This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership, with distribution to athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, presidents, national SAAC, conference commissioners and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators listserv. We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members. Please contact Katie Mucci to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance homepage for the latest news and information.
Twenty-nine institutions and conference offices will receive diversity grants for the upcoming cycles of the Ethnic Minorities and Women’s Internship Grant (22 recipients) and the Strategic Alliance Matching Grant (seven recipients). Committees consisting of membership representatives select the grant recipients. Successful grant applications encourage the access, recruitment, selection and long-term success of ethnic minorities and women in Division III athletics administration and coaching. The full list of recipients can be found here.
Academic Portal
The Academic Portal is open to enter the required Federal Graduation Rate and Academic Success Rate data. Enter the data, which is due June 1, under the “Graduation Rates” tab in the portal. Contact Sadie Martinez with any questions.
Division III 50th Anniversary
Division III is preparing a campaign to celebrate its 50th anniversary, launching a logo to mark the occasion and releasing details about the milestone. The celebration starts Aug. 6 to commemorate the date NCAA members voted to reorganize into three divisions in 1973. Read more about the anniversary here.
Division III Webinars
Webinars are from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
May 2 — Updates from Management Council, Presidents Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meetings.
June 6 — Board of Governors Congressional Engagement.
Aug. 8 — Updates from Management Council, Presidents Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meetings.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
Sports Sponsorship and Demographic Form
The Sports Sponsorship and Demographic Form will open May 1, at which time an email notification with access instructions will be sent to directors of athletics and compliance administrators. Completing the form is a membership requirement, and it must be submitted no later than Friday, July 21. If you have additional questions, please contact Sadie Martinez.
Compliance Assistant 2.0
Between now and July 31, all institutions that use Compliance Assistant will be migrated to the new application, Compliance Assistant 2.0. Division III institutions that use Compliance Assistant have been contacted and are in the process of scheduling their migrations to the new system. Institutions that do not currently use Compliance Assistant may be interested in the new application. CA 2.0 should be able to assist you with decreasing the amount of data entry you are currently doing to track student-athletes, produce rosters and verify institutional eligibility for participation. If you are interested in learning more about CA 2.0, attend the in-person Compliance Assistant session on Thursday, May 18, during the NCAA Regional Rules Seminars in Indianapolis. If you are interested in becoming a new user, please email Greg Dana at gdana@ncaa.org.
Every year, all NCAA institutions must complete the requirements set forth in the NCAA Board of Governors Policy on Campus Sexual Violence . The materials in the Sexual Violence Prevention Toolkit are currently under review and will be updated and sent to members no later than mid-May. In the past, institutions completed this attestation every spring. Last summer, the Board of Governors approved moving the campus sexual violence attestation to the fall, when member schools will attest that they met the six requirements of the policy on preventing campus sexual violence during the 2022-23 school year. (Policy item nos. 4-6 are new for the 2022-23 attestation.) The new due date is Nov. 3, 2023. A school’s president/chancellor, athletics director and campus Title IX coordinator must sign the attestation. Failure to complete the requirements of the policy or to attest will result in the school being unable to host an NCAA championship for the next applicable academic year.
The national office will notify you when the sexual violence prevention attestation is available. For administrators to complete the attestation, they need their school’s NCAA MyApps administrators to assign the course to them in the NCAA Learning Portal. Instructions and other information on the attestation process can be found on the attestation page on ncaa.org. Questions about the attestation process can be sent to webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
2023 NCAA Woman of the Year
Celebrate graduating women for their academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership with a nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year. Each member school can nominate up to two graduating female student-athletes if at least one of the nominees is a student-athlete of color or international student-athlete.
Submit your school's nomination(s) through the NCAA Program Hubby 5 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 21. Visit ncaa.org/woty for details.
REQUEST FOR NOMINEES: Athletics Training Working Group
During its April meeting, the Division III Management Council approved the creation of a working group to help identify and address the challenges Division III member institutions are experiencing with hiring and retaining athletic trainers. The working group will be composed of athletic trainers, Division III athletic directors and a Division III President/Chancellor. The group is expected to meet through January 2025. If you are interested in serving or would like to recommend someone to serve on this working group, please forward name, institution, position and contact information to Bill Regan at bfregan@ncaa.org. We will be accepting names through May 12.
Please complete this four-question survey to help the Division III Convention Planning Subcommittee determine the 2024 divisional educational sessions and Issues Forum roundtable topics.
Bylaw 16.1 defines the limits for awards a student-athlete may receive for participation in athletics while representing the school. It’s important to keep in mind that any award provided to a student-athlete for participation in athletics while representing the school that exceeds the limits defined in 16.1 would be considered an extra benefit and would typically impact a student-athlete’s eligibility and involve restitution to reinstate the student-athlete’s eligibility. The limitations in bylaw 16.1 apply to both currently enrolled student-athletes and student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility but remain enrolled at the school.
Figures 16-1 (Participation Awards), 16-2 (Championship Awards) and 16-3 (Special Achievement Awards) of the NCAA Division III Manual outline the limits regarding the maximum value of the awards, the number of times the award can be provided and who can provide the awards. Besides cost and frequency, athletics department and schools must also be aware that some awards are not permissible as awards for representing the school. These include cash, gift certificates/cards that are redeemable for cash, and country or sport club memberships (Bylaw 16.1.3).
At its April 2023 meeting, the NCAA Division III Management Council extended the blanket relief of the full-time enrollment legislation from the 2022-23 academic year to all student-athletes who earned season-of-participation relief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The blanket relief provides a student-athlete the opportunity to participate while enrolled less than full time, under specific conditions.
Please note that only student-athletes who earned season-of-participation relief during the 2020 spring term and/or 2020-21 academic year and who have not previously used any pandemic-related enrollment relief may use the extended relief during the 2023-24 or 2024-25 academic years.
The council noted that the extension creates equity among all student-athletes who were affected by the pandemic, while still maintaining a base level of enrollment, thereby ensuring that Division III athletics constitutes students competing against students.
NEW: Division III Rules Test Moving to the NCAA Learning Portal
Beginning Aug. 1, the Division III Rules Test will move to the NCAA Learning Portal. The new platform will permit administrators to assign the exam to individuals, track their progress and pull completion reports for institutional use. In order to access the exam, individuals must have an active NCAA MyApps account and be assigned NCAA Learning Portal access within NCAA MyApps. Resources on how to create accounts and assign access, as well as how to navigate using the NCAA Learning Portal, will be coming your way over the summer. Please remember that, per Bylaw 11.8, your institution must administer the NCAA Division III Rules Test to all head coaches and athletics administrators with compliance responsibilities on an annual basis. Failure to administer the test on an annual basis shall be considered an institutional violation per Bylaw 20.15.2.
Recent Legislation — Eliminating Prohibition on Collegiate All-Star Contests
The Division III Management Council approved noncontroversial legislation to eliminate the prohibition on student-athletes competing in collegiate all-star contests. As a result, student-athletes’ eligibility will not be impacted because of their participation in a collegiate all-star contest, and instead the participation should be treated in a similar manner as their participation in other outside competition.
This legislation is effective immediately.
REGISTER NOW: Regional Rules Seminar — May 16-18 in Indianapolis
Registration is open for the 2023 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar , which will be held in person May 16-18 in Indianapolis. At this time, all designated hotel room offerings available through the registration site have been booked for the entirety of the event. New seminar registrants interested in booking a room will be placed on a hotel waitlist. If the waitlist is cleared, you will be contacted directly by a staff member. However, we advise participants to secure a hotel option in close proximity to the JW Marriott (e.g., Springhill Suites by Marriott Indianapolis, Courtyard by Marriott Indianapolis Downtown or Indianapolis Marriott Downtown), or you are welcome to visit the Official Tourism Site of Indianapolis to determine a hotel option that meets your needs.
Virtual Regional Rules Participant Information
You must register as a virtual participant to receive the link. If you register as a virtual participant for the Division III Regional Rules Seminar, you will be provided a link a few days before the start of the seminar. Virtual registrants will only be able to view the sessions. They will not have the opportunity to interact with staff or ask questions during the livestreamed event. Only in-person participants will have this capability.
Division III Amendment Procedures for 2024 NCAA Convention
The membership celebrated the 12th annual Division III Week April 10-16. Content surrounding the 2023 celebration featured highlights of the division’s partnership with Special Olympics, academic achievement, athletics success, community service and more. Division III raised $10,000 for Special Olympics North America by encouraging schools and conference offices to share an educational post about the partnership. The DIII membership also participated in a joint social media blast to kick off the week, which had both #D3week and #WhyD3 trending in the top five nationally.
SUNY Oneonta won the annual #D3Week video contest with this submission. While planning for next year's event, remember to use resources and check for updates at the Division III Week website.
NCAA and D3SIDA Recognition Award
The NCAA Division III and D3SIDA recognition award seeks to honor the best work — including news releases, feature articles, videos, blogs and other materials — produced by Division III campus and conference athletics communication offices. Each top honoree will receive a $1,500 credit to attend Division III Day at the annual College Sports Communicators convention. The next submission deadline is May 15. For more information, click here.
2023 CSC U Virtual Camp
For the fifth year, the CSC U Committee will host a professional development opportunity for those exploring athletics communications as a career and those early in their careers. This year’s camp will be held virtually June 1-2, with two daily sessions. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required. Check the schedule at this link for updates on panelists and moderators as they are confirmed.
Spring Championship Selection Shows
Find more information on the Division III spring championship selections here.
Guidance on Inclusive Language. This resource represents a living document of inclusive language guidelines created to support the NCAA national office review of policies, procedures and manuals for inclusive language, as part of the NCAA Eight-Point Plan to Advance Racial Equity . Institutions and conferences are welcome to review and implement these guidelines in their efforts to foster diverse, inclusive and equitable environments.
Diversity Spotlight Initiative
The New England Small College Athletic Conference is the recipient of the April Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative. Tufts University, in conjunction with the NESCAC, hosted the third Future Leaders Forum. The two-day forum was a professional development and networking event aimed at promoting the growth of underrepresented coaches and administrators in the early stages of their careers while exposing participants to NCAA Division III principles. Participants gained knowledge of the skills needed to advance in their careers, as well as be successful in their current positions. Participants also had opportunities to engage in networking best practices as they built their professional networks with fellow attendees and NESCAC administrators and coaches.
The Diversity Spotlight Initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity development projects, programming and initiatives occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices. Each month an institution or conference is identified by the selection committee to be featured on the DIII webpage and in the DIII Monthly Update. In addition, the featured institution or conference office receives $500 toward its next diversity initiative. Click here for more information.
The NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Poll is a storytelling initiative on ncaa.org/D3SpecialOlympics. It features new stories each month that highlight a Division III and Special Olympics joint activity or event. That school or conference receives $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event. Written and digital submissions both are accepted. Featured stories are selected based on inclusion of the student-athlete perspective and Division III messaging. To submit a story for consideration, email d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
The NCAA no longer produces a “prohibited bat list” for baseball. The NCAA Approved Bat List includes all metal and composite baseball bats permitted in NCAA play. Bats must appear on the Approved Bat List and pass the bat testing protocol (Appendix G of the NCAA baseball playing rules) to be used during NCAA play.
Visible action clocks will be required for Division III by Jan. 1, 2025. It is recommended that institutions work with their scoreboard manufacturer or a timing system vendor as soon as possible to ensure that the visible action clock is installed to meet the requirement for the 2025 season.
Field Hockey
The NCAA Field Hockey Rules Subcommittee and PROP approved six rules modifications. The meeting report and the list of approved changes can be found here.
Soccer
The Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee and Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved an experimental rule to expand video review for the 2023 season. More information is available here.
Softball
The most recent NCAA Approved Softball Bat List is available on NCAA Softball Rules of the Game under NCAA bat information. Conference commissioners, directors of athletics, head coaches, senior woman administrators at institutions and NCAA-registered umpires should’ve received a unique survey link to the 2023 softball playing rules survey on April 19. The deadline for submitting the survey is May 17.
Swimming
The Swimming and Diving Rules Committee annual meeting is May 16-18. This will be a rules-change year.
Wrestling
The Wrestling Rules Committee met April 17-19 for its annual meeting. The rules committee is recommending 14 rules changes for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. A two-week comment period will be sent to the membership around May 1.
Exercising with sickle cell trait is generally safe and, with proper awareness and education, poses no barriers to outstanding athletic performance. Most athletes complete their careers without any complications, but it can affect some athletes during periods of intense exercise, when the inherited condition causes red blood cells to warp into stiff and sticky sickle shapes that block blood vessels and deprive vital organs and muscles of oxygen. The trait can affect athletes at all levels, including high school, collegiate, Olympic and professional. But through testing and proper examinations by a physician prior to competition, we can help athletes have a healthy career.
RSVP by June 1: New Chancellors and Presidents Virtual Orientation
First-time presidents and chancellors in the first two years of their presidencies and those who have recently transitioned to Division III are invited to attend a 75-minute webinar at 3:15 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 7. Senior campus leaders, including provosts and chiefs of staff who provide direct support to the president or chancellor, also can attend.
During the webinar, NCAA staff will provide a high-level overview of the following:
What is the NCAA?
How are decisions made by member schools and conferences within the NCAA governance structure?
How are member decisions financially supported?
Divisional breakouts also will provide the opportunity for participants to engage in dialogue with NCAA governance staff and their peers about division-specific priorities. Register by Friday, June 2. Contact executiveoffice@ncaa.org with questions.
Eligibility Center Updates
Please note the following changes, as well as educational opportunities available for Division III members:
Recently, the Division III FAQ was updated, as the definition of an international student was redefined. Please ensure you have the updated version of the FAQ to the version dated April 2023, as noted on the last page of the PDF.
The Eligibility Center recently hosted a webinar for its Division III audience regarding requests for final amateurism certification. If you could not attend, you can access a recording to the webinar here.
Save the Date: FARA Annual Meeting
FARA, the Faculty Athletics Representatives Association, will host its annual meeting Nov. 16-18 in Indianapolis.
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
