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.
The NCAA Division III governance staff is excited to host the sixth annual Division III SWA Program. Division III will provide funding for 30 senior woman administrators to attend a division-specific program Oct. 6-8, prior to the 2023 Women Leaders in College Sports Convention, to be held Oct. 8-10 in New Orleans.The application process will be available on the NCAA Program Hub, titled “2023 Division III SWA Program at Women Leaders." Nomination and application materials must be submitted by July 15 at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Sports Sponsorship and Demographic Form
The Sports Sponsorship and Demographic Form is now open. 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.
Pathway Program
The NCAA has selected its cohort for the 2023-24 Pathway Program, the yearlong initiative designed to prepare senior-level athletics administrators for the next career step as directors of athletics or conference commissioners. Congratulations to Adele Burk, New England Small College Athletic Conference; Doug Chin, Commonwealth Coast Conference; Chris Spells, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; Erin Sullivan, Wisconsin-Stout; and Megan Wilson, Dubuque. The Pathway Program is an intensive, experiential learning opportunity for selected participants who work at an NCAA school or conference in Divisions I, II or III. During the year, the participants will be paired with and have regularly scheduled meetings with a campus or conference mentor. The mentors include directors of athletics, conference commissioners and school presidents, among others in leadership roles.
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:
Aug. 8 — Updates from Management Council, Presidents Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meetings.
Sept. 5 — Special Olympics updates.
Oct. 3 — Championships Committee (potential budget enhancements).
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
Bylaw 14.1.8 requires a student-athlete to be enrolled as a full-time student, as defined by the institution, in order to practice with their Division III intercollegiate athletics team. To compete, the student-athlete must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours regardless of how the institution defines full-time enrollment. Bylaw 14.1.8.1.7.2 provides an exception for student-athletes enrolled in a full-time graduate program. A graduate program student may practice and compete while enrolled in the credit hours the institution defines as full-time enrollment for that graduate program.
The Division III Management Council extended the blanket waiver of the full-time enrollment requirements for the 2023-24 academic year for specified student-athletes. The question and answer guide has been updated to provide clarification on who qualifies for the blanket waiver and how it applies.
**Because of legislative changes, on Aug. 1, the full-time enrollment legislation will be found in Bylaw 14.1.7.**
Compliance Forms
The 2023-24 compliance forms are now available. The forms can be found on the Division III compliance page and in the NCAA Compliance Forms application, which is available via NCAA My Apps. Questions about the Compliance Forms application may be emailed to forms@ncaa.org.
Please note that the General Amateurism and Eligibility Form for International and Select Student-Athletes has been eliminated. Students meeting the international student definition per Bylaw 12.1.1.1 will need to use the Eligibility Center (see the March 16, 2023, staff interpretation for additional information).
REMINDER: 2023-24 Rules Test Moving to NCAA Learning Portal
Beginning Aug. 1, the Division III Rules Test will move to the NCAA Learning Portal. To access the exam, individuals must have an active NCAA MyApps account and be assigned NCAA Learning Portal access within MyApps. Institutional email addresses are preferred, but not required, to create a MyApps account. For more information, the Division III Rules Test page of ncaa.org has been updated with several resources to aid you in the transition.
Regional Rules Seminar
We hope you enjoyed the 2023 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar! The presentation materials from this year’s event are available in the NCAA Learning Portal. You can access the portal through your NCAA MyApps. Mark your calendars to join us June 12-14, 2024, in Las Vegas for the 2024 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.
SAVE THE DATE: Division III 50th Anniversary Social Blitz
In conjunction with the start of Division III’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, all member institutions, conferences and fans are invited to join in a social media blitz on Monday, Aug. 7, at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Those participating are asked to share a message of support for Division III at that time using #DIII50 and #WhyD3 in the posts.
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. Member schools and conferences are welcome to review and implement these guidelines in their efforts to foster diverse, inclusive and equitable environments.
Diversity Spotlight Initiative
The University Athletic Association is the recipient of this month’s Diversity Spotlight award. The league hosted its first UAA DEI Summit at New York University in early June. The event brought in various speakers and featured programming geared toward improving the culture of inclusion on campuses. The summit also included sharing information on the UAA's Strive Together campaign, which provides an aligned vision for unity in the effort to create a better world and be leaders that work with and alongside, rather than against, one another.
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 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is the recipient of this month’s Special Olympics Spotlight after highlighting the league’s “Very Important Teammate ” initiative. The program invites Special Olympians to be an integral part of CCIW championships, including awards presentations. The program distributes special credentials for all Special Olympians that participate, as well as any others who come to campus for other events. The credential will gain them admission to any regular-season CCIW contest.
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.
A group of more than 100 expert researchers and clinicians from around the world has released an updated consensus statement on concussion in sport, which includes new scientific evidence and revised recommendations on concussion diagnosis, management and prevention.
The consensus statement on concussion in sportis based on the outcomes from the sixth International Conference on Concussion in Sport, held in Amsterdam in October 2022 and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Researchers and investigators have been collaborating for five years toward the final consensus statement and 10 accompanying subspecialty articles.
Concussion Reporting Process
A website and online reporting process is available to the membership and the URL for that website can be found in step-by-step reporting instructions for member schools, which can be accessed here. The annual cycle for reporting concussions is from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Institutions may report at any time during the year. In addition to the instructional information about the reporting process, there is a Frequently Asked Questions page that contains answers to anticipated membership questions related to the concussion reporting process.
The most recent men’s basketball rules changes can be found here.
Women’s Basketball
The 2023-24 and 2024-25 women’s basketball rules changes can be found here.
Softball
The Softball Rules Committee met June 13-15 for its annual meeting. It is a rules-change year. The comment period on proposed rules changes began the week of June 26 for DI, DII and DIII head softball coaches, conference commissioners and directors of athletics. More information is available here.
Wrestling
The Wrestling Rules Committee and Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved 13 rules changes for the next two seasons. The 2023-24 and 2024-25 major rules changes are available here under Updates.
Visit the Membership Portal to review assigned tasks. If you need assistance with accessing the portal, click here for more information.
The Eligibility Center staff welcomed Regional Rules attendees to Indianapolis last month with three membership-focused sessions. Links to the presentations used at Regional Rules can be found on the Membership Portal. The Division III-specific presentation can be found here.
NCAA Top 10 Award
Nominations for the 2024 Today’s Top 10 Award are now being accepted for college athletes who completed their athletics eligibility in the 2022-23 academic year. This award is given to 10 student-athletes who have brought distinction to themselves, their schools and college sports. Award nominations are submitted through the NCAA Program Hub and are due by 5 p.m. Eastern time July 10. A school may nominate more than one student-athlete for the Today’s Top 10 Award. Please note: Each nomination must be entered by a separate Program Hub user on your campus. To be eligible, a nominee must be a varsity letter winner who completed eligibility and has a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.300. Click here to learn more about the Today’s Top 10 Award selection criteria.
Championships Committee, June 20-21. Membership Committee, June 21-22. Interpretations and Legislation Committee, June 21. Strategic Planning and Finance Committee, June 22. Presidents Council, June 27. Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, June 29-30.
KEY DATES, JULY THROUGH SEPTEMBER
2023
Dates
Meeting/Championships
Location
July 15-16
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
Indianapolis
July 17-18
Management Council
Indianapolis
July 20
Membership Committee
Virtual
July 27
Nominating Committee
Virtual
August 2
Presidents Council
Virtual
August 6
50th Anniversary of Division III
N/A
August 16
Championships Committee
Virtual
August 17
Membership Committee
Virtual
August 24
Nominating Committee
Virtual
September 11-12
Championships Committee
Indianapolis
September 18
Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
Virtual
September 18-19
Interpretations and Legislation Committee
Indianapolis
September 21
Membership Committee
Virtual
September 28
Nominating 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.
