Stetson University Athletic Compliance November 13, 2103 Compliance Coaches Meeting Legislative Updates from the month of October

Division I academic groups begin academic misconduct talks Division I has been wrestling with one of the hottest topics in college sports for more than a year now: academic misconduct. What role should the NCAA play? Should the Association be involved at all? How should it be defined? The highest academic policy-setting bodies in Division I have been discussing the issue, and this fall, the Committee on Academic Performance and Academic Cabinet both debated the topic extensively. Their conversations followed a series of meetings with academic-athletics professionals and faculty members, who met late last year to begin figuring out how to shape any changes to NCAA rules in that area. To address academic misconduct issues, the membership now uses ethical conduct rules, which prohibit a student-athlete or current or former school staff member from arranging for or providing fraudulent academic credit or fraudulent transcripts.

Division I academic groups begin academic misconduct talks… A membership committee clarified the rules to help schools decide when academic misconduct should be reported to the NCAA or when it should be handled according to the schools policies that apply to all students. The Legislative Review and Interpretations Committee said that if a school staff member was involved in arranging for fraudulent academic credit or false transcripts, it should be reported to the NCAA. The committee also decided that the offense should be reported to the NCAA any time a student-athlete is involved in arranging for unearned academic credit or false transcripts, whether or not the misconduct resulted in a student-athletes participation in competition while ineligible. However, if a student-athlete cheats on a test or plagiarizes a paper without involvement from a school staff member, the school does not need to report it to the NCAA unless the student-athlete participates in competition because the fraudulent grade allows them to remain eligible. That interpretation has led to some confusion in the membership particularly in cases in which a schools internal investigation did not find serious misconduct according to the schools policy, but NCAA rules still require the allegation to be reported.

Legislative Updates Application of Disciplinary Suspension to Graduate Transfer Student-Athletes (I): Interpretation: The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that a graduate student who transfers to an NCAA member institution while the student is disqualified or suspended from his or her previous institution for disciplinary reasons (as opposed to academic reasons) must complete one calendar year in residence at the certifying institution.

Legislative Updates… Seasons of Competition and Banned Drugs (I): Educational Column: NCAA Division I institutions are reminded that the loss of a season of competition due to a student-athlete testing positive for a banned substance as part of the NCAA testing program is separate from and in addition to any seasons of competition that may have been used by engaging in competition. Therefore, it is possible for a student-athlete to be charged with two seasons of competition during the same academic year.

Legislative Updates… Summer Terms for Institutions without Traditional Terms of Enrollment to Satisfy 2-4 Transferable Degree Credit Requirements (I): Interpretation: The committee confirmed that the assessment of whether nontraditional course credit from an institution without traditional academic terms is considered credit from an academic-year course, or a summer course is based on the academic calendar of the two-year institution most recently attended by the student- athlete. Therefore, if a student-athlete begins a nontraditional course after the two-year college's spring commencement exercises, the course shall be considered summer credit, regardless of how it is classified by the offering institution. In addition, if a student-athlete begins a nontraditional course before the two-year college's spring commencement exercises but completes the course after the commencement exercises, the course shall be considered summer credit.

Legislative Updates… Awarding Athletics Aid to a Senior Prospective Student-Athlete who will Graduate and Enroll Midyear (I): Interpretation: The academic and membership affairs staff determined that a prospective student-athlete who intends to graduate from high school midyear and enroll at a member institution midyear during the same academic year (e.g., spring semester) may sign an institutional financial aid agreement on or after August 1 of his or her senior year, provided the institution issuing the financial aid agreement establishes, prior to issuing the agreement, that the prospective student-athlete is enrolled in all coursework necessary to graduate from high school at midyear.

Legislative Updates… Application of 30 Days of Countable Activities within 42 Days Prior to First Contest -- Men's Basketball (I): Interpretation: The committee confirmed that, in men's basketball, any countable athletically related activities that occur within the 42- day period before an institution's first regular-season contest shall count against the 30 days of countable athletically related activities permitted before its first regular-season contest.

Legislative Updates… Contact with a Prospective Student-Athlete During Practice Associated with Competition (I): Interpretation: The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed contact shall not be made with a prospective student- athlete who is participating in a competition (e.g., golf tournament) from the time the prospective student-athlete has reported on call at the direction of a coach or has officially checked in for the event with the event operations staff, regardless of whether the event has officially commenced (e.g., before or after a practice round).

Legislative Updates… Recording Prospective Student-Athletes During Camp or Clinic Participation (I): Educational Column: NCAA Division I institutions should note that an institutional staff member who is employed in a camp or clinic may not record prospective student-athletes' participation in the camp or clinic for recruiting purposes. It is permissible to record prospective student-athletes' participation in a camp or clinic for instructional purposes and to make the video available to the prospective student-athletes, provided the cost of producing and distributing the video is included in the cost to attend the camp or clinic or the prospective student-athlete is charged an additional fee to cover the cost of producing and providing the video. Coaching staff members who are observing a camp or clinic that includes prospective student-athletes, but are not employed by the camp or clinic, may record prospective student-athletes' participation only if the camp or clinic occurs during a permissible recruiting period. [References: NCAA Division I Bylaws (general rule), (off-campus recruiters), (off-campus contacts or evaluations), and (recruiting calendar exceptions), (recruiting or scouting services) and (video-only services), official interpretation (4/19/13, Item No. 1) and staff interpretation (2/18/94, Item No. a)]

Legislative Updates… Student-Athlete Complimentary Admissions to Coaches or Others Involved with Prospective Student-Athletes (I): Interpretation: The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that a student-athlete may provide home or away complimentary admissions to a high school, preparatory school or two-year college coach or any other individual responsible for teaching or directing an activity in which a prospective student-athlete is involved as long as the complimentary admissions are not provided to the coach or other individual at the direction of an institutional staff member. [Reference: NCAA Division I Bylaws (entertainment restrictions), (institutional events in the student-athlete's sport) and (exception -- post season events)]

Legislative Updates… Expenses for a Student Athlete's Parents to Attend a Media Activity (I) Interpretation: The academic and membership affairs staff confirmed that it is not permissible for a conference to provide actual and necessary expenses to the parents of student-athletes to attend a media activity (e.g., conference "media day"). [References: NCAA Bylaws (media activites), (extra benefit) and (expenses to receive noninstitutional awards); and staff interpretation (7/26/90, Item No. a), which has been archived]

Governance Discussion The BOD and PAG (Presidential Advisory Group) reviewed presentations from stakeholders. Efforts to create a separate division/subdivision for the big 5 appear to have reduced, however the discussion of autonomy in legislation, and flexibility on spending to benefit student-athletes persists. The BOD empowered the Steering Committee on Governance to develop alternate governance models and identify agenda topics for the January convention.

Legislative Items (Not voted on) The safety package concepts continue to receive support in the Legislative Council, yet concerns over interpretive issues still exist. Additionally, the Legislative Council questioned if the manual was the best place to address these issues through legislative mandate, or if an alternate, possibly through recommended practices, was more appropriate. The Legislative Council will work with the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport prior to the convention. Several proposals from the Rules Working Group were entered into the legislative cycle by the Legislative Council. These proposals are now on LSDBi.

Legislative Items (Voted into effect by LC or BOD) Sand Volleyball – Increased minimum contests to 8 (no more than one countable contest per calendar day) - Effective Immediately (HOORAY! This was originally requested by the A-Sun!) Mens and Womens Basketball - Eliminated the evaluation period for certified non-scholastic events that may occur in May when conflicting with events in April - Effective Immediately Football – To eliminate contacts and evaluations with prospects participating in all-star contests. – Effective Immediately (FBS and FCS) Football – To expand the definition of family for purposes of the receipt of meals on an official visits. – Effective Immediately (FBS and FCS) Football – To establish a 14 day dead period for at the beginning of July – Effective Immediately (FBS only) Football – To extend the dead period in December through the AFCA Convention – Effective Immediately (FBS only) Football – To allow summer access (as specified) - Effective Immediately (FBS and FCS) The above proposals are now present on LSDBi. Additionally, with adoption by the BOD on October 31st, the 60 day Override Period has begun. The Override Period will end on December 29th. If your institution is considering submitting an override vote, please have a member of your staff inform me so I can track on any conference wide issues and monitor the necessity of submitting a vote on behalf of the conference.

Other Business The BOD discussed the increasing use of online courses by student-athletes. The BOD referred the issue to the Leadership Council. The BOD suspended the term expirations for those representatives of the governance structure currently set to expire on June 30, 2014 to allow for continuity of representation during the governance review process.

Let me know if you have any questions…Pau