Future of Division III

[Ralph Turner]

Four schools consider SCAC departure in 2012

From the SCAC board with h/t to Ron Boerger...


FTA...

Sewanee: The University of the South, Rhodes College, Hendrix College and Centre College (black dots on map) all voted to leave the SCAC, effective July 1, 2012.

Discussion begins on the SCAC Football Board on page 594, post 8900.

[Ralph Turner]

SUNY-Potsdam on 2-year probation.

April 21, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions has penalized State University of New York at Potsdam for violations of financial aid rules. The violations involved the men's and women's ice hockey; men's and women's lacrosse; women's volleyball and women's soccer programs.

Penalties in this case include two years probation and a postseason ban.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort where the involved parties submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. When the NCAA enforcement staff, the university and involved individuals agree to the facts of the case and penalties proposed by the university, they may use this process instead of a formal hearing.

...

Too high of a percentage of international athletes getting aid relative to their percentage composition of the student body...

[Ralph Turner]

Fontbonne Probation

April 12, 2011


INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions has found Fontbonne University committed major violations in its athletics program regarding its financial aid process. Penalties in this case include two years of probation. Under the conditions of this probation, the university must notify all prospective student-athletes of the penalty and provide initial and annual compliance reports to the Committee on Infractions, among others.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort where the involved parties submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. When the NCAA enforcement staff, the school and involved individuals agree to the facts of the case and the school-proposed penalties, they may use this process instead of having a formal hearing.

The violations in this case occurred when administrators considered high school athletics participation along with other leadership criteria when awarding merit based scholarships.  Because of  the consideration of high school athletics in awarding aid, more than $48,000 was awarded to 23 student-athletes who would not have been eligible for the aid had the high school sports not been considered. NCAA rules state that Division III schools cannot consider athletics participation or performance when determining financial aid.

...

[Warren Thompson]

Sanctions against Potsdam State and Fontbonne. Might there be more coming?

[Ron Boerger]

Sanctions against Potsdam State and Fontbonne. Might there be more coming?

Probably ... did you see this thread from a little while back?

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=7319.0

[Warren Thompson]

Sanctions against Potsdam State and Fontbonne. Might there be more coming?

Probably ... did you see this thread from a little while back?

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=7319.0

Thanks for the heads-up; I missed that thread. Perhaps D3 will no longer be the "least policed" division.

[Ralph Turner]

Increasing the number of ranked teams, and getting it closer to the 15% ratio that the men use should help the isolated conferences with their assessment for Pool C bids.

Agreed with a Division III Women's Basketball Championship Committee request to allow each region to rank eight teams, except for the Northeast region, which would continue to rank 10 teams, effective for the 2011-12 season.

[Ralph Turner]

Four new active members in 2011-12

[From the article... with comments in brackets]

If approved by the Division III Management Council in July, the following will begin active status in Division III on Sept. 1:

   Franciscan University Steubenville (Steubenville, Ohio)  [AMCC]
   Geneva College (Beaver Falls, Pa.)    [Presidents AC]
   St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn, N.Y.)  [Independent]
   Birmingham-Southern College (Birmingham, Ala.)  [SCAC]
...

[Year 4 provisional]
Meeting June 22-23 in Indianapolis, the Membership Committee also agreed to move the following schools to the final year of provisional membership:

   Spalding University (Louisville, Ky.) [SLIAC]
   State University of New York at Cobleskill (Cobleskill, N.Y.) [NEAC]

[And on the fast track...]

If those institutions successfully complete year four of the provisional/reclassifying process, they could be accepted as active Division III members for the 2012-13 academic year. The Membership Committee also approved Penn State Abington (Abington, Pa.) [NEAC] moving from Year 2 to Year 3 of provisional membership and endorsed a waiver request from the school to combine Years 3 and 4 of the provisional process, meaning the school could achieve active status by 2012-13. That recommendation must be approved by the Management Council.


Abington can be active in 2012-13.

Link

The Council also approved a waiver that allows Penn State Abington (Abington, Pa.) to combine Years 3 and 4 of the provisional process, meaning the school could achieve active status by 2012-13.

[Year 3 Provisional - contests against these schools will count toward "in-region" games, etc.]

Committee members also approved the following schools to move from Year 2 to Year 3 of provisional membership (meaning they are on track to achieve active membership in 2013-14):

   Berry College (Mount Berry, Ga.) [headed for new "CAC" conference]
   Covenant College (Lookout Mountain, Ga.) [headed for Great South Athletic Conference]



[Year 1 Reclassifying -- Centenary had contractual obligations to the Summit League]

In other action regarding the provisional/reclassifying track, the committee voted to retain Centenary College (Shreveport, La.) [ASC] in Year 1 of reclassifying membership (on track to achieve active membership in 2015-16).


Centenary College has won its appeal and is now Year-2 Reclassifying

The Council also noted that while the Membership Committee at its summer meeting voted to retain Centenary College (Shreveport, La.) in Year 1 of reclassifying membership, the committee on a subsequent conference call approved Centenary's appeal of that action, meaning the school now has been cleared to enter Year 2 of the provisional/reclassifying membership process.

Link

They can be active in 2014-15.






[Exploratory year]

The committee also approved the following seven schools to conduct an exploratory year in 2011-12 before possibly seeking provisional/reclassifying membership the following year:

   Georgetown College (Georgetown, Ky.)
   State University of New York at Canton (Canton, N.Y.)
   Houghton College (Houghton, N.Y.)
   Kentucky Wesleyan College (Owensboro, Ky.)
   Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, N.Y.)
   Southern Virginia University (Buena Vista, Va.)
   Valley Forge Christian College (Phoenixville, Pa.)



The Division III Management Council will consider these actions at its July 25-26 meeting in Indianapolis.

[Gray Fox]

Four states have something similar to this.  A good idea for most of our schools.

  http://www.indianacollegechoices.org/private_college_week.asp

[Ralph Turner]

Musical Chairs in D-III

[Ralph Turner]

With only the Mississippi College Choctaws remaining in D-III, and McMurry, Mitchell and scores of others now called something else, here is a "man bites dog" story.

Spirit Lake Tribe of the Fighting Sioux

[Mr. Ypsi]

With only the Mississippi College Choctaws remaining in D-III, and McMurry, Mitchell and scores of others now called something else, here is a "man bites dog" story.

Spirit Lake Tribe of the Fighting Sioux

Thanks for posting that, Ralph.  Officially, Eastern Michigan University may now be the Eagles (like 73,000 other schools), but many of us are still and will always be Hurons.  Which is exactly what the Hurons (and Wyandottes, the Canadian branch of the Huron nation) themselves wanted.  But before the NCAA even started applying much pressure, the EMU administration caved to the demands of Native American activists (FROM OTHER TRIBES) to defy the wishes of the Hurons themselves.

I wish the Sioux luck in their lawsuit.

[smedindy]

I think there's another Sioux tribe that opposes the nickname, hence the NCAA issue with it.

[Ron Boerger]

The Sioux are going to sue?

[Ralph Turner]

I think there's another Sioux tribe that opposes the nickname, hence the NCAA issue with it.

Yes.