| |
Lynn Oberbillig
Director of Athletics, Smith College
Chair, Division III Management Council
From the Chair of the Management Council
As I sit here composing my thoughts after the Thanksgiving holiday, I resolve not to eat as much during the next holiday break. I am also preparing our campus to take a position on NCAA legislation and planning for the 2011 NCAA Convention in San Antonio, Texas (yes, my favorite Convention city).
In order to prepare for our institutional position on legislation, I met with the faculty committee on athletics, our SAAC, and our athletic department, getting everyone’s perspective on the legislation. I then shared their thoughts with the academic dean and the president in order to determine Smith’s vote on the legislation. Hopefully you will engage others on your campus in the next few weeks in preparation for the Convention. Here are a few helpful hints.
The first votes we will take are on the presidential agenda, those pieces of legislation of particular importance to presidents. Pay close attention to the fundraising “earmarking” legislation and the recruiting materials that allow colleges to advertise and promote at high school athletic events.
We will continue with roll call votes for the general grouping. I anticipate thorough discussions on allowing the certified strength and conditioning personnel conducting workouts outside the playing and practice seasons, as well as the resolution to study championship squad limits and bench sizes and the related membership proposals that allow institutions to determine bench size.
So please resolve now to have conversations on campus regarding the legislation, especially engaging your president. If you have some free thinking time in the next month, ponder this: How would the battle at the Alamo have changed if Davy Crockett or Jim Bowie attended a NCAA Division III institution?
IMPORTANT - NCAA DIVISION III BUSINESS SESSION – VOTING RECORD
Please ensure that your institution registers a vote at the NCAA Division III Business Session. Attendance at the NCAA Division III Business Session is a requirement of membership, and in order to track fulfillment of this requirement, your institution’s voting record is reviewed. If your institution did not register a vote, it is assumed that your institution did not attend the business session. Abstentions do register as a vote and satisfy the attendance requirement. If your institution is unable to attend Convention and the business session for any reason, it should proactively request relief from the Division III Membership Committee via a membership requirement waiver request form. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Azure Davey (adavey@ncaa.org) in Academic and Membership Affairs at the national office.
IMPORTANT - 2010 NCAA CONVENTION REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
You can find details regarding the 2011 NCAA Convention below and on the Convention Web page. If you have questions not addressed in this update, please call NCAA Convention management staff at 317/917-6262.
Hotel ReservationsThe Grand Hyatt San Antonio will serve as headquarters for Division III Convention programming and special events. Reservations will be accepted only through the online registration system. If you have questions regarding the hotel reservation process, please e-mail Becky Cooper at bcooper@ncaa.org.
What’s Happening at the 2011 Convention:
Opening Business Session - Thursday, January 13 - 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Delegates Reception - Thursday, January 13 - 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Division III Issues Forum - Friday, January 14 - 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Division III Chancellors/Presidents Issues Forum and Luncheon - Friday, January 14 - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Division III Athletics Direct Reports Forum and Luncheon - Friday, January 14 - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Division III Conference Meetings - Friday, January 14 - 1:30 to 5 p.m.
Honors Celebration - Friday, January 14 - 6 to 8 p.m.
Division III Business Session - Saturday, January 15 - 8 a.m. to Noon
Visit www.NCAAConvention.com for additional details.
2011 NCAA CONVENTION DIVISION III LEGISLATION PROPOSALS QUESTION AND ANSWER GUIDE
Attached is the PDF version of the 2011 Convention Division III Proposals Questions and Answer Guide. The guide will be updated as additional questions arise. Please visit the Division III homepage in the coming weeks for the most up-to-date version of the guide.
Q&A
Supplement to the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Softball Rules and Interpretations Book
On November 30, 2010 a supplement to 2010 and 2011 NCAA Softball Rules and Interpretations Book was distributed.Highlighted changes were an outcome of bat compliance protocol established by the NCAA Softball Rules Committee in June 2009, subsequently approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The supplement is an easy-to-read version of the word-for-word changes included with the October 7, memorandum regarding 2011 Softball Bat Compliance.Also included in the supplement were flow charts for bat compliance protocol for games and for barrel compression testing. For your convenience, the most current 2011 NCAA Approved Softball List is available at www.NCAA.org/playingrules, as well as the NCAA Softball Central Hub Website, http://suip.arbitersports.com.
| CONFERENCE AND MEMBER INSTITUTION EDUCATIONAL TOOLS AND OPPORTUNITIES |
HOLIDAY EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Member institutions and conferences should note that the NCAA national office will be closed beginning Friday, December 24, 2010 until January 3, 2011. Those institutions in need of emergency assistance on issues that must be resolved prior to the office re-opening should call the institutional line (317/917-6003) and follow the prompt to leave a message for the specific topic area noted by pressing the corresponding number on a touch-tone phone. Please leave your name, position, institution or conference affiliation, contact number, the nature and urgency of the request and someone from the staff will contact you within 24 hours during the business week.
Men’s Volleyball Conferences
The application deadline has been extended from January 15 to February 28 for men’s volleyball conferences that are interested in applying for NCAA membership. The deadline extension is only applicable to men’s volleyball single-sport conference applicants. Applications will be reviewed by the membership committee and any related initial automatic qualification submission will automatically be forwarded to the championships committee. Individuals should also review the 2011 Question and Answer document regarding Proposal No. 5 and related men’s volleyball information (e.g., playing and practice rules).
NCAA STUDENT-ATHLETE AFFAIRS EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYMPOSIA
The NCAA Student-Athlete Affairs Education and Training Symposia (ETS) are designed to provide relevant, effective and practical training and professional development opportunities to enhance the ability of professionals to serve student-athletes in the areas of life skills and student-athlete development.ETS is open to professionals at NCAA member institutions and conference offices who support student-athletes in any capacity. The event will provide the opportunity for professionals to become educated on student-athlete well-being issues, receive student-athlete development training and develop a toolkit to better equip them to serve the continually changing needs of student-athletes.
The NCAA Life Skills and Leadership Development staff will be hosting two Education and Training Symposia in 2011. The first will be held February 7-9, 2011, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The February ETS is replacing the former CHAMPS/Life Skills Conference and will be preceded by an Effective Facilitation Workshop on February 6-7. There are 72 available spots in the workshop, which requires a separate registration. The Effective Facilitation Workshop is a hands-on training session providing participants with a tool kit to help design training sessions and facilitate to engage an audience.
The second ETS will be held June 15-17, 2011 in Indianapolis. The June ETS is a smaller symposium designed specifically for those, including coaches, faculty and administrators, who are not available to attend in February.
The deadline to register for the February symposia is December 17, 2010. Links to additional information and the registration website are included below. Please contact Amanda Conklin at aconklin@ncaa.org or 317/917-6340 if you have any questions about these events, .
Links: Student-Athlete Affairs Education and Training Symposium Information and Education and Training Symposium Registration Website
Video Series Detailing 2011 Convention Proposals
The academic and membership affairs staff has created a three-part educational video series designed to assist the membership in understanding the legislative content of the 2011 Convention proposals prior to voting. The video series details specific information regarding the proposals that will be voted on and provides a tutorial on how to read and understand Division III proposals and properly use all of the resources available in preparation for the 2011 Convention.
The video series can be found on the Division III home page by clicking on the “2011 Convention proposal videos” link in the Hot Topics box.
Single-Source Sign-On
In January LSDBi and other applications will only be accessible through a new single-source login system. Members will become responsible for providing users with access to the appropriate applications. An AMA Education on Demand tutorial-type video is now available for users that are still learning about the system. The membership will have an opportunity to ask specific questions through a webinar series. More information on the webinar schedule will be distributed directly to the single-source sign-on administrators. If you have questions please contact Michelle Vaughn (mvaughn@ncaa.org). (See page 9 for more information)
AMA Online Case Management System.
The AMA Online Case Management System will allow the membership to submit and manage waiver and reinstatement requests more efficiently.
Institutional personnel submitting requests ranging from a student-athlete reinstatement request to initial-eligibility waivers and progress-toward-degree waivers will log into the system, request to begin creating a case and submit it to staff. Case types in the new online management system include:Divisions I and II initial-eligibility waivers (all sub-case types)Divisions I and II progress-toward-degree waivers (all sub-case types)Legislative relief waiversWaivers of membership requirementsStudent-athlete reinstatement requests (and all case types processed by student-athlete reinstatement)
Division III Academic Issues Subcommittee waivers
The NCAA will roll out the online case management system first quarter 2011. Access will be available behind the Business Apps button on the membership side of NCAA.org and will be part of the single-source sign-on system. Please contact Lynn Holzman (lholzman@ncaa.org) if you have questions.
AMA Education on Demand
Academic and membership affairs staff continues to bring you educational videos through AMA Education on Demand. These videos can be accessed by clicking on the Resource tab within LSDBi. The videos are located on the Education menu. Videos are categorized by division and subject matter. New to the AMA Education on Demand site this month is a tutorial-type video related to the Single-Source Sign-On System. Also, Division III staff continues its series of 2011 legislative proposals to be voted on at Convention. Maggie Muttuch, AVP for student financial services at the University of Puget Sound and Eric Stacey, director of athletics at St. Catherine University join NCAA staff member, Kristin Nesbitt in a discussion about athletics and financial aid. Click on the video icons to take a look!
Single-Source Sign-On
2011 Convention Series
Athletics and Financial Aid Discussion
NCAA Directory
In an effort to better serve and communicate more effectively with our membership, current head coaches and administrators are listed on the online directory pages. The national office uses the contact information daily to disseminate information to appropriate contacts for all services provided by the national office. By listing all these contacts on the directory page, it allows the user to request a personnel update at any time throughout the year for any of the contacts listed. Further, providing updates periodically allows the national office staff the opportunity to be more prompt in responding to such requests. For example, if a head coach leaves your institution you can and should provide the national office the update as soon as a replacement or interim has been named. You can find your membership listing via the NCAA Directory online on the membership side of NCAA.org by clicking About the NCAA, Membership and finally The NCAA Directory. You will need your six digit organization ID to enter. You can view the details of the personnel listings by clicking the individual names. If you need to make changes, please use the Change Request link at the top right hand corner of the page. The Change Request link in the NCAA Directory is the preferred method of updating membership information throughout the year.In the near future, the NCAA Directory will be an application made available to users via the Single-Source Sign-On System (See pages 4-5).
ISSG Reminder
NCAA Constitution 6.3.1 requires all NCAA Division III institutions to conduct a comprehensive self-study and evaluation of their athletics programs at least once every five years. The supporting documentation is to be retained on file with the institution and available for examination on request by an authorized representative of the Association. Membership has access to the date the next ISSG is due for their respective institution via the online directory found on the membership side of NCAA.org by clicking on About the NCAA and then Membership. The directory is found under the Helpful Link section.
2011 NCAA REGIONAL RULES SEMINARS
Seminars will be conducted May 16-20 in Tucson, Arizona and June 6-10 in Tampa, Florida.Registration will open early February 2011. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months!!Outlines will NOT be provided in the seminar program. Once again, presentation materials will be available online prior to the seminars at ncaa.org. Download or print materials prior to the seminars. BRING YOUR LAPTOP!!Future Dates and Sites:2012:May 14-18, Anaheim, California andJune 4-8, Atlanta, Georgia
2010 NCAA FALL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS!
Congratulations to the following 2010 Division III fall championship winners:
Sport Champion
Men's Cross Country Haverford College
Women's Cross Country Middlebury College
Field Hockey Bowdoin College
Volleyball Calvin College
Men's Soccer Messiah College
Women's Soccer Hardin-Simmons University
NCAA Division III Identity Initiative: PURCHASING WEBSITE
Division III purchasing Website (https://diii.sportgraphics.biz/SignIn.aspx?ReturnUrl=/Default.aspx) includes items for purchase and free downloads. All Division III athletics directors and presidents were provided with the password to access this site. Please contact Debbie Kresge at dkresge@ncaa.org if you have any questions.
| DIVISION III COMMITTEE UPDATES |
SAAC Spotlight
The National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) recognizes successful conference and institutional SAACs at its meetings in July, November and January. The SAAC Spotlight features institutions or conferences demonstrating “best practices” and enhancing quality initiatives. Selection objectives include communication (e.g., engaging CEOs and other campus leaders, commitment and communication with the national SAAC, establishment and use of a conference SAAC Web site), community outreach, sportsmanship initiatives, SAAC meeting structure (e.g., in-person meetings, conference calls) and leadership opportunities (e.g., leadership conferences, professional development).The committee selected the Colonial States Athletics Conference and Plattsburgh State University of New York to be featured in its most recent spotlight.
Conference: The Colonial States Athletics Conference SAAC traditionally takes part in an annual “Make –A- Wish” fundraiser. This year the group decided to personalize its annual initiative in reaction to its knowledge that a family within the conference needed financial support. The conference SAAC will be conducting “The CSAC Wish” fundraiser to obtain donations for a family within the conference, whose family member was recently diagnosed with cancer. The funds raised through the CSAC Wish will be used to assist the family with medical bills and any other needs they may have related the treatment of the family member.
Campus: In conjunction with the Plattsburgh State University of New York’s men’s lacrosse student-athletes and assistant men’s lacrosse coach Ryan Cavanagh, the Plattsburgh State SAAC helped to coordinate, promote, and support the 2nd Annual Cardinals Clip Cancer event held on October 14th, 2010 at Plattsburgh State. Cardinals Clip Cancer is volunteer driven head-shaving event to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundations efforts to fight childhood cancer. St. Baldrick's funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world to find cures and improve the quality of life for patients and survivors. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. Over 72 individuals participated in the event by shaving their heads as a sign of solidarity for those with childhood cancer. The event raised $7,500 overall for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Nominations sought for Byers, McKay awards
Nov 17, 2010 5:28:10 PM
The NCAA News
Nominations for the 2010-11 Walter Byers and Jim McKay Scholarships are now open. Recommendations must be postmarked no later than Friday, January 28, 2011.The Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship was established in 1988 to recognize outstanding academic achievement and potential for success in postgraduate study of one male and one female recipient. The $24,000 award, named after the first executive director of the NCAA, can be renewed for a second year.The McKay scholarship, created in 2008 to honor the legacy of sports journalist Jim McKay, is a $10,000 grant given to a male and female student-athlete pursuing a graduate degree and demonstrating unique aptitude and commitment to the communications field. Nominees for both awards must have competed as a varsity student-athlete at an NCAA member school and maintained at least a 3.5 grade-point average as an undergraduate.Read more on the Walter Byers and Jim McKay scholarships. Contact Lori Thomas at 317/917-6683 with additional questions.
Re-tooled online access application unveiled
Nov 2, 2010 9:27:36 AM
The NCAA News
A new technology system called “single-source sign-on” that was developed last year is being launched this fall after enhancements were added to make the system more functional. The initiative gives institutions control of who can access various NCAA applications online and in turn gives those users easier and appropriate access for the job functions they perform.Among applications available immediately are the Compliance Assistant, the Division II Institutional Self-Study Guide (for schools required to complete the ISSG in the current cycle) and the Legislative Services Database (LSDBi). Other applications will be added later. Enhancements to the system from when it was first developed last year include mechanisms for those who aren’t initially granted access to a certain program to be directed to the appropriate campus administrator instead of the national office staff. This stems from requests for more local control of who has access to what on campus.Before single-source sign-on, all institutional personnel could access just about any business application on the NCAA website as long as they had the institutional log-in information (user name and password). While that approach was sufficient when there were only a few simple applications online, the growth in the number and complexity of the applications and the information they contain made it desirable for institutions to better control who accesses what.The new system requires institutions to designate the kind of access (no, full or partial) for each application and each individual. For example, an institution may decide to afford its compliance director with full access to every application but limit access to certain applications for coaches. The Legislative Services Database is a good example. When that application was begun years ago, it contained only the information that allowed people to track legislative proposals, new legislation and updated interpretations. Now, as waiver and student-athlete reinstatement cases, infractions cases and case precedent information are included on LSDBi, that information might not be appropriate for everyone to access.Athletics directors and senior compliance administrators at schools have been contacted to designate at least two people who then will have the authority to create user accounts. Those designees (which could be the AD and the senior compliance administrator, if desired) were asked to allocate full or partial access to their athletics department personnel and others on campus who need to work with these applications. Under the new system, individuals will log on with their NCAA.org login ID and password. Once in the system, users will see a list of applications that they have been approved to access. Previously, users would have to log in to each application individually and have the appropriate user name and password for each application.Users can access the sign-on via the “Business Apps” tab on the membership side of NCAA.org.
Glossary of terms:
Single-Source Sign-On System – The concept of a user being able to log into a system one time and have access to all NCAA business applications, forms and systems necessary to perform the user’s job functions.
NCAA Applications Authentication Service – The system (login page) that allows the user to enter a login ID and password combination for verification to gain access to the assigned NCAA applications, forms and systems.
NCAA Applications Account Maintenance Tool – The tool used by the membership to assign NCAA applications, forms and systems access and privileges to users and groups at appropriate levels.
Business Apps/Member Access – The button located on the membership side of NCAA.org that navigates the user to the NCAA Applications Authentication Service.
DIII members encouraged to shop online to benefit identity
Dec 2, 2010 8:18:57 AM
The NCAA News
As the momentum continues to build on the Division III identity initiative launched at the 2010 Convention, members are reminded to take advantage of several resources that benefit individual schools and conferences.In particular, each member school and conference has been allocated $1,000 up front to acquire materials from the Division III Identity Initiative Purchasing Website. To date, more than $103,000 has been spent by about 175 institutions and conferences. Branding materials available for purchase include banner stands, signage, posters, media backdrops, decals and window clings. Other materials can be downloaded at no cost, including videos, ads, logos, templates and the strategic-positioning platform.“Over the last year, Division III has launched its identity initiative in an attempt to reaffirm and communicate the values that unite us as a division,” said current Division III Presidents Council chair Jim Harris of Widener University. “We are committed to emphasizing our strengths, the values that make us distinctive, and our unique student-athlete experience.”Harris urged all Division III members to take advantage of the materials that not only promote membership in Division III but also can be co-branded to tout institutions and conferences, as well.Division III is also planning a session at the 2011 Convention regarding best practices related to activation of the identity initiative in general, and the purchasing website in particular. That session will feature examples from institutions and conferences that have used the materials on the purchasing website to their advantage in various venues.Division III schools and conferences also are encouraged to use the Division III “lockup” logo (with the words “Discover/Develop/Dedicate”) as a link to the Division III public website at www.ncaa.org/divisioniii. That site was developed this year as a resource for Division III members to promote the division to their constituents, and to prospective students and student-athletes.
“We’d like to get to a point rather quickly where every school and conference links their own websites to the Division III site as another way of co-branding our membership with the division,” Harris said. “For the identity initiative to be most effective, we need consistent activation at the local level.”
| KEY DATES FOR DECEMBER 2010 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2011 |
Dates Meetings/Championships Location
2010/2011
December 1-3 Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
December 3-4 Women's Soccer Finals - Trinity University San Antonio, Texas
December 3-4 Men's Soccer Finals - Trinity University San Antonio, Texas
December 18 Men's Football Finals Salem, Virginia
January 12-15 NCAA Convention San Antonion, Texas
February 7-8 Championships Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
Feburary 8 Nominating Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
February 10-11 Interpretations and Legilsation Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
February 15-16 Membership Committee Meeting Indianapolis, Indiana
| comments or feedback are appreciated. contact marquette potter at mpotter@ncaa.org. |
Division III Positioning Statement
Follow your passions and discover your potential. The college experience is a time of learning and growth – a chance to follow passions and develop potential. For student-athletes in Division III, this happens most importantly in the classroom and through earning an academic degree. The Division III experience provides for passionate participation in a competitive athletic environment, where student-athletes push themselves to excellence and build upon their academic success with new challenges and life skills. And student-athletes are encouraged to pursue the full spectrum of opportunities available during their time in college. In this way, Division III provides an integrated environment for student-athletes to take responsibility for their own paths, follow their passions and find their potential through a comprehensive educational experience.
|
|
