Minutes of Liberty League Fall Meeting September 15, 2015 – Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y
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Minutes of Liberty League Fall Meeting September 15, 2015 – Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Present: Kris Hall, Mary Kate Scardillo (Bard); Steve Yianoukos, Laurel Kane (Clarkson); Mike Hanna (Hobart); Brian Miller (Hobart & William Smith); Lee McElroy (RPI); George VanderZwaag, Andrea Golden (Rochester); Lou Spiotti, Amy Reed (RIT); Bob Durocher, Randy LaBrake (St. Lawrence); Gail Cummings‐Danson, Megan Buchanan, Nekisha Quinney (Skidmore); Jim McLaughlin (Union); Michelle Walsh, Kim Culligan (Vassar); Deb Steward (William Smith); Tracy King, Katie Meline (Liberty League). I. Call to Order Kris Hall (Liberty League President) called the meeting to order at 11:04 a.m. Hall welcomed Michelle Walsh and Lee McElroy as new athletics directors at Vassar and Rensselaer respectively. Attendees introduced themselves. II. Review of Minutes The minutes of the May 27‐28, 2015 at Canaras on Saranac Lake were reviewed. No changes or corrections were noted. Regarding follow‐up items from the spring meeting, Kris Hall indicated that the league is working to develop a postponement and rescheduling policy for softball. Additionally, Tracy King reported that he had spoken with Chuck Mitrano from the Empire 8 regarding the UNYSCSA Swimming and Diving Championship and concerns with the championship. While the Empire 8 also plays no formal role in the operation of the championship, the conference plans to discuss the championship at its upcoming meeting. King will keep the league apprised of any developments. Motion: A motion (Steward, Durocher) to approve the minutes from the May 27‐28, 2015 meeting was APPROVED 10‐0‐0. III. Financial Report Mike Hanna reviewed the final budget for FY15 and reported a budget surplus for the academic year of approximately $30,000 with a current bank balance in excess of $229,000. For FY16, Hanna forecasted a budget deficit of approximately $12,000, which was the result of two primary factors. On the revenue side, the NCAA Strategic Alliance Matching Grant was decreasing by $10,000. On the expense side, the league is subsidizing half of the cost of the Synergy basketball video exchange agreement ($18,000). Motion: A motion (McElroy, McLaughlin) to accept the financial report dated August 10, 2015 was APPROVED 10‐0‐0. 1 As a follow‐up to the spring meeting, Tracy King indicated that he had spoken with a financial advisor regarding investment opportunities for the Liberty League reserve funds. Savings and money market accounts along with CDs will not yield a significant return. An investment portfolio with mutual funds will yield a higher return, but also carries significantly higher risk. Hanna indicated that the league is still phasing in the assistant commissioner position through the NCAA Strategic Alliance Grant subsidy and will have to fully fund the position in 2017‐18. Also, potential membership changes could impact budget revenues. Until consistent revenues and expenses are established, the consensus was that investment opportunities should not be actively pursued. IV. Commissioner’s Report A. NCAA Strategic Initiatives Grant Updates: Tracy King provided updates on the NCAA conference grant program. Annual funding for institutional SIDs of at least $1,000 is required in Tier I. Professional development for athletic trainers can now be funded through Tier I, but is not a requirement. King compiled new reimbursement forms for Tier I and Tier II to streamline the reimbursement process. For institutions seeking reimbursements through Tier II, it is no longer necessary to indicate how the program complies with the Division III Strategic Plan. B. ECAC Update: The current state of the ECAC was discussed along with the membership of the league institutions. The ECAC has turned over the majority of its staff over the past year. In addition, the organization has lost a number of its hockey leagues and affiliates and is no longer assigning basketball officials for any Division III conferences. The Liberty League currently utilizes the ECAC for assigning services in football only. Institutions need to be ECAC members in order to utilize assigning services. Utilizing an independent assigner for football could save institutions money if they did not wish to join the ECAC. Alternatives for football will be solicited and reviewed in January. V. NCAA / National Issues A. Division III Management Council Update: Gail Cummings‐Danson provided a NCAA update on behalf of the Division III Management Council. At the 2016 NCAA Convention, Division III will consider increasing dues from $900 to $2,000 per institution. The additional revenue will go directly into the Division III budget. A recent survey has also been circulated to Division III schools regarding playing and practice seasons. This information will be used as a basis for a comprehensive review of Bylaw 17. The NCAA will be conducting a joint women’s basketball championship in 2016 with Divisions I, II and III all playing championship games in Indianapolis in early April, which is considerably later than the typical Division III championship date. Cummings‐Danson also reviewed other items of note including the Division 2 III Week (April 4‐10), NCAA Soccer Summit, 360 Proof program, new process for the Institutional Self‐Study Guide (ISSG), Sportsmanship and Game Environment Working Group, and NCAA Committee Training Video. B. Legislative Proposal – Varsity Weight Rooms: Brian Miller reviewed the Division III legislative proposal that will permit student‐athletes to access a student‐athlete only weight room outside of the declared playing and practice season and to permit the certified strength and conditioning coach to reserve the facility for those student‐athletes. Many institutions have permitted student‐athletes to conduct workouts under the direction of a strength and conditioning coach in the varsity weight room outside of the traditional playing season, which is currently impermissible. This proposal would permit student‐athletes to utilize the varsity weight room during their nontraditional seasons. Since it appears that many institutions may be in violation of the current policy, it is possible that the NCAA may issue a blanket waiver until the issue is addressed through legislation. C. SAAC – Student‐Athlete Attending Convention: As an enticement to encourage student‐athletes to serve as Liberty League SAAC officers, Tracy King suggested that NCAA grant funding could be utilized to enable the Liberty League SAAC president to attend the NCAA Convention. Programming has now been created for student‐athletes who attend the Convention. King reported that other conferences that do not have student‐ athletes on the Division III National SAAC have funded the attendance of student‐athletes at the Convention. Concern might be with the limited opportunity for in‐season (winter) student‐athletes to participate. Motion: A motion (Steward, McElroy) to allocate Tier I grant funding for a student‐athlete to attend the NCAA Convention was APPROVED 10‐0‐0. VI. League Governance A. Football Membership Update: Tracy King reviewed the membership issue facing the league following the announced departure of football associate members Merchant Marine, Springfield and WPI following the 2016 football season. Beyond the 2016 football season, the league will have only five football‐playing institutions – Hobart, Rensselaer, Rochester, St. Lawrence, and Union. The potential loss of the league’s NCAA automatic qualifier – which is guaranteed through the 2018 football season – is a concern, but a greater concern is building a viable schedule with a five‐team league. Football teams are typically challenged to find more than three non‐league games. Coupled with four league games, Liberty League teams could struggle to meet the NCAA minimum of seven contests. Since April, the football‐ playing institutions have explored options for adding new associate members as well as aligning with another conference for the purpose of securing an NCAA bid. Catholic University has continued to maintain interest 3 in Liberty League associate membership with King communicating with Catholic athletic director Sean Sullivan on a frequent basis. Other options for associate members are limited. There has also been no interest among other conferences in a football partnership. If the Liberty League is unable to provide a solution for its football‐playing institutions, the concern is that one or more members could seek to join another conference, either for football or all sports. The loss of a full member is a concern for the league’s long‐term stability. Adding a full‐member institution with football provides added stability and will also help in maintaining the league’s NCAA bid. Ithaca College was discussed as a potential full member. It was noted that Ithaca is a quality academic institution with a very competitive Division III athletic program that could bring stability to the membership. The institution currently competes against many Liberty League institutions and has excellent athletic facilities that are capable of hosting league championships in the individual sports of indoor and outdoor track and field, swimming and diving among other team sports. The potential impact on league championships was discussed. The league has maintained a commitment to four‐team championships in all round‐robin sports, but the addition of a full member will make access to league championships more challenging. The league may need to revisit its commitment to 4‐team championships. A timeline for extending