NAIA CONVENTION RECAP SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA APRIL 8-12, 2017

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1 NAIA CONVENTION RECAP SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA APRIL 8-12, 2017 We just wrapped up the 76th Annual NAIA National Convention and I have to say wow, what a fantastic time! We had nearly 400 attendees join us in San Diego to learn about and discuss what s going on with your association. As always, the agenda was full of opportunities to share ideas, network with peers, and engage in professional development activities. Lots of lively and respectful discussions were had about a wide range of topics including drug testing, divisions in basketball, and our strategic vision. This year delegates voted on an exceptionally large number of legislative proposals, the results of which are included on pages 8-9. Also exciting, we welcomed seven new members into the association! This year s theme was Discover Your Return on Athletics. Return on Athletics (ROA) is the NAIA s proprietary approach to the management of collegiate athletics, putting the business of NAIA member institutions front and center. Through the lens of ROA, we look at issues critical to colleges and universities finances, enrollment, retention, and the overall student-athlete experience and work to apply measurable outcomes that demonstrate the benefits of NAIA membership. Moving forward, ROA will guide us as we build upon our current strengths and look for new ways to add value. This is just the beginning of our ROA efforts, so expect to hear more in the next year. Top: Council of Presidents Chair Kent Henning and NAIA President Jim Carr Middle: Sportscaster Dick Enberg speaks at a general session. Bottom: Attendees enjoy the San Diego weather at the welcome reception. Thank you to all of those who were able to attend this year. To those who weren t able to be here you were missed. I hope this wrap-up keeps you informed about important NAIA happenings, but don t hesitate to reach out to the national office with any questions or concerns. (And it s not too early to mark your calendars for next year s convention April 13-17, 2018 in Kansas City!) All the best, Jim Carr President and Chief Executive Officer

2 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS CLEARY UNIVERSITY Livingston County, Michigan Associate Member COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH Rutland, Vermont Associate Member FLORIDA COLLEGE Temple Terrace, Florida Active Member LIFE PACIFIC COLLEGE San Dimas, California Active Member OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE STATE UNIVERSITY Goodwell, Oklahoma Active Member RUST COLLEGE Holly Springs, Mississippi Associate Member UNIVERSITY OF MAINE, FORT KENT Active Member COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS Florida College, Life Pacific College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, and University of Maine, Fort Kent were approved for active membership. Cleary University, College of St. Joseph, and Rust College were approved for associate membership. Associate members Crowley s Ridge College (Ark.) and Providence Christian College (Calif.) were approved for active membership. Accepted the recommendation of the COP Executive Committee and approved the budget for the NAIA and the Eligibility Center. d extending the terms of Gary Henson and Donna Pacicca on the NAIA Champions of Character Foundation Board of Directors through Jim Kissick was approved as a new member of the board through REGISTRARS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING The annual business meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 4, Marian University Registrar Jennifer Schwartz was elected as vice chair of the NAIA RA Executive Board. Continued efforts are being made to integrate registrars into the various councils and subcommittees. All committee vacancies were filled. An NAIA.org landing page focused on registrars will go live in 2017 and include information regarding rules education, professional development, and offer additional resources. 2

3 NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL (NAC) Unanimously approved the simplification of the Hall of Fame nomination process. The number of Letters of Recommendation required was reduced to three and the meritorious services category now requires four letters of recommendation. d two immediate rule changes to the NAIA Golf Hard Card. The first applies no penalty when a player s ball or ball-marker on the putting service is accidentally moved by the player, his partner, his opponent, or any of their equipment. The second allows the use of measuring devices when measurements for anything but distance are turned off. At NACDA, the NAC will vote to separate dance and cheer into two sports for NAIA National Championship status due to both divisions having enough sponsoring institutions to be separate sports. Dustin Wilke of the national office and Scott Crawford, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner, will consult with dance and cheer coaches before voting. The Saturday Play appeal by the NAIA s Seventh-Day Adventist institutions was tabled by the full body. Committee members want to make sure that they have all the information needed before making a decision. The sports of men s and women s soccer were approved to adopt a one-year pilot of a national selection committee as postseason selection protocol for the sport. Fifteen sport motions were brought forth to the NAC. Notable approved sport motions were: 1. Institutions must ensure that the electronic submission of results for all meets in which their student-athletes compete are reported by the meet host to the Track and Field Results System for Cross Country (TFRRS-XC) through the online provider Direct Athletics. 2. Move first regular-season poll for the sport of soccer to the first weekend in September. For purposes of calculating MRPI, ranking points will still be counted utilizing Poll No. 2 or later. 3. All sports maintain a three year sunset period on the bi-weekly ratings calendar, ending the sunset period after the third year of implementation for all sports after academic year. 4. National Oversight Committees of all sports have the ability to remove the national ballot in only the final, regular-season rating, if rationale is not provided by rater or rationale is not accepted by majority of national oversight. 3 The reason we do what we do our NAIA student-athletes.

4 NATIONAL ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE (NEC) Discussed interpretations of bylaws regarding domestic exchange programs, the 12-Hour Enrollment Rule exception, the Progress Rule exception, and late spring/summer competition that requires certification. Discussed requests for an exception wherein the institution reports that they misadvised the student-athlete on eligibility. Discussed the running-start programs that are offering students the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. The NEC discussed possible accommodation for students who have earned college credit in high school, but have not met the 2/3 freshman eligibility requirements. ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT ATHLETES (ASA) During the convention, ASA held a service activity at Mission Beach that attracted 22 pairs from the San Diego Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. Discussion continued on rules education and ways to implement a consistent rules education program at all NAIA institutions. Hassan Doghman from University of Michigan, Dearborn was voted in as the new chair for Deshawn Ruffin from Dalton State was voted in as the new vice chair for FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE ASSOCIATION (FARA) Professional development/rules education for all FARs was discussed, including the new FAR mentor program and FAR Google Group. Kevin Sweeney moves to chair. Hans Nickel moves to chair-elect. Kendra Wong from Sierra Nevada College is voted in as vice chair. Jody Ehling from McPherson College was voted in as secretary. COUNCIL OF FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVES (CFAR) CFAR plans to create a rough profile that specifies the role of the FARs per the NAIA bylaws. In addition, the document will highlight additional roles within the athletics department. Tim Wilson from Martin Methodist College rotates off as chair. Ed Loeb from Southwestern College moves from vice chair to chair. Clay Robinson from Lewis-Clark State College is voted in as the new vice chair. Dr. Richard Teter is voted in as the FAR serving on the Competitive Experience Committee CFAR has decided to create a taskforce to tackle initial eligibility requirements. It was decided that the taskforce will consist of six individuals representing major stakeholder groups within the membership. 4

5 NATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE (NCC) Scot Reisinger, Mount Mercy University, completed his term as National Administrative Council chair and representative on the NCC committee. Bill Popp, Athletic Director of Reinhardt University, will replace Scot as the NAC representative. Tim Wilson, Martin Methodist College, completed his term as Council of Faculty Athletics Representatives chair and representative on the NCC committee. Ed Loeb of Southwestern College and current NCC member, will continue his participation on the NCC and transition into the CFAR chair. Clay Robinson of Lewis-Clark State College will join as CFAR vice chair and will join the NCC for the coming year. Scot Reisinger, NAC Chair, provided two policies brought forth by the NAC in regards to the Hall of Fame award nominations and the Meritorious Award nomination. NAC approved the policy changes amongst their committee and in turn, the NCC approved these two policy changes. NATIONAL CONDUCT AND ETHICS COMMITTEE Discussed the financial aid bylaw and began the process of reviewing the bylaw and possible reform efforts. Discussed a potential framework of how to evaluate alleged violations that are made that center around conduct and ethics concerns. Discussed the violation that occurs when a school exceeds the competition limits as listed in the Frequency of Play bylaw Article I, Section F, Item 1. The committee discussed possible solutions for institutions that find themselves in violation of the bylaw during conference competition and/or conference tournament competition. SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION (SIDA) NAIA-Sports Information Directors Association Board members met with CoSIDA leadership in attendance Doug Vance and Rob Carolla and discussed topics including: creation of a standalone NAIA team for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program, joint programming with CoSIDA at the College Division Day at NAIA-SIDA Convention, and continuing ways to increase visibility and position of full-time SIDs on campus. There is a need to increase awareness amongst ADs about the importance of SID membership within CoSIDA. A benefit of CoSIDA membership is it allows schools to nominate their student-athletes for the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America award. Chris Wells was honored as the 2016 SID of the Year award. In his 16th year at Lindsey Wilson College, Wells is currently serving as the assistant athletic director and sports information director, while also directing the Mid-South Conference s communication efforts as the league s SID. NAIA-SIDA board member Aaron Sagraves facilitated a workshop with ADA on Marketing/Branding and Social Media. This is the most optimistic I have ever been about the direction of the NAIA. The future is bright for our organization. - John Sullivan Commissioner, Appalachian Athletic Conference 5

6 ATHLETICS DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION (ADA) NAIA President Jim Carr reported on the status of the National Office and the Return On Athletics (ROA) initiative. The board discussed ways to increase ROA for students on their campuses, including through career preparation for life after graduation. The ADA Board of Directors voted to join the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). They envision that with this partnership they will be able to grow and expand the NAIA s reputation within NACDA, as well as participate in professional development initiatives. The ADA Board had multiple workshops including national championship drug testing, student success and retention, Sports Sponsorship 360, and Title IX. A committee was established to evaluate the ADA constitution and bylaws. The goal is to establish policies and procedures for the Board of Directors and the ADA, and to mirror bylaws of existing committees that they believe are both similar to the group and effective in their actions. The Board briefly discussed both financial aid limits and the elimination of divisions in basketball. A subcommittee was established to evaluate the financial aid limits that are set and how they impact sports and institutions across the association. CONFERENCE COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION (CCA) Paige Salveter, NAIA vice president of marketing, presented the initial marketing plan for recruiting new officials. It will use banner and digital ads, web landing pages, and video to target potential officials. Available funds from Arbiter were previously allocated by the CCA for this project. A new sports survey was distributed to the conference commissioners to help the national office gain a better understanding of new sports that schools are looking to add. The group s annual round tables included discussions on conference sport requirements, conference evaluation, and other topics. COMPETITIVE EXPERIENCE COMMITTEE (CEC) Terry Harris and Robyn Daugherty, both original members of the CEC, are rotating off with their replacements being voted on by CFAR. Corey Westra has also concluded his service with the CEC. The committee welcomes Scott Crawford who has accepted the nomination to fill the CCA vacancy. The committee discussed its two bylaw proposals and NAIA Eligibility Center process and training improvements. NEXT STEPS FOR DIVISIONS IN BASKETBALL April 2017: NAIA Convention Presentation September 2017: Report at fall meetings (COP, CCA, ADA) April 2018: Report findings at NAIA National Convention : Potential modifications of championships 6

7 COUNCIL FOR STUDENT-ATHLETES (CSA) The CSA spent the majority of its time at convention focused on student-athlete health and well-being. Council members reviewed a survey conducted by the Athletic Trainers Association. During this discussion they talked about the NCAA 20 hour week limit and an interest to explore this topic again. DatalysCenter has conducted an injury surveillance pilot program the last two years and the CSA is going to gather data as to whether athletic trainers would commit to participating in a full blown program. CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER The Champions of Character Committee focused its discussion on the feedback received at the convention roundtables. Committee members plan to survey presidents to understand their perceived value of Champions of Character programming. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS 7

8 LEGISLATION RESULTS 17-C-01 NAIA Membership Remove limitation restricting NAIA membership to institutions within the US and Canada 17-C-02 Associate Membership Upper-Level Two-Year Institutions 17-C-03 Associate Membership Developing Athletics Programs Clarify associate membership is available for upper-level two-year institutions Include provision that permits associate membership for institutions with developing athletic programs 17-B-01 NAIA Membership Remove limitation restricting NAIA membership to institutions within the US and Canada 17-B-02 Frequency of Play Lacrosse Modify to insert 3 additional scrimmage to be played before the end of fall term 17-B-03 Frequency of Play 24-Week Season Postseason Exception Extend the existing exception to include any practice occurring the week of the conference/aii/ unaffiliated grouping qualifying competition, not only those that occur after the commencement of the qualifying competition 17-B-04 Financial Assistance Create exception to permit schools, conferences, and the national office to pay for and/or reimburse expenses related to conference or national ASA events 17-B-05 Recruiting Limit standard recruiting regulations to apply only to students at NAIA institutions 17-B-06 Definition of Scrimmage Limit existing regulation that prohibits any reporting of scores/statistics to solely reporting within the control of the NAIA institution 17-B B-08 Definition of Season of Competition Unattached Student Exception Transportation Definition of Season of Competition Unattached Student Exception Eligibility Remove existing element of exception that prohibits institution from providing transportation to/from/during athletic event Add additional element that requires a student to be eligible academically and athletically to utilize the exception 17-B-09 Definition of Start of a Term Create a uniform definition to clarify the date which is the start of an academic term 17-B B B-12 Freshman Eligibility SAT Subsection Title Freshman Eligibility ACT Score Freshman Eligibility Early Decision Exception Recognize the title of the relevant SAT section has been renamed from Critical Reading to Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Establish a new ACT score through as the standard for freshman eligibility Adjust ACT standard for early decisions to mirror the standard freshman eligibility requirement 8 Withdrawn

9 17-B-13 Freshman Eligibility ACT Score for GED Students 17-B-14 Freshman Eligibility ACT Score for Home-schooled Students 17-B-16 Termination of Eligibility Athletic Association Bans Mirror ACT standard for freshman eligibility for students with a GED Adjust ACT score for home-schooled students in proportion to the standard freshman eligibility requirement Expand existing policy of honoring bans from four-year institutions to also include two-year and four-year athletic associations 17-B-17 Transfer Graduate Students Create exception that removes graduate transfer students from standard residency requirements, and permit NAIA coaches to initiate contact with graduate students 17-B B-19 Eligibility Certification Certificate of Clearance Penalties Delinquent Response Remove requirement that certificate must be submitted to eligibility chair during certification; require institution to keep signed copies on campus and produce if requested Establish automatic penalties for delinquent responses when issued a reprimand or probation 17-B-20 Drug Testing Establishment Establish necessary penalties and procedures for national drug testing program, and establish NDTEC as appellate body for challenges to positive tests 17-B-21 Drug Testing Penalties Establish penalties and restrictions on a student-athlete s eligibility when a student tests positive 17-B B B B B-26 Drug Testing Individual Competition Results Drug Testing Individual Competition Results, Team Scores Drug Testing Team Competition Results Drug Testing Team Competition Results (contingent) Drug Testing Student-Athlete Reinstatement Establish procedure for determining individual placings when student has tested positive Establish procedure for determining team placing in individual sport when student has tested positive Establish procedure to vacate team placing in team sport when student has tested positive Establish procedure to maintain placing in team sport when student has tested positive Establish procedure for reinstating student who previously tested positive 17-B-27 Drug Testing Establish requirement for completion of necessary drug education prior to student participating in 2nd SOC on NAIA campus or NAIA postseason (whichever comes first) Failed Failed Failed 9