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.
Each year, the Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee updates and approves the division’s strategic plan and budget and forwards it to the Management and Presidents Councils for final approval. The strategic plan begins with the Division III philosophy statement to establish the framework from which the division’s programs, resource allocations and regulatory decisions are made. It summarizes the division’s strategic priorities by outlining what must be accomplished in the current year of the budget triennium for the division to be successful. The plan also highlights all the programs and services offered for the division. Click here to access the 2023-24 strategic plan.
Division III Annual List of Required Forms and Actions
Click here for a chart that details the Division III annual required forms and actions for institutions, and click here for a new resource for conference offices that details the 2023-24 annual list of required forms.
Application Open: Division III Student Immersion Program
For the ninth year, Division III will hold the Division III Student Immersion Program. This year’s program will be Jan. 10-13, in conjunction with the NCAA Convention in Phoenix. The application, tit led “2024 Division III Student Immersion Program,” is available on the Program Hub and closes at 5 p.m. Eastern timeFriday, Sept. 29. Students who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color, preferably juniors and seniors with a strong interest in a career in Division III athletics (coaching and/or administration), are encouraged to apply. Final selections will be announced in mid-October. Participants will engage with a mentor, participate in a DiSC assessment, learn from professionals and have an opportunity to participate in the NCAA Convention. The program’s goal is to build a pipeline of BIPOC candidates who have an interest in Division III coaching and/or administration to ultimately help diversify the division.
2024 NCAA Convention
The annual NCAA Convention will be held Jan. 10-13 in Phoenix. Registration opens Tuesday, Sept. 12 . NCAA members should register by Wednesday, Oct. 11, to get the lowest registration rate ($325). Key events include the State of College Sports and Awards Presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 10, and the Woman of the Year Awards presentation Thursday, Jan. 11. The Division III Issues Forum will occur Friday morning, Jan. 12, while the Division III Business Session will be Saturday morning, Jan. 13.
Division III LGBTQ of the Year Awards
The NCAA Division III LGBTQ of the Year Awards Selection Committee is pleased to announce its 2023 final nominees for the LGBTQ of the Year awards, in three categories:
LGBTQ Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence and service/leadership of LGBTQ student-athletes.
LGBTQ Administrator/Coach/Staff of the Year Award, which honors the service, leadership and promotion of LGBTQ inclusion by an LGBTQ athletics administrator, coach or staff member.
LGBTQ Athletics Department/Conference of the Year Award, which honors an athletics department or conference office that has demonstrated proactive efforts to create and sustain an LGBTQ-inclusive culture.
The nomination period was open from February to June. The selection committee reviewed and evaluated the nominations with the purpose of identifying a standout nominee in each category. The award recipients will be announced and publicly recognized Thursday, Jan. 11, in conjunction with the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix. To view the full list of final nominees, click here.
Applications are now open for the 2024-25 NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program. The deadline to apply is Friday, Sept. 8.The program annually provides on-the-job learning experiences at the national office to college graduates who are passionate in their pursuit of a career in college sports administration.
With a focus on ethnic minorities, women and former student-athletes, this yearlong program gives insight to the inner workings of college sports from the national perspective. Interns over the past 25 years have taken their experience and institutional knowledge onto campuses and into conference offices as full-time administrators. Applicants must be a college graduate from a four-year NCAA member school by the start date of the internship program. The NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program is not designed to provide credit toward an undergraduate degree, but an intern may be eligible to earn credit toward a graduate degree. The online application for the NCAA Postgraduate Internship Program is available on the NCAA Program Hub.
Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete
The Eligibility Center has released the 2023-24 Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete. The guide is designed to help college-bound student-athletes, their families and high school administrators understand the NCAA initial-eligibility process. It also is intended to help prepare students to make the transition from high school to college. The updated guide includes:
An overview of the Eligibility Center registration process.
Time management information for Divisions I, II and III.
Academic requirements for Divisions I and II.
Amateurism requirements for Division III.
For questions on the guide, contact Amber Viles, assistant director of Eligibility Center communications.
Division III Webinars
Webinars will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
Sept. 5 — Special Olympics updates.
Oct. 3 — Championships Committee (potential budget enhancements for fiscal year 2025).
Nov. 7 — Updates from Management and Presidents Council meetings.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
FARA Annual Meeting
The 2023 FARA Annual Meeting will be held Nov.16-18 in Indianapolis. Registration is NOW OPEN. (FARA Registration) The FARA Executive Committee is putting together a great divisional and Association-w ide program for everyone — from veteran to brand-new FARs. See you in Indianapolis!
Branding and Promotions Purchasing Website
Directors of athletics and conference commissioners soon will receive from Source One Digital an email invitation to use a new $350 credit for the Division III Branding & Promotions Purchasing website during 2023-24. In addition to banners, T-shirts and giveaways that can be co-branded, this year’s site also will feature select Division III 50th anniversary items. The link for the purchasing website is ncaadiii.sourceoneordering.com and it will be available starting Monday, Sept. 25. You also can access the site through MyApps.
Access the site by entering the email address of your school’s director of athletics (or for conferences, the commissioner’s email address) as the username, and then enter the password you created the first time you logged into the site (those logging in for the first time can create a password). Assistance with logging in, updating records to reflect a new athletics director’s email address, delegating login access to another staff member, resetting passwords and placing orders is available from Amy Byrnes at Source One Digital.
As you prepare to recruit for the upcoming academic year, it is important to remember the permissible recruitment activities for your currently enrolled student-athletes (Bylaw 13.02.5.1).
Permissible recruitment activities for your current student-athletes are limited to the following:
Engaging on social media, so long as the communications are private before Jan. 1 and a financial deposit. Please note that interactions on social media that do not involve recruiting are not held to this restriction.
Participating in virtual recruiting presentations involving multiple prospective student-athletes organized by or involving a member of the institution’s athletics department. There are some limitations, though, to their participation, including:
The virtual presentation occurs during the regular academic year, and the student-athlete is eligible to participate per Bylaw 14.1.7.
The student-athlete does not miss class to participate in the virtual presentation.
The student-athlete’s involvement is voluntary.
During a prospective student-athlete’s official visit, acting as a student host.
During a prospective student-athlete’s unofficial visit, hosting an overnight stay in the student-athlete’s dorm room, provided the housing is available to all visiting prospective students.
BONUS: Ice Hockey and the New Playing Season
Keep in mind that the hockey season still starts on the first Monday in October. Any teams planning to use up to eight of their 114 days for on-ice and/or off-ice practices may do so before the first Monday in October (see the April 27, 2023, staff interpretation). Once the season starts, from the first Monday in October to the second Monday, the team is only permitted to conduct off-ice training per Bylaw 17.14.2.1. For more information about the new playing season, check out the winter sports playing resource on the Division III Compliance Homepage.
REMINDER: For Sports Conducting Their Seasons Using Days
When counting for the 114- or 144-day season or 24 days in the nontraditional segment, please remember that days are a teamcount. Whenever student-athletes participate in athletically related activities, a team will be charged one of its days from the total. Additionally, during traditional segments, all teams are still required to give each student-athlete at least one full day off per defined week of the season (Bylaw 17.1.4.1).
The sports of swimming and diving and track and field still have the option of giving student-athletes on their team different days off per week per Bylaw 17.1.4.1.1, but the days are a team count. Should those teams elect to use the different day off exception, the team will only be charged a maximum of six days per week even if athletically related activities are being conducted by the coaching staff for seven days straight.
Division III University
Last month, Division III launched several e-learning modules called Division III University to help you educate your staff and coaches during the new academic year. The module topics are: Social Media Use in Recruiting, Transfers, Graduate/Postbaccalaureate Students, the New Playing Season Model, Strength & Conditioning and Waiver Basics. You can find all six of the modules in the NCAA Learning Portal (accessed through NCAA MyApps). If you have questions regarding the NCAA Learning Portal, contact webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
For a list of the 2023-24 championships sport managers, click here.
Elevate Respect Module
The NCAA and Officially Human have partnered to develop Elevate Respect, a learning module to improve student-athlete, coach and fan behavior directed at officials. The course is available on the NCAA Learning Portal. To access the course, log into the Learning Portal on MyApps through NCAA.org. In the search feature, enter “Elevate Respect,” enroll in the course and begin learning. This course is a great opportunity to engage with student-athletes prior to the start of the season to emphasize positive sportsmanship and engagement with officials during competition. For more information about the Elevate Respect module, contact Ben Brownlee at bbrownlee@ncaa.org.
Officiating Curriculum
The NCAA has created an alliance with RefReps (www.refreps.com) to provide a comprehensive Sports Officiating Education curriculum, training materials and resources for 15 sports. This curriculum is designed for sports officiating to be taught in the collegiate classroom. For schools already offering sports officiating courses, these materials may positively enhance your programs and streamline your efforts to develop and procure resources. For schools not currently offering a sports officiating course, these materials are academically rigorous enough to serve as the foundation for one. We’ve seen great success when sports officiating is offered as a unit of study within a pre-existing coaching or kinesiology class. Check out RefReps.com and contact Kyle Armstrong at hype@refreps.comto learn more about the opportunity to join this NCAA-supported initiative to help address the national shortage of sports officials.
Sports Wagering
The NCAA and EPIC Risk Management are providing sports gambling harm prevention education to over 10,000 student-athletes. To get in touch with EPIC to schedule an education session on campus, contact ncaa@epicriskmanagement.com . To report information that may impact or has impacted the integrity of NCAA competition (e.g., point shaving, outcome fixing, etc.), please contact the NCAA at 317-917-6008. For problems with gambling or treatment, visit the National Council of Problem Gambling at ncpgambling.org or contact them directly. Call: 1-800-GAMBLER, Chat: 1800gamblerchat.org or Text: 800GAM.
Ejection/Disqualification Reports
The NCAA ejection/disqualification reporting system has been expanded to include field hockey, women’s volleyball, men’s water polo, soccer and football. It is anticipated selected winter and spring sports also will be added to this system. This system replaces the NCAA Soccer Red Card Depository and Water Polo Incident Depository. Officials are required to submit ejection/disqualification reports through the NCAA Sports Ejection Reporting system. When an official submits a report of an ejection/disqualification issued to a player/coach in your conference, the reporting system will send an automated email notification to you and the coordinator/assignor of officials, as well as the director of athletics and head coach of the offender’s institution. In addition, a depository of ejection/disqualification reports is available. The depository may be accessed by conferences through NCAA Applications/Single-Source Sign-On by clicking “NCAA Sports Ejection Reporting” in NCAA Applications/SSO or by clicking this link: https://forms.ncaa.org/. Once you are logged in, a report of all ejections/disqualifications issued to institutions in a conference will be available by clicking “Open” on the NCAA Sports Ejection Reporting tile. Conference offices may then filter by academic year, sport and institution by using the dropdowns.
NCAA Championship Site Selection and Bid Process Updates
The bid process has been adjusted from a four-year process to a two-year process, with hosts and sites being awarded for approximately 88 of the 90 NCAA championships for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years. Additionally, the opening of the bid portal and publication of bid specifications have been rescheduled for Sept. 6. These adjustments will help for further analysis of future processes and allow the ability to upgrade the current bid portal for a better user experience. None of the other key dates have been adjusted. For questions regarding the process or timeline, please contact Ryan Tressel at rtressel@ncaa.org.
The timeline for the bid process is as follows: Sept. 6, 2023: Bid specifications publish on ncaa.org/bids; bid portal opens. Feb. 7, 2024: Bid responses due. March-September 2024: Committee deliberations, recommendations and approvals. Oct. 2, 2024: Hosts/sites announced.
ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION UPDATES
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 Oct. 15. For more information, click here.
Media Coordination/Statistics Staff Contacts
To find information about who to contact at the NCAA for media coordination and statistics, the 2023-24 assignments can be found here.
The NCAA Division III LGBTQIA+ Working Group has collaborated with Division III governance, the NCAA office of inclusion and members of the Division III Sports Information Directors of America executive board to create a new resource for athletics communication and sports information offices. The Division III LGBTQ+ Communication Inclusive Language resource offers several inclusive communications practices and templates, such as student-athlete and coach information collection, game and website presentation, and social media policies, specific to the athletic communication and sports information roles, responsibilities and spheres of influence.
Diversity Spotlight Initiative
The University Athletic Association is the recipient of this month’s Diversity Spotlight award. During a student-athlete advisory committee meeting this summer, the league brought in You Can Play Project Chief Operating Officer Kurt Weaver to speak about inclusion on multiple fronts, particularly as it relates to LGBTQ+ student-athletes and issues. After the workshop, each school’s representatives strategized on what they wanted their messaging about inclusion to be. Each school made a video with their take on “You Can Play in the UAA.” The concept was originally brought forward by WashU Director of Athletic Communications Bridget McCann.
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.
RefQuest (RQ+) Reminder: All commissioners, DI conference sport administrators, conference coordinators/assignors and head coaches listed in the NCAA Directory will have complimentary access to the applicable sport-specific central hub(s). Those listed previously will be added to the central hub(s) when registration opens and will not need to register, but they will receive an email from RQ+ inviting them to join the central hub(s) and create a password. Once they have joined the central hub(s), they will have access to all content related to rules, updates, clarifications, interpretations, etc. from the NCAA national coordinator of officials and secretary-rules editor.
Conference Coordinators of Officials Positions Added to NCAA Directory: Sport-specific coordinator of official’s positions have been added to the NCAA Directory for all sports and divisions. Conferences should add contact information for their coordinators of officials through the steps here. By adding this contact information to the NCAA Directory, the NCAA will be able to enhance communication efforts with all conferences, including copying conference coordinators on important communications involving ejections and suspensions of student-athletes/coaches within their conference, and championship, officiating and playing rules updates throughout the season.
Men’s Lacrosse
As a friendly reminder, Rule 1-21.b states that a white or light-colored uniform shall have dark-colored numbers; a dark colored uniform shall have light-colored numbers. Uniforms and specifically uniform numbers serve a purpose, and when numbers do not clearly contrast, it makes it challenging for officials, fans, broadcast partners and coaches to clearly identify a player. The Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee may look at future rules changes if this is not addressed. This will be a point of emphasis for the 2024 season.
The Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee was asked to clarify the rules around goal nets, as historically it has been largely silent. Provided that the mesh of the net does not exceed 1½ inches, it may be of varying shapes (square, hexagon, octagon, etc.). In addition, advertising on goal nets has made it a challenge for officials to see whether the ball has crossed the goal line or entered the goal. Institutional, memorial and commercial logos are permitted to be affixed to the back center of the goal nets no higher than three feet from the ground.
Men’s and Women’s Soccer
The 2023 playing rules Points of Emphasis, Preseason Reminders and Questions/Interpretations, Volume 1 are available here under Updates.
Softball
The 2024 and 2025 approved playing rules changes are available here under Updates.
REMINDER: Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, all softballs used in competition must meet the new ball specifications, which includes a maximum compression of 275-375 pounds. This rules change was approved in Summer 2021 to standardize ball specifications with NFHS and USA Softball.
Wrestling
The 2023-24 Weight Management Program information was sent to all coaches on Aug. 16. As a reminder, all head coaches are required to watch the weight management video via the Trackwrestling OPC message that was sent to them previously. The YouTube link for the weight management video can be found here. Questions on navigating the Trackwrestling OPC system should be directed to the Trackwrestling support staff using the ticket system found here.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving
The 2023-24 and 2024-25 approved rules changes can be found here under the Updates section.
The nomination process for the annual NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion is now open. Nominations will be accepted via Program Hub until Saturday, Oct. 7 . Self-nominations are welcome, and two letters of support are required for all nominations. One letter must come from a program/initiative participant and the other from a campus or community partner. This award signifies a partnership formed by the NCAA and the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association to recognize and celebrate the initiatives, policies, and practices of athletic departments and conference offices that embrace diversity and inclusion across the intercollegiate athletics community. The 2024 award honoree will be recognized in January at the 2024 NCAA Convention and participate in the MOAA Symposium, to be held in conjunction with the NACDA Convention in June 2024. Questions and requests for additional information can be sent to the office of inclusion.
SAVE THE DATE: NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign
The 2023 NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign, presented in partnership with the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and national Student-Athlete Advisory Committees, will take place Tuesday, Oct. 17, through Thursday, Oct. 19.
Campus Sexual Violence Attestation
The NCAA’s campus sexual violence attestation is now open for all member schools to complete. It requires members to attest they complied with the policy for the 2022-23 academic year. All attestations are due Nov. 3. For administrators to complete the attestations, they need their school’s NCAA MyApps administrators to assign the courses 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 processes can be sent to webhelpdesk@ncaa.org.
DiSC Assessments
DiSC assessments are an important resource that institutions and conference offices use to help their student-athletes, coaches and administrators learn more about their behavioral styles and how their individual styles come together in a team environment, regardless of their role or title. This assessment provides a common language when addressing these topics and methods to better relate to others. It also provides additional strategies to build more effective relationships within the workplace and athletic setting. NCAA member athletics departments and conference offices may use the updated workshop request form link to secure their workshop for this coming academic year. All requests should be submitted six weeks prior to the preferred workshop date. For questions about the DiSC program, email disc@ncaa.org.
Presidents Council, Aug. 2
Championships Committee, Aug. 16. Membership Committee, Aug. 17. Nominating Committee, Aug. 24.
KEY DATES, SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER
2023
Dates
Meeting/Championships
Location
Sept. 6-7
DIIICA and NADIIIAA Executive Leadership
Indianapolis
Sept. 11-12
Championships Committee
Indianapolis
Sept. 12
Financial and Risk Management Working Group
Virtual
Sept. 12
Convention Planning Subcommittee
Virtual
Sept. 15
Membership Committee
Virtual
Sept. 18-19
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Indianapolis
Sept. 28
Nominating Committee
Virtual
Oct. 5
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Virtual
Oct. 7-8
SWA Program
New Orleans
Oct. 8-10
Women Leaders in College Sports
New Orleans
Oct. 16-17
Management Council
Indianapolis
Oct. 19
Membership Committee
Virtual
Oct. 24
Board of Governors
Indianapolis
Oct. 24
Championships Committee
Virtual
Oct. 24
Joint meeting of President’s Advisory Group and Presidents Council
Indianapolis
Oct. 25
Presidents Council
Indianapolis
Oct. 26
Nominating Committee
Virtual
Nov. 8
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Virtual
Nov. 12-13
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Indianapolis
Nov. 15-16
Financial Aid Committee
Virtual
Nov. 16
Membership Committee
Virtual
Nov. 21
Championships Committee
Virtual
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.
