawrence University is the recipient of the April Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative. The university hosted its first It's On Us campaign to prevent sexual assault. The entire campus committed to create an environment where sexual assault is unacceptable. During the week-long campaign, several events took place on campus and on social media to drive the conversation. The campus was striving for 100% participation of students, faculty and staff to sign the It's On Us pledge online or on posters throughout the campus. Click here to see their It's On Us public service announcement that was featured at several athletics events. 

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 October, please email Reed Fogle or Julian Jones, 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 video or photo if applicable. The nomination deadline is May 21. 

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.

April Winner

After 620 total votes, Averett athletics host Special Olympics regional basketball tournament won the April Special Olympics Spotlight poll by garnering 70 percent (437) of the total votes! The Averett University Cougars will receive $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event.

May Nominees
Here are the stories for the May Special Olympics poll:

• Elizabethtown College SAAC hosts Special Olympics swim meet
• SUNY New Paltz SAAC hosts Special Olympics event
• CCIW and Special Olympics Illinois connect for fourth annual bocce game

Click here to vote starting Monday, May 1. The winner will be selected May 25, 2017.

Rule of the Month

Click here for a short video that highlights the benefits of having your prospective student-athletes register with the Eligibility Center and explains how it can assist you with the Online Compliance Forms system.  To view the video with closed captioning, users must turn on the closed captioning setting within YouTube.  

Official Interpretation

Player Agreement Before Initial Collegiate Enrollment (III) .  Date Issued: April 20, 2017. Date Published: April 21, 2017.  The Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee confirmed that a player agreement to compete with an amateur team, where no payment is provided, is not competition pursuant to the signing of a contract that would constitute participation in organized competition before initial collegiate enrollment. Therefore, an individual shall not be charged with a season of participation nor be required to serve an academic year of residence. [References:  NCAA Division III Bylaws 14.2.4.4 (participation in organized competition before initial collegiate enrollment) and 14.2.4.4.2 (activities constituting use of a season).]

Staff Interpretations

Employment of a Student-Athlete by Local Sports Club Owned or Operated by Student-Athlete's Coach (III) . Date Issued:  April 27, 2017. Date Published:  April 27, 2017. Type: Staff Interpretation. Item Ref: 1. The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that a student-athlete's employment in a local sports club or organization owned or operated by a coaching staff member in his or her sport does not, in and of itself, constitute an athletically related activity.  Therefore, it is permissible for an institution's coaching staff member who owns or operates a local sports club or organization to employ a student-athlete, who is a member of his or her team, in the club or organization outside the institution's playing season, provided no athletically related activities occur as a result of the employment. Further a member of an institution's coaching staff may not coach the same team with a student-athlete, outside the institution's playing season, as that constitutes athletically related activity. [References:  Bylaws 12.4 (employment), 13.11.3.3 (sports club teams) and 17.02.1.1 (athletically related activities), 17.1.5 (out-of-season athletically related activities), 10/14/98 staff confirmation, item 28, which has been archived, and staff interpretation (3/10/2004, Item Ref: b, which has been archived).]

Required Days Off Apply as a Team (III) .  Date Issued: April 27, 2017. Date Published: April 27, 2017. Type: Staff Interpretation. Item Ref: 2. The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that the required day off per week (i.e., one calendar day per week during the playing and practice season) must apply to a team as a whole (as opposed to allowing each student-athlete to take a different day off per week) in all sports except swimming and diving and indoor and outdoor track and field. [References: NCAA Division III Bylaws 17.1.4.1 (required days off, all sports), 17.1.4.1.1 (exception) and staff interpretation (11/10/2015, Item Ref: a, which has been archived).] 

Certification Must Occur Prior to Competition (III) . Date Issued: April 27, 2017. Date Published: April 27, 2017. Type: Staff Interpretation. Item Ref: 3. The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that an institution may certify a student-athlete's eligibility at any time during the academic term (i.e., semester or quarter), provided it occurs prior to any participation by the student-athlete against outside competition. The certification may not be based on grades achieved during the term of certification. [References: NCAA Division III Bylaws 14.01.1 (institutional responsibility), 14.01.2 (academic status), 14.4.1 (satisfactory-progress requirements), 17.02.10 (outside competition).]

Nonathletics Institutional Advertisements - Athletics Information (III) . Date Issued:  April 27, 2017. Date Published:  April, 27 2017. Type: Staff Interpretation. Item Ref: 4. The NCAA academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that photographs depicting student-athletes engaging in athletics activities constitute athletics information for purposes of recruiting advertisements and would not meet the provisions of the nonathletics advertisements exception. However, photographs of student-athletes engaging in athletics activities may be included in an advertisement that also features photographs of other student activities (e.g., band, academic, Greek life). [References: NCAA Division III Bylaws 13.4.2.1 (recruiting advertisements) and 13.4.2.1.1 (exception-nonathletics institutional advertisements)]

Education Column

Athletically Related Activities (III) . Date Issued:  April 27, 2017. Date Published: April 27, 2017. Type: Education Column.  The following question and answer document was originally created March 9, 2007. This question and answer document has been updated to reflect legislative changes. The purpose of this educational column is to provide guidance on what activities may occur outside the institution's declared playing season. Keep in mind that this educational column is not an exhaustive review of the athletically related activities legislation, but rather is intended to address common scenarios encountered by Division III institutions pertaining to practice activities, workouts, and other athletically related programming.

Frequently Asked Questions -- Athletically Related Activities

Question 1:  What is a "captain's practice?"  Answer 1 :  The term "captain's practice" typically is used to refer to a practice or workout session that is organized by members of an institution's team, confined primarily to members of the institution's team and is conducted outside the declared playing and practice season or on a required day off during the playing and practice season. 

Question 2:   Is it permissible for members of a team to organize "captain's practices" outside of the declared playing season?  Answer 2 :  No.  Division III student-athletes should be instructed that "captain's practices" outside the declared playing season or on a required day off are impermissible.  If student-athletes are interested in organizing group workouts or practice activities outside the declared playing season, it should be an activity open and available to any student on campus; not just student-athletes on that team.

Question 3:   May a student-athlete have a "voluntary" paid lesson from his or her coach outside the declared playing season, even if lessons are open to any individual in the community at the same fee rate?  Answer 3 :  No.  Sport lessons provided by a coach to a student-athlete would be considered athletically related activity and must only occur during the declared playing season.  For example, a golf student-athlete may not receive a lesson from a golf professional at a local golf club if the golf professional is also the student-athlete's institutional coach.

Question 4:  Is it permissible to issue student-athletes specific out-of-season workout programs ?  Answer 4:   Yes. An institutional staff member may design a voluntary individual-specific workout program for one or more student-athletes, but may not request that the student-athletes record or report completion of the workout programs. Certified strength and conditioning personnel may conduct these voluntary workouts outside the playing season during the regular academic year. (Certified strength and conditioning personnel may not, however conduct sport skill instruction outside the playing season.)

Question 5:   If an institution has a season-ending "wrap-up" meeting (e.g., elect captains for next year, turn in equipment), must this meeting occur during the declared playing season?  Answer 5 :  No.  Similar to administrative meetings, a season-ending "wrap-up" meeting is not considered athletically related activity and, therefore, may be held outside the declared playing season.  If this "wrap-up" meeting includes discussions on areas of improvement or the team's performance from the previous season it would need to occur during the playing and practice season or count the meeting as the one allowable team meeting that may occur outside the playing season conducted for an athletics purpose.

Question 6:   Do athletics award banquets need to occur during the declared playing season?  Answer 6:  No.  An athletics award banquet is not considered athletically related activity and, therefore, may be held outside the declared playing season.

[References:  Bylaws 17.02.1.1 (athletically related activities), 17.02.1.1.1 (exceptions), 17.02.14 (voluntary athletically related activities) and 17.1.4.1 (required day off, all sports) and education column (3/9/2007, Item Ref: 3, which has been archived).]

ISSG Reminder

NCAA Constitution 6.3.1 requires all Division III institutions to conduct a comprehensive self-study and evaluation of their athletics programs at least once every five years.  Click here to see which schools are required to complete this year's Institutional Self-Study Guide ( ISSG) and supporting documentation by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, June 1, 2017.  

The full ISSG and requirements for supporting documentation are now available for completion.  Click here for the user manual.  This information must be entered into the electronic ISSG by all institutions; fax, hard copy or email submissions of the ISSG will not be accepted. The ISSG can be accessed via the My Apps link on NCAA.org (if access has been granted by the institution's single-source sign-on administrator).  Institutions that need assistance are asked to send questions via email to Kristin DiBiase at kdibiase@ncaa.org.

Free Online Financial Education Now Available for all College Athletes

Division I National SAAC requested access to financial awareness education. In response, NCAA leadership development is now providing free education via an online platform for all student-athletes. College athletes from all NCAA divisions have access to videos, articles, worksheets and calculators on an array of financial topics, such as, but not limited to: budgeting, banking, savings, taxes, credit and debt. College athletes can embrace their personal financial development at their own pace. They can access the education platform here. How-to guides (PDF) are available for both college athletes participating in the education (PDF), and administrators interested in facilitating the financial literacy (PDF). Questions about the financial education? Please email ldevelopment@ncaa.org.

Honors Awards

The NCAA Honors Celebration awards recognize current and former student-athletes who have brought distinction to themselves, their schools and intercollegiate athletics. The awards will be presented at the Honors Celebration during the 2018 NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. Submit your nominations for the following awards by 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday, May 5, through the 'Applications' tab on NCAA Program Hub.

• Theodore Roosevelt Award 
• Silver Anniversary Award.   Tip: To be eligible for the Silver Anniversary Award, the nominee must have completed his or her athletics eligibility in the 1992-93 academic year. (For example, if your nominee competed in his final season of football in fall 1992, he would be eligible for the award.) 
• Award of Valor 
• Inspiration Award 

DiSC Assessments Available

Use of the DiSC is strongly encouraged on member campuses. Participants gain personalized feedback on their specific leadership style, and student-athletes, coaches and administrators gain valuable understanding of everyone's unique behavioral style. Applying this knowledge can develop effective team dynamics, leadership, and communication among the group.  For the remainder of 2017, each Division III school interested in utilizing the DiSC resource will be provided assessments for up to 50 student-athletes, as well as 30 coaches or administrators, at no cost. Funding is limited and requests will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more about the DiSC resource, click here.

NCAA Central Hub Update

As part of the third year of the NCAA's three-year officiating background check pilot program, the sports of football, men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball will be added to the program for the 2017-18 academic year. Background checks will be conducted on officials in all three divisions who register with the NCAA central hub on the ArbiterSports website and who grant the NCAA permission to conduct a background check. Only those officials who pass the background check will be considered for the NCAA postseason in these sports. The registration fee for Division III officials in these three sports will also increase as follows:

• Division III Football: from $110 to $120
• Division III Basketball (men's and women's): from $110 to $120
• Division III Women's Volleyball: Non PAVO member from  $150 to $175, Standard PAVO member from $130 to $165 and Associate PAVO member from $35 to $70 

Soccer Rules Survey

The Men's and Women's Soccer Rules Committee conducted an additional rules survey after its meeting in February. The goal of the survey was to begin discussing possible rules changes for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. The survey was sent to only head coaches from all three divisions and the results can be found here. 

Wrestling Rules Survey

The 2017 wrestling rules survey is now available. For more information, please click here.

PROP Reports

The January, February and March PROP reports are now available. Please click the following links for the January, February and March PROP reports. 

Future Championships Site Selections

The NCAA has selected more than 600 host sites for preliminary rounds and finals of predetermined championships in Divisions I, II and III to be held from 2017-18 through 2021-22.  The NCAA received more than 3,000 bid submissions from NCAA member schools, conferences, sports commissions and cities vying to host predetermined rounds for 86 of the NCAA’s 90 championships. A total of 613 sites were awarded for this cycle. The respective NCAA sports committees and the divisional championships cabinets/committees reviewed the bid proposals and selected the sites.  Click here for the full release.

See the latest appointments, promotions and retirements in the NCAA Record.

Several committees conducted in-person meetings in April. 

Management Council, April 10-11
Committee on Women's Athletics, April 19-20

Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee, April 19-20

National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, April 23-24

Presidents Council, April 25-26