NCAA Convention, Jan. 14-17. Click here for the Division III convention resource webpage that includes the final voting chart and roll call vote report.

Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Jan. 13-14
Mental health proposal. SAAC supported a proposed mental health proposal and provided feedback to Management Council.

Sports betting. The committee continued its discussion of sports betting and provided feedback to the councils during a joint breakfast. With a commitment to provide the membership with educational resources and materials that will help support institutional harm reduction efforts and student-athlete health and wellness, SAAC is supportive of deregulating the prohibition of betting on professional sports. Further, SAAC is fully supportive of maintaining the current prohibition of betting on collegiate athletics to protect its integrity.
 
Event planning. SAAC successfully hosted three events during the NCAA Convention:  The Division III Special Olympics event welcomed over 200 attendees, the student social mixer had over 150 students participating in games and the student luncheon, also with over 150 attendees, allowed students to directly engage with national SAAC.

Meeting recap. Click here for a recap of the meeting.

Management Council, Jan. 14
Administrative Committee. The council adopted noncontroversial legislation to align current legislation and historical practice to fill the composition of the Administrative Committee. The changes include codifying the Management Council vice-chair as a member of the committee while maintaining the committee’s size (five members) and guaranteeing the presidents/chancellors maintain a voting majority.

Coaches Connect Program proposal. The council provided feedback on a proposal to create a coaches connect program in Division III. The program’s goal is to enhance communication to improve coaches’ engagement and education. Before the proposal returns to the Championships Committee to formally recommend to the Management Council to act on during its April meeting, it will be shared with the Division III commissioners and NADIIIAA executive leadership for feedback.

Mental health proposal. The council reviewed SPFC’s feedback on a proposed mental health partnership and recommended Presidents Council approve the proposal.

Legislative referral. The council, based on the direction from the Presidents Council, referred a Convention proposal back to the Membership Committee. The proposal would permit a student that graduated from a Division III institution to compete for that institution while enrolled in a non-member institution that had a formal academic relationship with the Division III institution. As part of the referral, the council asked the Member-ship Committee to provide a recommendation to the Management Council for consideration at its April meeting.

Sports betting. The council received and update from the NCAA research staff regarding a recent survey of trends in NCAA Student-Athlete Gambling and Sports Betting Behaviors. Additionally, the council heard from SAAC regarding its discussion. (See SAAC update) The council has taken a position similar to SAAC in regard to deregulating betting on professional sports.

Nominating Committee. The council approved the appointments to the Financial Aid, Nominating and Student-Athlete Advisory Committees. The council also approved immediate appointments to the Management Council to fill two vacancies.

Communication Strategic Guide Working Group. The council received an update from the working group revising the Division III Guide to Athletics Communication on Campus. The initial guide was developed to give Division III institutions a resource which provides guidance on ways to support its athletics communications personnel. The working group is collaborating with the College Sports Communicators on the creation of a membership survey. The working group anticipates releasing the updated resource by this summer.

Presidents Council, Jan. 15
Administrative Committee. See Management Council update.

Mental health proposal. The council approved a mental health partnership to directly deliver Mental Health First Aid training to all NCAA Division III head coaches and athletic trainers. The approved partnership with the Mental Health First Aid program aims to equip head coaches and athletic trainers with tools and skills to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health challenges. As part of the partnership, Mental Health First Aid will give a two-hour virtual and five-hour on-campus training to head coaches and athletic trainers on Division III campuses who choose to participate. The certification is valid for three years, and then participants will have the opportunity to recertify. Staff anticipates launching the partnership no later than March 1.

SAAC representatives. The council elected two new SAAC representatives, Lillian Case, Juniata, and Sebastian Knowles, Hartwick, to the council for one-year terms effective with the conclusion of the 2025 NCAA Convention through the 2026 NCAA Convention.

Championships livestreaming. The council reviewed the results of the division's initiative to livestream all Division III team championships. During the fall, ncaa.com and Hudl partnered to livestream a total of 210 Division III championship competitions for free. Viewers of the championships watched a combined 11.5 million minutes of live content, compared with 2.3 million minutes in the fall of 2023. Overall viewership increased by 40%. Among the top video streams were the field hockey championship, which was promoted through the NCAA Fan Database and saw a 158% increase in viewership, the women's cross-country championship and the men's soccer championship.
 

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