2017 NCAA Convention Legislation: Division III

Division III members will vote on nine proposals at the 2017 NCAA Convention next week in Nashville, Tennessee. Delegates will decide whether to implement a policy that ensures providers have autonomous, unchallengeable authority for medical decisions regarding student-athletes and whether graduate and post-baccalaureate students with remaining eligibility will be able to compete at the school of their choice, among other proposals. The voting will take place at the Division III business session, which begins at 8 a.m. Jan. 21.

The Division III Issues Forum will begin at 8 a.m. Jan. 20. There, members will have an opportunity to participate in question-and-answer sessions with members of the Division III Presidents Council and NCAA Sport Science Institute staff, in addition to discussing this year’s legislation in detail.

Convention attendees also will have access to educational sessions regarding the role of senior woman administrators, human resource issues and developing departmental handbooks, among other topics. Click here for more information regarding Division III activities at this year’s Convention.

Division III Convention legislation

Proposal	Sponsor	Division III committee positions *	What would it change?
2017-1: Independent medical care	Presidents Council (Management Council; Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports)	Student-Athlete Advisory Committee: Support	Institutions must establish an administrative structure that affirms unchallengeable autonomous authority for athletics health care providers for return-to-play decisions. Institutions must designate an athletics health care administrator.
2017-2: Graduate and post-baccalaureate eligibility	Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Little East Conference	Presidents Council: Oppose SAAC: Support Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Support	Permit students with an undergraduate degree and remaining eligibility to compete at the institution of their choice.
2017-3: Financial aid from outside sources that consider athletics	Presidents Council (Management Council; Financial Aid Committee)	SAAC: Support	Allow students to receive outside aid that considers athletics, provided the award isn’t tied to a student-athlete attending a certain institution and all other existing conditions are satisfied.
2017-4: Standardization of annual contest and date of competition exemptions	Management Council (Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee)	Presidents Council: No action SAAC: Support	Rather than sport-by-sport exemptions, allow each sport to exempt two scrimmages, exhibitions (including alumni contests) and joint practices in addition to conference and season-ending championship exemptions. Wrestling remains precluded from competing before the first permissible contest date, while other sports are permitted to do so.
2017-5: Field hockey and lacrosse exemption from preseason contest and date of competition limitations	Middle Atlantic Conferences; Empire 8; Great Northeast Athletic Conference	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Championships Committee: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Support	Allow field hockey and lacrosse to conduct an exempted scrimmage, exhibition or joint practice with outside competition before the first permissible contest or date of competition, which mirrors legislation adopted for soccer and women’s volleyball last year.
2017-6: Required day off for track and field, swimming and diving	Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Championships Committee: Support Playing and Practice Seasons Subcommittee: Support	Eliminate requirement that mandatory day off for track and field and swimming and diving programs be held on the same day for every student-athlete.
2017-7: Deregulating camps and clinics	North Coast Athletic Conference; Landmark Conference; Middle Atlantic Conferences	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Support	Deregulate tryout and camps and clinics legislation to allow institutions to conduct or host events involving prospective student-athletes. Events must be open to the public and cannot offer free or reduced admission to recruits.
2017-8: Limit size of provisional membership program	Management Council (Membership Committee)	Presidents Council: No action SAAC: Support	Limit the number of institutions in provisional or reclassifying membership process to 12.
2017-9: Eliminate window of reconsideration	Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference	Presidents Council: No action Management Council: Support SAAC: Support Interpretations and Legislation Committee: Support	Eliminate the window of reconsideration for Convention proposals after initial votes during the Division III Business Session. Initial votes are final.

* Please refer to the 2017 Division III Official Notice for more information.

2017 NCAA Convention Legislation: Division III

Delegates to consider graduate student transfers, independent authority for medical care providers

Division III Convention legislation