INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Division III Presidents Council supported three membership-sponsored legislative proposals in preparation for the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Convention in Indianapolis on January 19-22.
Division III member schools with Division I sports could soon apply all Division I legislation, including Bylaw 15 (financial aid), to their Division I sports. The Presidents Council supported the proposal that would provide consistent framework to the 2% of Division III schools sponsoring a Division I sport. Currently 10 schools in the division sponsor a sport in Division I, with five of them able to offer athletics aid dating back to a waiver granted in 2004.
The council also backed a proposal that specifies only competition would trigger the use of a season. If adopted, student-athletes would be provided flexibility to maximize seasons of participation. A student-athlete would only be charged with a season of eligibility if the student-athlete competes at any point during the traditional season.
A proposal to use the NCAA Eligibility Center in certifying the amateur status of international student-athletes to provide more consistency and efficiency to the certification process was supported, as well.
“As we are gearing up for what will be a historic Convention for the NCAA, we had great dialogue surrounding how we are best supporting our student-athletes,” said Fayneese Miller, chair of the Presidents Council and president at Hamline Univeristy. “The DIII membership includes a variety of types of institutions and athletic experiences. It is therefore expected that sometimes difficult, but always thoughtful conversation will arise with any proposal submitted for consideration. And with any proposal that we believe will positively impact our student-athletes, we found good reason to support the three proposals from our membership at the Division III Business Session.”
Release courtesy National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
