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MONTHLY UPDATE // issue no. 174 // july 2020
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
360 Proof Updates
ADR Updates
FAR Updates
SSI Updates
Diversity Spotlight
Special Olympics
AMA Updates
Educational Information
PROP Updates
Committee Updates
Key Dates
 

HOT TOPICS

Name, Image and Likeness

The Division III NIL Oversight Group sent a survey to chancellors, presidents, athletics directors, commissioners and national SAAC members to seek feedback on name, image and likeness legislative concepts.  Click here for a summary of the survey feedback.  Additional Division III specific NIL resources are on ncaa.org. The Division III Management and Presidents Councils will finalize the proposals during their summer meetings in preparation for a vote at the 2021 Convention.

Deadline Approaching:  Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form

The Sport Sponsorship and Demographic Form is open for completion.  Completing the form is a membership requirement, and it must be submitted by July 31.  Access to the site is through the NCAA single source sign-on system.  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, Lynn Dickey or Erin Irick.

Attestation of Rules Compliance

Last year, the Management and Presidents Councils approved noncontroversial legislation amending NCAA Constitution 3.3.4 (conditions and obligation of membership) and NCAA Bylaw 31.2.1 (institutional eligibility) clarifying that:
  1. An institution’s chancellor or president shall attest, annually by Oct. 15, to understanding the institutional obligations and personal responsibilities imposed by Constitution 2.1 (principle of institutional control and responsibility) and Constitution 2.8 (principle of rules compliance).
  2. An institution’s director of athletics shall certify, annually by Oct. 15, that specified conditions for entry of individuals and teams in NCAA championship competition have been satisfied, including an attestation of understanding the institutional obligations and personal responsibilities imposed by Constitution 2.1 and Constitution 2.8 and that all athletics department staff members (full-time, part-time, clerical, and volunteer) are aware of the institutional obligations and personal responsibilities imposed by Constitution 2.1 and Constitution 2.8. 
Failure to complete the attestation will subject the institution to removal from and/or ineligibility of individuals to serve on an NCAA board, council or committee. The institution also will be ineligible to compete in individual and team NCAA championships.

The attestation course (video and form) will be released by Aug. 3 and the deadline to complete is Oct. 15.  The course will be completed through the NCAA Learning Management System.  Your institution’s Single-Source Sign-On administrator will give you access to the system and assign the course.

Staff will hold informational webinars in late August and early September.  Dates and times will be emailed directly to athletics directors, presidents and chancellors.  

Division III Webinars

Future webinars will occur on the following dates and topics (all times are Eastern):
  • 1 to 2 p.m. Aug. 4 – COVID-19 and Waiver Updates.
  • 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 1 – Association-wide Strategic Plan.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III website.

2019-20 Identity Initiative Purchasing Website

With only two months remaining in the 2019-20 academic year, remember to use your purchasing website credit.  The site includes T-shirts, towels, caps and banner, including the United As One banners, for purchase.  Log in through My Apps and select the Division III Purchasing icon or click here.  Your $500 credit is only available through Aug. 31 for purchases from the website.  Access the website by entering the email address of your institution's director of athletics (or for conferences, the commissioner's email address) as the username.  Then enter the password you created.  For assistance, contact Kristen Zeedyk at Source One Digital.  

360 PROOF UPDATES

Have you been thinking about implementing 360 Proof next year?  We offer phone orientations to explore the program.  Contact Leah Kareti with any questions about 360 Proof or to schedule an orientation. Don’t miss us on Twitter for 360 Proof highlights, tips and tutorials: @Real360Proof. 

ATHLETICS DIRECT REPORT UPDATES

Division III plans to conduct the sixth annual Athletics Direct Report (ADR) Institute Jan. 13-14 at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.  The event will move to a virtual format if the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacts the format of the Convention or group events, generally.  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.  Click here for event details.  ADR Institute participants will receive a registration fee waiver to the Convention to continue their professional development.  The institute also provides travel, meals and lodging for all participants.
 
Nominations opened in Program Hub June 15 and close at 5 p.m. Eastern time Aug. 30.  Eligible nominators include commissioners, presidents/chancellors and directors of athletics.  ADRs also may self-nominate for the institute.  Please contact Leah Kareti with any questions.
 

FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE UPDATES

New FAR Orientation

The New FAR Orientation has been moved to spring 2021 to enable in-person attendance.  The dates will be announced, and application deadlines will be adjusted before the start of the academic year.  FARs with less than two years of experience will be invited to apply for the program, which focuses on understanding the Division III model of athletics and exploring the role of a Division III FAR.  Also, participants will have the opportunity to build networks of new and experienced FARs and to establish goals for engagement in the role.  Contact Leah Kareti with any questions. 

SPORT SCIENCE INSTITUTE UPDATES

COVID-19 Information for Athletics Heath Care Providers

The NCAA hosted a COVID-19 Informational webinar for athletics healthcare providers in preparation of providing healthcare services for student-athletes.  This segment is a conversation with, about and for athletics healthcare providers and medical decision makers.  The panelists discuss a wide array of issues, including questions from the membership, which may serve as guidance as you work through planning and preparation for the resocialization of sport.  Please watch this webinar and feel free to forward it to others in your department that might benefit from this information. You may provide any questions or feedback to ssi@ncaa.org.

Resocialization of Collegiate Sport:  Action Plan Considerations

This information serves as a follow-up to and assumes the premise of the previously published Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport .  As many states have established plans for resocialization, there is an increasing dialogue about the need to balance the economic benefit of resocialization and reopening with the need to protect society from the public health consequences of ongoing spread of COVID-19.  The precautions outlined in the Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Action Plan Considerations  are intended to further facilitate and support that analysis.  In conjunction with this release, an update to the Core Principles of Resocialization of Collegiate Sport: Frequently Asked Questions document also has been posted on ncaa.org. 

Student-Athlete Mental Health

The NCAA Sport Science Institute is committed to supporting schools in their efforts to promote the health and well-being of student-athletes.  It is important to know how COVID-19 has impacted student-athlete well-being and ways to support student-athletes during this time.  To understand this, the NCAA Student-Athlete COVID-19 Well-Being Study was designed to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-athletes’ current physical and mental well-being.  The survey was designed by NCAA Research in collaboration with the NCAA Sport Science Institute and the three national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee governing bodies.

The results revealed that survey participants were experiencing high rates of stress and anxiety during the pandemic.  Furthermore, reported mental health concerns were highest among respondents of color, those who are facing economic hardship and those living alone.  Barriers to training, academic experiences, athletics connections and desired resources also were explored in the study.  The executive summary and detailed results of the survey can be found here.  The NCAA is exploring the possibility of a follow-up survey to further assess the state and specifics of student-athlete mental health in fall 2020.

Concussion Reporting Process

The Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports has established a reporting process through which member institutions will report instances of diagnosed concussions in NCAA student-athletes and their resolution.  The website and online reporting process will be available to the membership July 1.  The URL for that website can be found in step-by-step reporting instructions for member institutions, which can be accessed here.  In addition to the instructional information about the reporting process, we have developed a Frequently Asked Questions page that contains answers to anticipated membership questions related to the concussion reporting process.

DIVERSITY SPOTLIGHT INITIATIVE

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is the recipient of the June Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative.  A group of more than 50 UW-River Falls student-athletes held a donation drive to collect items to help areas negatively affected by the riots in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing.  Student-athletes used their social media platforms to raise awareness for the event. Click here for more details.

To submit an initiative for consideration for July, 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 July 21.

Diversity Tip of the Month

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida recently released the 2019 College Sports Racial and Gender Ethics Report Card . This report is a comprehensive analysis of the hiring practices of the NCAA and its member institutions for gender hiring practices and racial hiring practices, as well as the combined grade.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Spotlight Poll

The NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Poll is a story-telling initiative 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 and digital submissions both 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 .

June Winner

After 709 total votes, Mount Saint Mary College (NY) Men's and Women's Basketball Host Clinic with Special Olympics, won the June Special Olympics Spotlight Poll by gathering 55 percent of the total votes.  Mount Saint Mary will receive $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event.

July Nominees

Click here to vote starting Wednesday, July 1. The winner will be announced July 26.

ACADEMIC AND MEMBERSHIP AFFAIRS (AMA) 

Regional Rules Seminars

The 2020 Regional Rules Seminars concluded June 30.  The Division III programming consisted of PowerPoint presentations within the NCAA Learning Portal that were supplemented with a series of live webinars offered over the course of a three-week period.  More than 2,600 participants took part in the webinar series and, as of June 22, the presentations in the Learning Portal had registered over 2,200 completions.  All Regional Rules Seminars materials, presentations and webinar recordings will soon be made available to the membership via the NCAA Learning Portal (accessed through MyApps on ncaa.org).  For individuals without a single-source sign-on account, the materials and presentations will be made available on the Regional Rules Seminars webpage.  Thank you for your part in making the 2020 Regional Rules a success!

Subcommittee for Legislative Relief Issues Blanket Waiver

The NCAA Division III Management Council Subcommittee for Legislative Relief approved a blanket waiver to allow a committed prospective student-athlete (for example, institution has received the prospective student-athlete’s financial deposit in response to the institution’s offer of admission) to participate in virtual team meetings up to the institution’s first day of classes for the fall term or the team’s first day of practice, whichever is earlier.  Additionally, like student-athlete participation in virtual team meetings during the summer, prospective student-athlete participation must be voluntary.  Lastly, prospective student-athletes for purposes of this blanket waiver would include incoming prospective student-athletes beginning initial collegiate enrollment and transfer prospective student-athletes.

EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION

Pathway Program

The leadership development office, in partnership with the Board of Governors Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity, has selected 20 senior-level administrators, including five Division III administrators, to participate in the 2020-21 NCAA Pathway Program , with the goal of preparing these individuals to attain positions as directors of athletics or conference commissioners.  Throughout the yearlong program, participants engage in a series of experiential learning opportunities focused on advancing them to the top role in an athletics department or conference, while building their skills to thrive in their current duties.  This includes a focus on how to thrive in the ever-evolving intercollegiate athletics landscape shaped by recent prominent developments in society.

Today's Top 10 Award Nominations

Nominate your outstanding 2019-20 senior student-athletes for the 2021 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award, which honors students who have brought distinction to themselves, their schools and college sports.  Nominations are accepted for senior college athletes in all sports who completed their athletics eligibility in the 2019-20 academic year.  Award nominations are submitted through the NCAA Program Hub and are due by 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 31.  Click here to view the Today's Top 10 Award selection criteria.  The awards will be presented at the Honors Celebration during the 2021 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.  Questions?  Contact Melody Lawrence.

PLAYING RULES OVERSIGHT PANEL (PROP) UPDATES

Baseball

The Baseball Rules Committee will meet July 21-23 via videoconference. This is a rules change year for baseball. 

Men's Basketball

The Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, with approval from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, implemented two new rules changes beginning with the 2020-21 season.  Click here to view the rules changes.

Women's Bowling

The Women’s Bowling Committee, with approval from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, implemented new rules changes beginning with the 2020-21 season.  Click here to view the rules changes.

Football

The 2020 NCAA Football Rules and Interpretations and 2020 Football Instant Replay Case Book are now available.  Click here to access the books.

Women's Volleyball

The 2020 and 2021 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules Book is now available.  Click here to access the rules book.

Men's and Women's Water Polo

The Water Polo Rules Subcommittee, with approval from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, implemented 14 new rules changes beginning with the 2020-21 season.  Click here to view those rules changes.

COMMITTEE UPDATES

Several committees conducted virtual meetings in June. 

Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee, June 3
Administrative Committee, June 10
Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport, June 10-11
Strategic Planning and Finance, June 11
Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee, June 17
Interpretations and Legislation Committee, June 18
Championships Committee, June 22-23
Administrative Committee, June 24

Membership Committee, June 24-25
 

KEY DATES FOR JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER

2020
Dates Meeting/Championships Location 
July 1 Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee Virtual
July 15 Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee Virtual
July 16 Interpretations and Legislation Committee Virtual
July 18-19 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Virtual
July 20-21 Management Council Virtual
July 28 Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee Virtual
Aug. 3 Presidents Advisory Group Virtual
Aug. 5 Presidents Council Virtual
Aug. 20 Interpretations and Legislation Committee Virtual
Sept. 3 Nominations Committee Virtual
Sept. 13-15 Championships Committee Virtual
Sept. 14-15 Committee on Women's Athletics Virtual
Sept. 14-15 Minority Opportunities Interest Committee Virtual
Sept. 21-22 Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport Virtual
Sept. 22-23 Interpretations and Legislation Committee Virtual

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


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