MONTHLY UPDATE // ISSUE 166 // OCTOBER 2019
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 listserv. We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members. Please contact Louise McCleary to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance homepage for the latest news and information.

HIGHLIGHTS

Hot Topics
ADR Updates
360 Proof Updates
SSI Updates
Athletic Communication Updates
Diversity Spotlight
Special Olympics
AMA Updates
Educational Information
PROP Updates
Committee Updates
Key Dates
 

HOT TOPICS

Facts and Figures

Click here to access the updated annual Division III fact sheets, including the 2019-20 budget.

Podcasts with Division III Council Leadership

Recently Jack Ford conducted a podcast interview with Tori Murden McClure, the president of Spalding University and vice-chair of the Division III Presidents Council.  McClure was the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first woman to ski to the South Pole. And she can fix your car.  Click here to listen to the podcast.  

As the NCAA has released new guidelines regarding mental health, concussion and catastrophic injury, among other vital topics, Jack Ford also took time to speak to Stevie Baker-Watson,  DePauw associate vice president for campus wellness and director of athletics and recreational sports, and chair of the Division III Management Council.  Baker-Watson, who has an athletic training background, discusses how institutions are adapting to the ever-evolving health and safety environment. To listen, click here. 

Secondary Publication of Proposed Legislation (SPOPL)

Information related to the 2020 NCAA Convention Division III Second Publication of Proposed Legislation (SPOPL) is now available on the Division III 2020 Convention resource webpage.

Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign

Division III is teaming up with the NCAA office of inclusion for its 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign , which will run Oct. 22-25.  This campaign will serve as a platform for student-athletes, administrators, coaches and fans across the country to start the discussion, create dialogue, speak out on and promote diversity and inclusion as key elements of student-athlete success via social media engagement. In addition, the campaign provides student-athletes an opportunity to communicate the benefits of inclusive environments to their student-athlete experience.  The four-day campaign will feature daily themes that spread awareness, highlight identities, provide education, encourage cross-cultural engagement and identify practical takeaways and action items for student-athletes and athletics departments.  Follow the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the #NCAAInclusion hashtag. To learn more about the campaign, click here.  Please direct questions to Niya Blair, director of inclusion.

Annual Report

Division III recently released its 2018-19 Annual Report . This report highlights the major events, award recipients, team champions, and other notable achievements from the past academic year.

Deadline Approaching:  Attestation of Compliance

Institutions are no longer required to execute the following forms: “Certification of Compliance for Institutions” and “Certification of Compliance for Staff Members of Athletics Departments.”  Instead, effective Aug. 1 and due no later than Tuesday, Oct. 15 , an institution’s president/chancellor and athletics director will be required to attest (via video and electronic form) to certain compliance obligations via the NCAA Learning Portal.   The school’s Single-Source Sign-On administrator will give the president or chancellor and director of athletics access to the Learning Portal and assign the course.  Click here for additional information in the upper right blue box titled “Attestation of Compliance Obligations”.

Deadline Approaching: LGBTQ OneTeam Facilitator Training

The Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Facilitator Training registration deadline is 5 p.m. Eastern time Tuesday, Oct. 15. The application is available on the NCAA Program Hub . This training is for any non-student, full-time employee in Division III athletics who would like to facilitate a future LGBTQ OneTeam program on their campus or in their conference. The facilitator training will occur Dec. 17-19 in Indianapolis.  Participants will engage in a train-the-trainer workshop. Please direct questions to Jean Merrill, NCAA director of inclusion. 

NCAA Division III Webinars

A Division III webinar offering an overview of how to navigate ncaa.org be held 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time, Tuesday, Oct. 1

Future webinars will be conducted from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time on the following dates and topics:
  • Nov. 5 – NCAA Transfer Portal, Part II: Transfer Tracer.
  • Dec. 3 – 2020 Convention Legislative Proposal Review.
Each webinar will be limited to the first 250 participants. All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III website.

NCAA Championships Site Selection and Bid Process

The NCAA recently announced the start of its 2022-26 championship site selection campaign. The NCAA is seeking hosts and sites for 86 of its 90 championships during the 2022-23 through 2025-26 academic years.  The timeline for the bid process is as follows:
  • Feb. 3:             Bid responses due.
  • Mar.-Sept.:      Committee deliberations, recommendations and approvals.
  • Oct. 23:           Hosts/sites announced.

Financial Reporting System

Institutions now can submit athletics finance information voluntarily to the NCAA via the Financial Reporting System (FRS).  The submission deadline is Jan. 15.  For institutions that never have submitted or have stopped submitting the data, please consider participating this year.

This data is important:
  • It forms the basis for the finance component of an institution’s Division III Institutional Performance Program (IPP), the free self-assessment and benchmarking tool released last year.  Click here to see the benefits of the IPP.
  • It forms the basis for the Division III revenues and expenses report, an annual report of Division III athletics departments’ financial information.  The latest report can be found here .
Contact Maria DeJulio or Katrina Buell with questions.  Additional information can be found here.
 

ATHLETICS DIRECT REPORT (ADR) UPDATES

Congratulations to the Division III ADR Institute 2020 cohort.  Thirty-four (34) athletics direct reports were selected to attend the fifth annual ADR Institute January 22-23 in conjunction with the 2020 NCAA Convention in Anaheim, California.   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.   Click here to see the 2020 cohort.
 

360 PROOF UPDATES

Monthly Prevention Tips

  • Halloween, and the weekend closest to it, is often one of the heavier drinking days of the academic year for college students.  What event-specific prevention might you do?  What needs to be done, if anything, for residents living on campus?  Consult CollegeAIM for almost 60 environmentally and individually focused strategies.
  • Want a tour of CollegeAIM before getting into it?  Rewatch the webinar on Center Point from February 7, 2019, from national expert Jessica Cronce on ways to utilize CollegeAIM most effectively (and how 360 Proof’s PFI fits in you mix of strategies).
  • Since 2020 is an even numbered year, you must complete your Biennial Report required by the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA).  360 Proof can help!  Completing the Campus Self Study will provide most (if not all) of the data you need for your Biennial Report.  Watch the webinar from September 20, 2016 on Center Point featuring national expert Eric Davidson as he walks viewers through the ins and outs of the review process.

Learning Collaborative

The first 360 Proof Learning Collaborative Webinar of 2019-20 featured Dr. Jason Kilmer of the University of Washington presenting “Cannabis/Marijuana and Possible Impacts to Student Athletes.”  It is now available in the 360 Proof Content Library, or by clicking here.  All registered 360 Proof users receive invitations to the webinar series and have access to the library of past sessions.

Mark your calendar for the upcoming 360 Proof webinars:
  • 3 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21:  Jeff Linkenbach, The Montana Institute, Positive Community Norms.
  • 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4:  Tom Fontana, University of Vermont, Alcohol and Team Bonding.
  • 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 10:  Byron Zamboanga, Smith College, Why Do Student Athletes Drink?
  • 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 8:  Amaura Kemmerer, Northeastern University, Engaging Parents as Partners in Prevention.
Questions about 360 Proof?  Email: experthelp@360proof.org.
 

SPORT SCIENCE INSTITUTE (SSI) UPDATES

2020 APPLE Training Institutes

APPLE is an annual three-day training institute for student-athletes, athletics administrators and campus partners dedicated to substance misuse prevention and health promotion of college athletes. Two training sessions are offered in 2020: January 17-19 in Charlottesville, Virginia, and January 24-26 in Newport Beach, California. Registration is $400 per team, consisting of four to six members, and spots are typically filled by mid-October. More information and registration is available here.

Nutritional/Dietary Supplement Awareness

On Sept. 5, the SSI shared a message with the membership regarding the potential dangers of nutritional/dietary supplement use. The supplement industry is generally unregulated by the federal government. Therefore, the purity and safety of nutritional/dietary supplements cannot be guaranteed. NCAA banned substances can be found in a variety of nutritional/dietary supplements. Emerging concerns related to the use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) and Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs), Cannabidiol and Sexual or Male Enhancement Products, in particular, were highlighted in the message. If there is a medical concern, a licensed physician should be consulted, and pharmacologic treatment should be provided with prescribed medication and not unregulated supplements. For more information regarding NCAA banned substances, please consult the 2019-20 NCAA Banned Substance List .
 

ATHLETIC COMMUNICATION UPDATES

Deadline Approaching:  Division III and D3SIDA Recognition Award

The 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 fall submission period closes October 15 .  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. Award winners receive a $1,500 credit to attend Division III Day held in conjunction with the annual 2020 CoSIDA convention. For more details on the recognition award, click here or contact Adam Skaggs, assistant director of Division III communications.
 

DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE

Notre Dame of Maryland University is the recipient of the September Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative.  The athletics department hosted a OneTeam Week dedicated to the Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program.  The week included daily OneTeam training sessions, incorporating all sports, classes, and majors.  The diverse groups in each training session yielded open conversations and provided each student-athlete the educational tools to continue the OneTeam messaging.  Click here for more information. 

The Diversity Spotlight Initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity related projects, programming and initiatives occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices.  All selected recipients receive $500 toward their next diversity initiative.  To submit an initiative for consideration for May, 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 video or photo if applicable. The nomination deadline is Oct. 21.

Diversity Tip of the Month

With more than 17,000 international student-athletes studying and competing at NCAA member institutions, international student-athletes add much to the learning environment within intercollegiate athletics. International student-athletes face unique challenges once they land on campus, including additional travel, language barriers, difficulties in adjusting to a new sports culture, acclimatization issues and isolation. With such challenges, international student-athletes bring depth and cultural diversity that enhances the learning environment of every student-athlete, coach and administrator in the Association.  Click here for additional information and resources.
 

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

2018-19 Division III Participation and Contributions

Nine conference offices and 107 institutions reported Division III Special Olympics activities during the 2018-19 year involving approximately 12,300 Division III student-athletes and 14,501 Special Olympics athletes.  The division dedicated just over 51,190 volunteer hours and raised a total of $54,197 because of these activities. The division also donated additional funds to Special Olympics generated from Division III Week initiatives ($4,459) and championship and enforcement fines ($61,642).  The total amount donated to Special Olympics from fiscal year 2018-19 was $120,298.  Thank you to all the student-athletes, institutions and conference offices that participated in this accomplishment.

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. Written or 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, email d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.

September Winner

After 792 total votes, Bryn Athyn athletics takes part in NCAA Division III Special Olympics 50 for 50th Challenge won the September Special Olympics Spotlight Poll by gathering nearly 65% of the total votes. The Lions will receive $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event.

October Nominees

Click here to vote starting Tuesday, Oct. 1. The winner will be announced October 26.
 

ACADEMIC AND MEMBERSHIP AFFAIRS (AMA)

Rule of the Month:  Communicating with PSAs

As recruiting continues into the fall, we’re taking time this month for a refresher on the types of communication you can have with prospective student-athletes.

Which

When we consider the rules surrounding electronic communications (Bylaw 13.02.11) and publicity (Bylaw 13.10), it is important to know which communication sources the legislation applies to: athletic accounts, team specific accounts, staff member personal accounts and, when being done at the direction of the institution, student-athlete personal accounts.  The rules are not meant to deter/inhibit the normal (non-athletics) recruiting practices of the institution. For example, an admissions office can publicize a PSA’s visit to campus provided the same manner of publicity is done for prospective students generally (13.10.4.2). Further, a non-athletics staff member can publicly engage via social media with a PSA in the same manner they would with any other prospective student.

When

At its core, communication between a coach and a PSA must be private – that includes any text message or messages on a social media outlet.  When we think about the timing of public communication with PSAs, we are focused on three benchmarks: the timeframe before the PSA has made a financial deposit, the timeframe after receiving the financial deposit but before May 1 of their senior year and, finally, after receipt of the financial deposit and after May 1.

Benchmark 1: a PSA commits to your school, but your school has yet to receive a financial deposit. During this time, all communication between your department, coaches and student-athletes (when directed by coaches) must be private.  

Benchmark 2 : after a PSA's financial deposit, but before May 1 of their senior year in high school.  Nothing changes in terms of communication needing to stay private, but now your school may publicly announce the PSA’s commitment.  The manner in which the commitment is announced is left to the institution's discretion.  Maybe you post a photo, maybe you issue a press release with some general data – but no matter what, and because all communication must remain private, the institution is still prevented from publicly linking, or @-ing, the PSA to the announcement. 

Benchmark 3: following receipt of a financial deposit and after May 1, the private communication restriction is lifted.  Now: communication can be done publicly.   Tag, link and comment away! 

Social Media

The exception for social media platforms does not allow for free public communication with PSAs.  Instead, it allows athletics staff members to friend/follow a PSA on social media. It also permits athletics staff members to take actions of approval (liking/retweeting/favoriting/etc.) on content generated by other users of the platforms.  Content created by an athletics staff member account, or any of the accounts listed above, is still subject to the public communications timeline/benchmarks.  When in doubt: Tap, Don’t Type!

Where's the Chart?

An updated social media and recruiting tool is in the works and will be released to the membership soon.  Until then, the Bylaw 13 Foundational presentation from Regional Rules 2019 (found here ) is a great resource.  And, as always, feel free to submit any social media questions you have through RSRO.

Legislative Timeline

The legislative timeline for the remainder of the 2019-20 legislative cycle is summarized below.

Nov. 1 : Deadline for amendments-to-amendments and all resolutions. All amendments-to-amendments (which do not increase the modification of the original amendment/proposal) and all resolutions must be received in the national office not later than 5 p.m. Eastern time Nov. 1. No amendments-to-amendments sponsored by the membership may be submitted after this date. The Presidents Council is authorized to submit further amendments-to-amendments at the Convention if it deems such action necessary, provided it is approved by two-thirds of the Council and copies are distributed before or during the Business Session.   

Nov. 15 : The Official Notice will be available for distribution to the entire membership through a hard-copy mailing. The Official Notice includes all membership-sponsored legislation (as modified by a sponsor modification submitted by the Sept. 15 deadline), all Presidents-Council sponsored legislation, all properly submitted amendments-to-amendments and resolutions (submitted by the Nov. 1 deadline) and all position statements issued by the Division III Councils.

Jan. 22-25, 2020 : NCAA Convention: All delegates receive the NCAA Convention program when they register at the Convention. The Convention program contains the most up-to-date meeting schedule and other helpful Convention information. Changes of an editorial nature to the proposed legislation (as it appears in the Official Notice) will be noted for the membership on the Convention floor at the beginning of the Convention business session and will be distributed in a handout (if necessary).

2019-20 Institutional Self-Study Guide

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.

The Institutional Self-Study Guide (ISSG) is due at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time June 1, 2020. The full ISSG and requirements for supporting documentation must be completed online 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).  Two resources, the Institutional Self-Study Guide Instructions and the Best Practices for Completing the ISSG are designed to assist member institutions in completing the ISSG. Institutions that need additional assistance are asked to send questions via email to issg@ncaa.org .

Click here for a list of institutions required to complete the ISSG for the 2019-20 year. These institutions will also be sent a specific notification via e-mail.  To see when your institution's ISSG is due, check the information on your institution's NCAA Directory page. The directory can be accessed from the My Apps area on ncaa.org.

2020 Regional Rules Seminars

NCAA Constitution 3.2.4.15 (Convention and Regional Rules Seminar attendance) requires all NCAA Division III institutions to attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar at least once every three years. Under this requirement, the three-year window for attendance includes the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Regional Rules Seminars.  Any institution that did not send a representative in 2018 or 2019 should plan to be in attendance at the 2020 Regional Rules Seminars.  Registration will be available in Spring 2020. Prior to the seminars, attendees are encouraged to review the LSDBi and RSRO training videos to prepare for on-site learning objectives.

Click here for a list of institutions that are required to attend a 2020 Regional Rules Seminar. These institutions and their conference offices will also be sent a specific notification via email.

Constitution 3.2.4.15 details that an institution's noncompliance with the Regional Rules Seminar attendance requirement results in the institution's entire athletics program being placed on probation for one year beginning in the next academic year after the discovery of the noncompliance.

For your convenience, below are the dates and locations for the upcoming Regional Rules Seminars for the 2019-2020 academic year.  As in previous years, the Division III programming will begin Tuesday and run the full-day on Wednesday.

1.  May 18-20, 2020
     Columbus, Ohio; and

2.  June 1-3, 2020
     Los Angeles, California.

Institutions that are members of the conferences hosting the 2020 Division III Conference Rules Seminar in Worcester, Massachusetts, are permitted to count their attendance at that seminar for fulfillment of the once-in-three-year requirement.

Student-Athlete Reinstatement

In student-athlete reinstatement cases where repayment is a condition of reinstatement (e.g., a violation involving a student-athlete’s receipt of impermissible benefits), the student-athlete, at the institution’s discretion, may complete community service hours with a charitable organization in lieu of making a monetary donation. Any required community service must be fulfilled at a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization within one calendar year of the institution reporting the violation or prior to the student-athlete exhausting eligibility, whichever comes first. The community service requirement must be completed independently of any team, athletics department or required institutional community service activities and may not be fulfilled by participating in an activity that involves direct contact with prospective student-athletes at an organization with an athletics nexus. 
 

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION

Emerging Leaders Seminar

The Emerging Leaders Seminar, February 5-7 in Indianapolis, is an annual event that provides professional development in effective leadership, educational and transitional programming for more than 200 current graduate assistants and interns from NCAA membership schools, conference offices and affiliate organizations. The three-day program educates, develops and connects selected participants, and can increase the likelihood for rapid career progression within college sports. Participants will explore topics such as self-awareness and group dynamics, and along with a large group of your peers, evaluate their impact on the leadership within athletics departments. The application, available on the NCAA Program Hub, is available until Monday, Nov. 4, noon Eastern.  Click here for more information.
 

The NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy

The Coaches Academy, February 11-14 in Tampa, provides current, full-time college football coaches at NCAA member schools the opportunity to expand their knowledge and insight into the world of college football coaching. During the academy, NCAA leadership development and NFL Player Engagement staff will educate and train selected participants in a variety of areas that encourage effective coaching and improve student-athlete well-being at both the college and professional levels. Topical education and conversation may include effective communication with campus and community constituents; the importance of building culture focused on the overall success of the student-athletes both on and off the field; budget management of a football program; coaching strategies and philosophies. The application, available on the NCAA Program Hub, is available until Monday, Nov. 4, noon Eastern.  Click here for more information.

Transfer Guides

The Four-Year and Two-Year Transfer Guides are now available on ncaapublications.com and on ncaa.org.  The guides explain the transfer rules and processes in all three divisions for student-athletes and athletics administrators.

Division III Diversity Grants

The Division III diversity grants provide funding to institutions and conference offices committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in athletics administration.  Proposals for the Ethnic Minorities and Women’s Internship Grant  and Strategic Alliance Matching Grant must be submitted via the NCAA Program Hub between noon Eastern time Sept. 16 and 5 p.m. Eastern time Jan. 31.  More information can be found on the Division III Diversity Grants website.
 

PLAYING RULES OVERSIGHT PANEL (PROP) UPDATES

Updated:  NCAA Playing Rules with Financial Implications

Click here to access an updated version of “Future Playing Rules Changes with a Potential Financial Impact”.  Questions should be directed to Dan Calandro .

Playing Rules Oversight Panel Teleconferences

Click here for all PROP teleconference reports.

Men's Lacrosse

A memo outlining the 2020 men’s lacrosse rules changes is available here .
 

Softball

Click here for the most recent softball rules interpretations.
 

COMMITTEE UPDATES

Several committees conducted in-person meetings in September. 

Championships Committee, September 9-10
Nominating Committee, September 10
Committee on Women’s Athletics, September 11-12
Minority Opportunities Interest Committee, September 11-12
Honors Committee, September 16
Research Committee, September 16-17
Interpretations and Legislation Committee, September 24-25
 

KEY DATES FOR OCTOBER THROUGH DECEMBER

2019
Dates Meeting/Championships Location 
Oct. 18-20  FAR Fellows Institute Indianapolis, IN
Oct. 21-22 Management Council  Indianapolis, IN
Oct. 29-30 Presidents Council Atlanta, GA
Nov. 10-11 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 11-12 Financial Aid Committee Indianapolis, IN 
Nov. 19-20 Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 21-23 Women's Volleyball Championship Cedar Rapids, IA
Nov. 23 Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships Louisville, KY
Nov. 23-24 Field Hockey Championship Manheim, PA
Dec. 6-7 Men's Soccer Championship Greensboro, NC
Dec. 6-7 Women's Soccer Championship Greensboro, NC
Dec. 20 Football Championship Shenandoah, TX

 
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors that serve on Division III committees, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, national SAAC, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
National Collegiate Athletic Association, 700 W. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204 US



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